NECSTouR welcomes this revision and highlights the need for statistics that better reflect today’s tourism realities and policy priorities. Regions are both key producers and users of tourism statistics, relying on robust evidence to manage destinations, monitor sustainability and support informed decision-making.

European tourism statistics must evolve to reflect the changing realities of tourism management. Beyond measuring arrivals and overnight stays, destinations increasingly need timely, granular and actionable data to support evidence‑based decision‑making on sustainability, resilience and competitiveness. NECSTouR’s contribution highlights the need for a more integrated statistical framework capable of measuring tourism’s economic, environmental and social impacts, while supporting regional and destination‑level governance.

Drawing on the experience of regions and destinations, we advocate for an approach that combines official statistics with new data sources to support better destination management, stronger sustainability monitoring and more informed policy decisions. This approach will enable destinations to move from a focus on visitor volumes towards understanding tourism’s broader contribution to local economies, communities and the environment.

Additionally, NECSTouR also emphasises the importance of official statistics as the foundation of innovation, advocating for close links between the future European Tourism Data Space and the European Statistical System.

Furthermore, in this report, we highlight that the European tourism statistical framework should be conceived within a whole-of-government framework, recognising tourism’s strong interconnections with transport, regional development, housing, environment, digitalisation, labour markets and investment policies.

NECSTouR stands ready to contribute to this process by mobilising the experience of European regions and destinations, the Tourism of Tomorrow Lab and its wider network of members and partners.