The European Network of Business Travel Associations has welcomed the European Commission’s recent acknowledgement of the importance of business travel within the continent, which comes ahead of the EU’s new Tourism Strategy.
The European Commission services, on behalf of the European Commissioner for Sustainable Transport and Tourism Apostolos Tzitzikostas, made the positive gesture in response to a letter sent by BT4Europe advocating for the inclusion of a dedicated Business Travel Pillar in the forthcoming EU Tourism Strategy.
In its letter, BT4Europe had underscored that although EU tourism policy formally includes leisure and business travel, policy discussions tend to overlook the latter and focus on the former.
The association has advocated for redressing this imbalance, stressing that business travel is a strategic driver of Europe’s competitiveness, resilience and sustainability.
Specifically, BT4E would like the recognition of business travel as a distinct category, the easing of administrative barriers to professional mobility and improved data to better capture its economic contribution across the Single Market.
Whilst the EU’s Tourism Strategy is still being finalised, this move provides assurance that the Commission aims to take these recommendations into account.
The Commission explicitly acknowledged the significance of business travel to Europe’s tourism ecosystem, as well as the sector’s contribution to regional connectivity, economic resilience and sustainability.
