United in difficult times: Europa Nostra supports appeal to reduce negative impact of COVID-19 on tourism sector
The COVID-19 global pandemic has already had an extensive impact on the daily lives of people all over the world and is set to take a considerable toll on our society and economy. Europa Nostra would like, first of all, to express our solidarity and support to all people who have been affected, in one way or another, by this major public health emergency.
In Europe, a large proportion of tourism is linked, both directly and indirectly, to culture-related activities and heritage sites. Europa Nostra has therefore decided to co-sign the joint statement which calls for the implementation of urgent measures to limit the negative impact that the COVID-19 outbreak will have on the tourism sector.
The statement was issued by the European Tourism Manifesto Alliance on 17 March 2020. The European Tourism Manifesto Alliance is an alliance of more than 50 private and public organisations from all over Europe, including Europa Nostra and a number of other organisations with a focus on culture and heritage, which calls on the European Union for action on key policy priorities for the tourism sector.
The Manifesto Alliance calls upon the European Commission and national governments to swiftly implement a series of measures which are listed in the document, including “support action for the wider field of culture”. In this trying times, Europa Nostra stresses the vital importance of many cultural and cultural heritage activities, operators and sites for the revival of Europe’s tourism and travel sectors, and thus to the recovery of Europe’s society and economy as a whole.
