Data relating to tourism are becoming increasingly important and represent an essential resource for structuring competitiveness actions, planning innovation and building new jobs. The development of the data economy at EU level is essential because the tourism sector represents 10% of the EU’s GDP. Aware of this, 20 organizations representing the travel and tourism sector in the European Community have signed a code of conduct for data sharing.
Working with official information is not easy for businesses and also for organizations. For this reason, the sharing of high-quality data, in an accessible format and respectful of privacy obligations, is also representing an official way to network.
The CoC is not a binding document, but rather a regulatory tool for sharing information, therefore a system for creating a partnership based on cooperation and trust between member organizations.
The 20 signatory organizations to the data sharing code of conduct
The European Travel Commission (ETC) as promoter is naturally among the signatories of the code of conduct. The Italian Association of Responsible Tourism (AITR), the International Committee of Tourism Film Festivals (CIFFT), the European Boating Industry (EBI), the European Cyclists’ Federation (ECF), the European Travel Agents and Tour Operators Associations (ECTAA), the European Historic Thermal Towns Association (EHTTA), European LGBTQ+ Travel Alliance (ELTA), European Travel Commission (ETC), eu travel tech (EU association representing indirect online travel distributors), Europa Nostra, European Federation of Tourist Guide Associations (FEG), Global Business Travel Association (GBTA), Hotels, Restaurants and Cafés in Europe (HOTREC), The Global Association for the Attraction Industry (IAAPA), International Social Tourism Organization (ISTO), Mirabilia Network, NECSTouR, New Deal Europe , European Federation of Rural Tourism (RURALTOUR ) and Startup Tourism Association.
The list of agencies is not definitive. Adhering to the code of conduct for data sharing is always possible by writing to “info@visiteurope.com”, expressing your interest and including the agency logo.
The objectives of the CoC
There are four goals set on data sharing in tourism:
- Build trust among tourism industry stakeholders and provide strategic support on how to benefit from mutually beneficial data sharing partnerships in the tourism sector.
- Promote data sharing in the tourism sector within the European Union while contributing to a world-wide architecture for data exchange by supporting a set of common principles and guidelines for tourism sector stakeholders.
- Promote the EU’s global efforts in the tourism sector to gradually create a genuine single market for data through the implementation of the 2020 EU data strategy.
- Ensure a level playing field where the public and private sector and stakeholders have equal chances and opportunities in the use and sharing of data in tourism, in particular by supporting a number of principles on data exchange.
Finally, sharing sector data responds to the digital transition needs of the tourism industry. An indispensable step sought to increase the quality of the sector in Europe as well.
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