Back to the future: challenges of European tourism of tomorrow

Abstract

Purpose–The purpose of this paper is to identify and describe the most recent (or emerging) trendslikely to have a major impact in shaping the future of tourism in Europe.
Design/methodology/approach–The methodology of this paper involved in-depth literature review ofEuropean Union policies, initiatives and programs. Also, semi-structured interviews were conducted withkey individuals/organisations, mainly at a European level, but also including pertinent global and nationaltourism organisations. Moreover, an online survey was also conducted and circulated to a wide range oforganisations from all 28 EU Member States. Nvivo was used to analyse the documents as well as toconduct a content and thematic analysis of the interviews.
Findings–This paper identifies five trends associated with the future of tourism in Europe. Those maintrends are: evolving visitor demand; marketing; stakeholders and tourism governance; new technologies;and sustainable and responsible tourism.
Originality/value–This trends paper provides five useful recommendations for the future of tourism inEurope, including: sustainable tourism development, investment in technology, effective tourismgovernance, enhance Europe’s overall destination brand and marketing strategy, and the need for newskills and training.