NECSTouR President talk during the European week of Regions and Cities workshop on peripheral island regions' challenges
14/10/2021

NECSTouR President talk during the European week of Regions and Cities workshop on peripheral island regions' challenges

The event was organised by our Sardinia, a NECSTouR region, with interventions from policymakers from Baleares, Corsica, Crete, Ionian Islands and including a testimony of Manuel Alejandro Cardenete, NECSTouR new elected president, vice-minister for tourism in the Andalucía region.

Mediterranean island regions are characterised by fragile economies that are highly dependent on tourism and their connectivity with the EU mainland. The event aimed to address the challenges of EU islands and find common solutions to accelerate the recovery process in these areas.

The Committee of Regions is the right place to transform regional tourism

Manuel Alejandro Cardenete called for the creation for an interregional group for tourism in the Committee of Regions to regularly discuss common problems, shared policies and best practices. “You can count on NECSTouR to drive this process”.

NECSTouR calls the EU institutions to reinforce the dialogue with regional authorities on many subjects (transport, culture, environment…). Peripheral island regions are characterized by fragile and diversified economies. The EU commission needs to cater to the specific needs of islands, worsened by the pandemic with specific programs targeting tourism and Next Generation EU.

Members of the European Parliament, Rosa Estaras Ferragut and Josiane Cutajar, through her commitment in the Tourism Task Force and the Transport and Tourism Committee, concluded the session by supporting a new strategy for islands.

A call to mainstream the insular dimension into relevant cohesion policies with an integrated tourism approach including sustainability and diversification (“Empower islands to make the most of other seasons” Mrs. Cutajar added). Other relevant sectors include green mobility and circular economy, to make Mediterranean islands more attractive for visitors all-year long and offer a cleaner environment for tourists and residents as well.

 

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