Antonio Tajani, vice-president of the European Commission (EC) and Petra Hedorfer, president of the European Travel Commission (ETC), have signed a historic Joint Declaration between the two organisations, which sets out the basis for strengthening the image and promotion of ‘Destination Europe’ in the future.

“This declaration is an important milestone in the cooperation between the European Commission and the member states, through their National Tourism Organisations and under the umbrella of the European Travel Commission, for the joint promotion of Europe as the most diverse set of sustainable and high quality tourist destinations in the world,” explained Tajani.

Six key areas of collaboration are outlined in this declaration.

They include the promotion of ‘Destination Europe’ in long-haul markets, the use of the ‘Europe – a never ending journey’ brand outside of Europe and the development of pan-European cultural routes and thematic tourism products.

This declaration also reinforces the importance of the visiteurope.com portal as the official site and primary marketing platform for ‘Destination Europe’.

Both organisations also agreed to a joint presence at events and joint collaboration in the field of research and best practice.

“The declaration demonstrates a clear recognition and commitment to the economic and cultural value of tourism and the importance of attracting visitors from new and emerging markets to Europe,” said Hedorfer.

The objectives defined in the European Commission’s communication “Europe, the world’s No 1 tourist destination – a new political framework for tourism in Europe” and the European Travel Commission’s gradual strategic shift towards the promotion of ‘Destination Europe’ in emerging markets, form the backdrop of this agreement.

Bringing together the European National Tourism Organisations, the European Travel Commission promotes Destination Europe in long-haul markets, where it can offer value which is complementary to its members’ own strategies.

Its programme of activities includes both marketing and promotional activities as well as research and knowledge-sharing through its network of experts.