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EuropeanDestinationsin One BigEUROPOP PartyIN THIS ISSUE: Details of theone-night-only EUROPOP tradeand consumer event that broughtthe authentic sights, tastes, soundsand products of Europe to the USearlier this summer. Twenty-twodestinations were present in NewYork to showcase the very bestof Europe.
Continued on page 4
ETCBULLETINNews from the European Travel Commission September – December 2014
About ETC 2
ETC marketing activities 3• eMN Summer Bar Camp• New My EuroShorts campaign
ETC Operations Groups 4
ETC research & development 5-7• Market Intelligence Group news• New marketing strategies report• Analysis of tourism growth markets• Weathering the crisis in Crimea• Calendar of webinars 2014
ETC agenda 2013 8
CONTENTS
Making progress, moving forward:An update on ETC reformThe European TravelCommission (ETC) wasestablished in 1948 topromote the importance oftourism in revitalisingEurope’s economy afterWorld War II.
Today, tourism is stillplaying a crucial role as anengine for the Europeaneconomy. Last year, thetourism sector’s totalcontribution represented8.2% of the European GDP,generating a total of 30million jobs or 8% of total employment.
Since its foundation over 66 years ago,ETC’s core task has remained the sameand is still very relevant in a modernEurope:
“ETC’s mission is to strengthen thesustainable development of Europe as atourist destination and to increasecompetitiveness, through knowledgegathering and sharing amongst membersand lobbying as well as by establishing aprofessional marketing platform for thesuccessful promotion of membercountries in overseas markets.”
It is widely acknowledged that Europe isthe world’s number 1 tourist destination.With 563 million international tourist
arrivals in 2013, Europeholds a market share of52%. But it is also worthnoting that long-haulmarkets in particularcontributed significantly tothe growth of inboundEuropean tourism.
However, the Europeantourism industry is facinggrowing global competitionfrom emerging destinationsthat are attractingincreasing numbers oftourists. As a result of fast
developing economies outside of Europe,traditional world tourism patterns arebeginning to change.
ETC must respond to these shiftingpatterns and capitalise on the potential oftomorrow’s outbound travel markets,especially those from emergingeconomies whose expanding middleclasses are a growing market forEuropean destinations.
At the core of ETC’s reform and new strategyare two themes - the stimulation ofcompetitiveness and the promotion ofsustainable growth within the Europeantourism sector by raising awareness forDestination Europe in long-haul marketsthrough extensive market research andtargeted marketing action. Cont. on page 7
A message from Peter De Wilde,ETC President.
List of ETC member organisations 8
Contact details 8
ABOUT THE EUROPEAN TRAVEL COMMISSION
What Is The European TravelCommission?The European Travel Commission (ETC)is the non-profit organisation responsiblefor the promotion of Europe as a touristdestination in long-haul markets.
ETC’s mission is to strengthen thesustainable development of Europe asa tourist destination and to increasecompetitiveness, through knowledgegathering and sharing amongst membersand lobbying, as well as by establishing aprofessional marketing platform for thesuccessful promotion of membercountries in overseas markets.
Since When?ETC was established in 1948 to promotethe importance of tourism in revitalisingEurope’s economy after World War II.ETC’s core task has remained unchangedsince its foundation more than60 years ago.
Who Are Our Members? ETC’s members are the National TouristOrganisations (NTOs) of 33 Europeancountries, including 24 EU member states.The NTOs of all sovereign states in Europeare eligible for full membership of ETC.
European Union: Austria, Belgium,Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic,Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany,Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia,Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Poland,Portugal, Romania, Slovak Republic,Slovenia, Spain, Sweden.
Others: Iceland, Monaco, Montenegro,Norway, San Marino, Serbia, Switzerland,Turkey.
How Does ETC Function?ETC has its headquarters in Brussels,where its Executive Unit is based. Theorganisation is headed by a presidentelected from the directors of its memberorganisations.
Vital to ETC’s activities are its MarketIntelligence Group (MIG) and e-MarketingNetwork (eMN). The MIG commissions andproduces studies, handbooks onmethodologies and best practice, andfacilitates the exchange of Europeantourism statistics. The eMN providesinformation and expertise about the use ofdigital media by NTOs and produces theETC Digital Portal.
The work of all the above-mentionedgroups is carried out by experts frommember NTOs.
Where Does ETC Operate?ETC currently promotes and markets theEurope – a never ending journey brandand the visiteurope.com portal in fourmajor overseas markets: Brazil, Canada,China and the USA. ETC’s focus will shiftgradually towards emerging markets inthe coming years.
The representatives of the European NTOsoperating in these markets join togetherto form an ETC Operations Group (OG) andelect a chairman. They decide on aprogramme of joint activities for thepromotion of Europe for the year ahead,propose a budget, and seek local industrysupport.
What Are ETC’s Activities?ETC undertakes three basic activities:consumer advertising, market researchand public relations. ETC initiates marketingactivities to promote pan-European productsand themes, which are complementary tothe individual marketing actions of itsmembers. It provides members, industrypartners and other interested parties withmaterial and statistics regarding inboundtourism to Europe and best practices.
ETC also provides a forum for thedirectors of the European NTOs to meetregularly and exchange ideas, and it is inconstant liaison with internationalorganisations such as the World TourismOrganization (UNWTO), the EuropeanCommission’s Tourism Unit (DG Enterprise),the Organisation for Economic Co-operation& Development (OECD) and the EuropeanTour Operators' Association (ETOA).
Who is Who at ETC?
P A G E 2
From left to right: Valeria Croce: Research & Development Manager, Gunes Vural: Project Manager Online Marketing, Stefanie Gallob: Project ManagerResearch & Development, Teodora Marinska: Finance, HR & Administration Manager, Eduardo Santander: Executive Director, Annelies Waegeman: ProjectManager Marketing, Miguel Gallego: Marketing, PR & Communication Manager and Iulia Niculica: Trainee Office Management.Daniela Buzova started mid-August as Marketing Trainee and Zuzana Helikova starts on September 1st as the new Trainee Research & Development.
eMN Summer Bar Camp 2014
ETC MARKETING ACTIVITIES
P A G E 3
EuroShorts – the Sequel
After last year’s very successfulVisitEurope short film campaign, ETC andthe European Commission have nowlaunched a sequel… My EuroShorts - 2014edition. This time, no professionalexperience of film-making is needed –anyone can have a go at recording theirexperiences of travelling around Europe.
Working in partnership with the creativedevelopment agency, Screen South, we’ll
be looking for short but exciting travelfilms that reflect a personal journey andshow a unique, interesting or funexperience.
Films must show travel across at leastthree European countries and must last nolonger than five minutes. Judges will belooking for a film that creates anemotional or humorous response and thatinspires travel to Europe.
After the first stage deadline of 1stOctober 2014, a long-list of the bestapplicants will be posted on VisitEurope’ssocial media sites so that members of thepublic can vote for their top three.
The winning filmmakers will be rewardedwith a holiday for two in Europe, includingflights and accommodation for two weeks.They’ll also receive first-class rail passesto help them explore the rest of Europein style.
The best video footage will be used tomake a compilation video to inspire othertravellers to explore Destination Europe.
Visit www.euroshorts-films.com formore information.
ETC’s e-Marketing Network (eMN)held its first-ever SummerBar Camp in June. The event tookplace at the CommunicationsMuseum in Frankfurt, Germany, andwas organised with support from theGerman National TourismOrganisation and the Digital TourismThink Tank.
The one-day Bar Camp - exclusivelyfor ETC members - providedparticipants with some great insightsinto key areas of digital development such as content, social,mobile and big data.
A group of experts, including travel blogger Melvin Böcher,social media guru Joantxo Llantada and mobile marketingmaster Zornitza Yovcheva, led each session, providing practicaladvice, input and recommendations. The presentations and
follow-on discussions gave eMNmembers plenty of opportunities tonetwork and share experiences andbest practice.
All eMN members attending the BarCamp were presented with a copyof the ETC and UNWTO Handbookon E-marketing for TourismDestinations, which has now beenfully integrated into the ETC Digital
Portal. All of the chapters can bedownloaded and read offline, along
with the extensive digital trends data and market informationthat’s available on the portal.
eMN also hosted a 90 minute webinar in June on two BRICmarkets - Russia and China. A further webinar is scheduledfor later in the year and will focus on another of the marketreports from the Digital Portal.
eMN members at ETC’s Summer Bar Camp 2014.
Best TourismJournalistsThe Brazil Operations Group haslaunched its 25th annual competitionto find the best tourism journalists.This initiative aims to rewardjournalists for their work in helpingto inspire and motivate tourists,recognising that they can do this inmany different ways, such asthrough images, information, newsand reviews. Nine journalists will beawarded the prize of a trip to Spain,this year’s host country.
The journalism competition is apositive way to encourage, recogniseand value the work of journalistswho spread the word aboutEuropean tourism destinationsthrough a range of different mediaand who help to promote a positiveimage of Europe in Brazil.
For more information, visitwww.concursoeuropajornalismo.com
Travel + Leisure EUROPOP Showcases Twenty-two Destinations
ETC OPERATIONS GROUPS
P A G E 4
The Brazil Operations Group
The US Operations Group
Brazil Meets Europeat B2B WorkshopETC’s Brazil Operations Group (OG) isorganising a B2B workshop later this yearwith the aim of bringing together Braziliantravel buyers and European suppliers.
The workshop will be organised inpartnership with ETOA, the European TourOperators’ Association, during the GlobalEuropean Marketplace (GEM) eventat Wembley Stadium in London.The workshop will take place on Friday31st October.
ETC is working with BRAZTOA, theBrazilian Association of Tour Operators,to select and invite 30 Brazilian-based touroperators who have a strong interest inEurope’s tourism product.
The flexible format of this event will help
delegates to schedule a full day ofappointments with relevant contacts, aswell as allowing time for open networkingthrough drop-by sessions and drinksreceptions.
Eduardo Santander, ETC’s ExecutiveDirector said: “ETC is glad to be the linkbetween ETOA and BRAZTOA. Thispartnership is an important milestone togenerate long-term business on bothsides of the ocean. We truly believe in thiskind of joint initiative between touroperator organisations, not just as astrategy to increase business volumesand revenues but also as a way to sharebest practice.”
For more information, visit the GEM14website, www.etoa.org/gem
ETC’s US Operations Group recentlyteamed up with Travel + Leisure, aleading US tourism publication, tostage the first-ever EUROPOP, aone-night-only trade and consumerevent that brought to life some of theauthentic sights, tastes, sounds andproducts of Europe. Hosted at theAltman Building in New York City inearly June, the event featured morethan twenty destinations, rangingfrom the Mediterranean toScandinavia.
“We are thrilled to collaborate withthe ETC on EUROPOP, a fun andengaging way to experience so manydestinations all in one place. Thisone-night pop of culture will provideinspiration for T+L readers and consumersas they plan their next getaway,” said JayMeyer, Publisher of Travel + Leisure.
Twenty-two of ETC’s National TourismOrganisation members took part inEUROPOP. Each destination had anindividual stand with a backdrop of
stunning imagery. An ETC table representedall non-participating member countries. Atotal of 120 trade and media representativesattended the first two-hour private tradepreview, with over 500 consumers attendingthe following three-hour consumer event.
Peter De Wilde, President of the ETC,commented: “We’re pleased to invite
Travel + Leisure readers to join us atthis unique event that will bringthem a little closer to the sounds,tastes and experiences that awaitthem in Europe.”
As well as getting inspiration andinformation for planning a Europeanvacation, visitors enjoyed RuffinoWines, Stella Artois beer, UltimateVodka and artisan products fromShop Latitude. They were also ableto relax in an American Airlineslounge.
Prior to the event, the US OperationsGroup ran a related communicationscampaign in Travel + Leisure outlets.
This included print inserts in the April andMay issues of Travel + Leisure magazine, acustomised landing page and dedicated e-mail blasts, newsletter and social mediaposts. Each print insert reached apotential audience of over6 million readers, while the digital andsocial media inserts recorded a totalof 1.7 million views.
From left to right: Jay Meyer (Travel + Leisure), Eugenio Magnani(Chair ETC’s US Operations Group), Jacqueline Gifford (Travel +Leisure), Peter De Wilde (ETC President) and Eduardo Santander(ETC Executive Director).
P A G E 5
ETC RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT
Market Intelligence Group
Exploring Russian andCIS Outbound TravelOne of the core activities of ETC is to helpits members make informed decisions onwhich markets and segments offer thebest potential for tourism to Europe.
This year, our focus is on Russia andselected countries of theCommonwealth ofIndependent States (CIS),namely Ukraine, Belarus,Kazakhstanand Azerbaijan.
These markets areincreasingly playing asignificant role in thegrowth of tourism and it isimportant that industryprofessionals have a clear insight into thismarket’s past performance as well asfuture potential, particularly in the light ofcurrentpolitical tensions.
A significant recent development is thatRussian-speaking travellers have becomeavid internet users and bloggers. The ETC-UNWTO Study Understanding RussianOutbound Tourism – What the Russian
Blogosphere is Saying about Europeanalyses the attitudes and opinions of bothcurrent and prospective Russian-speaking travellers as expressed in socialmedia, with special focus on thosetravelling to and within Europe.
This second study is part ofa broader research projectaiming at analysing thetourism potential ofselected CIS countries.
An ad-hoc study willprovide a comprehensiveoverview of selectedcountries (Russia, Ukraine,Belarus, Kazakhstan and
Azerbaijan) and an in-depth analysis of theoutbound travel market, drawing fromexisting data. This study is expected to beavailable by the end of this year.
These studies are intended to becomea destination’s ideal companion indiscovering and understanding thebehaviour and mindset of outboundtravellers from Russia and theCommonwealth of Independent States.
TourMIS:Making StatisticsEasier to HandleSince the mid 1990s, TourMIS,the online marketing informationsystem, has been providing supportto the European tourism sectorthrough the exchange of tourismstatistics.
Earlier this year, ETC’s MarketIntelligence Group (MIG) andExecutive Unit decided to investfurther in the platform by making iteasier to use and, ultimately, morehelpful to tourism practitioners.Already, a new and more time-efficient way of uploading data ontothe platform has been introduced.Other changes will include animproved navigation system and thefacility to create personalisedviews. We expect theseimprovements will have a positiveimpact on the number of ETCmembers who contribute to theTourMIS platform.
In the future we plan to put moreemphasis on spreading the word onnew developments in order to helpmembers and other users to getmore benefit from this uniquedatabase. www.tourmis.info
Russian-speakingtravellers havebecome avidinternet usersand bloggers.
New Study onMeetings,Congress,Conventions andIncentive TourismMCCI is a fast growing industry segment thatgenerates high revenues for both cities andcountries. As emerging destinations areincreasingly gaining a competitive edge in thisindustry, it is vital for Destination Europe tounderstand more about organisers’expectations, needs and the factors thatinfluence their decision-making.
A new study on MCCI tourism provides adetailed overview of this sector includinginsight into the best practices of selected National Tourism Organisations (NTOs), publiccongress bureaus, city and regional tourist boards.
The study will be carried out in 2014 and the first results will be available in spring 2015.
The Meetings, Congress, Conventions and Incentive (MCCI) tourism sector is a fast growingindustry segment.
ETC RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT
P A G E 6
In an increasingly vibrant landscape, marked by new players, technological innovation andrapidly-changing consumers, it is important to closely monitor other destinations’ effortsto win market shares in the global tourism market.
To best support its members in this area, ETC commissioned a study of best practiceexamples in tourism and promotion strategies from outside Europe. The result of thisstudy is a series of six reports on key strategic markets for ETC and its members - Brazil,Canada, China, Japan, Russia and the USA. Currently, only the reports on China and Brazilhave been published.
These easy-to-read reports provide key facts and insights into the strategic vision andoperational activities that tourism destinations outside Europe are developing to attractvisitors from the most promising source markets. The reports contain references to otherpublicly available data and personal interviews with NTO marketing directors,representatives of the travel trade and industry experts.
Investigating the Marketing Strategiesof Tourism Destinations
Russia has become the third largestsource market for Europe in recentyears. European destinations receivednearly 33 million arrivals from Russiain 2013, with forecasts pointing to a3.6% growth in 2014. However, theescalation of the Crimea crisis this yearmay abruptly change trends in travelfrom this market.
The European tourism sector is not adirect target of international sanctionsintroduced in response to the crisis but
it does suffer indirectly. The weakeningruble, a by-product of deterioratingtrade relationships, has reducedoutbound travel from Russia. Theclimate of hostility and uncertainty inthe region, amplified by mediacoverage, is also a factor.
The fear of hostility and anti-Russiansentiment during trips to Europeancountries is another significant concernas are rumours, particularly on socialmedia, that travel visas are becoming
increasingly hard to obtain.
National Tourism Organisations canplay a crucial role in containing thenegative impact of this crisis byaddressing the information needs oftravellers and all industry stakeholdersin an efficient, timely and responsiblemanner. The ETC Executive Unit ismonitoring the situation closely andwill provide information to its membersand co-ordinate actions to mitigateimpacts.
Weathering the Crisis in Crimea
Total European foreign visitor arrivalshave grown by 4.8% on average in eachof the four years to 2013.
This growth has included somesignificant differences in performanceby destination. In general, though, thefastest growing markets tend to besmaller while larger, more matureorigin markets grow at a slower pace.For example, travel to the rest ofEurope from Germany, as the largestorigin market, rose by just 1.5% in2013. By contrast, Chinese touristscomprise just 1.3% of European
arrivals, but grew by 23% in 2013.
A new study by ETC, the EuropeanTourism Portfolio Analysis, assessesthe importance of different sourcemarkets for the region and its sub-regions. It compares travel growthwith the size of the travel marketand analyses the contribution thatsource markets make to overalldestination performance. Thisanalysis offers a balanced view ofboth the current and, moreimportantly, the future importance ofsource markets in Europe and worldwide.
New Analysis of European TourismGrowth Markets
P A G E 7
Earlier this year, health tourism professionals from both private and public sectorsgathered in Vejle, Denmark, for the Annual ESPA Congress. Their aim was to discussadvances in spa management, the latest research and integration into the wider economy.
The European Spas Association (ESPA) (www.espa-ehv.eu) is an umbrella industryorganisation representing 20 members from 19 European countries. Its objective is topromote spas and the study of medicinal springs in Europe and to ensure that naturalremedies based on mineral water, landscape and climate will be available to as great anumber of people as possible.
Speakers at the May event comprised both local and international experts. ETC wasrepresented by Stefanie Gallob (ETC Executive Unit) who participated in a panel discussingEU potential and the exploration of health and medical tourism for destination marketing.
European Spas Association Congress
Calendar of Webinars 2014PhoCusWrightWhen They Get There (And Why They Go): Activities, Attractions,Events and Tours of US Visitors
The Travel Activities Market in Europe: Activities, Attractions, Eventsand Tours of Visitors in Europe
Tourism EconomicsEuropean Tourism – Trends & Prospects (Quarterly Reports)
Executive UnitETC Executive Dashboard – An Overview
Making progress,moving forward:An update onETC reformContinued from page 1
Central to this work is the notion thatfuture growth and competitivenesscan only be achieved through acommon European strategy fortourism, one that is grounded inpublic-private partnerships under acommon Destination Europe brand. ETC must take advantage ofEurope’s tourism offerings andincrease market shares in bothemerging and established markets.ETC must align its market mix andidentify underserved segments, suchas senior tourism and LGBT, andfurther expand its understanding ofpan-European product development.
In other words, ETC must emphasiseEurope’s diversity - natural scenery,cultural wealth, history, quality oflife, and safety - in order tostimulate demand for Europeantourism products. At the same time,it is essential to tailor offerings totravellers’ requirements, taking intoaccount their cultural background,special needs, etc.
By promoting pan-Europeanthematic experiences, ETC isseeking to both raise the visibilityof the plethora of products availableand to create awareness of theregion’s diversity and the manyfactors that differentiate onecountry from another. This will bothencourage targeted productdevelopment while embracing thevery differences that make Europeso special.
However, while Europe is alsoadmired for its qualityinfrastructure and safety, legal (visarequirements) and perceptualbarriers inhibit tourism flows. Inorder to remain competitive andfoster sustainable growth, ETCmust help to tackle thesechallenges and further developthe future of European tourism.
Peter De Wilde, ETC President
17thS E P T
24thS E P T
16thO C T
17thO C T
P A G E 8
ETC MEMBER ORGANISATIONS• 10th TourMIS WorkshopVienna on 11th September
• ETC & UNWTO International Seminaron Knowledge Management & Transferfor Tourism DestinationsVienna on 12th September
• ETC General Meeting,Romania on 6th - 7th October
• ETC Forum on Market Trends,San Giuliano Terme on 27th October
• ETC & ETOA Global EuropeanMarketplace (GEM) London on 31st October
• ETC Press Conference at WTM LondonLondon on 4th November
• eMarketing Network Annual MeetingBarcelona, Spain on 19th November
Disclaimer: whilst every care has beentaken in the compilation of this publicationand the information and statementscontained in it are believed to be correct atthe time of going to press, the publishersand promoters of this publication are notliable for any inaccuracies.
ETC AGENDA 2014
CONTACT ETC
EUROPEAN TRAVEL COMMISSIONRue du Marché aux Herbes 611000 Brussels – BELGIUMtel: +32 2 – 548 9000fax: +32 2 – 514 1843
Follow us on:Facebook/visiteuropeTwitter/visiteuropeTwitter/etc_corporate
• AustriaAustrian NationalTourist Office (ANTO)
• BelgiumFlanders:Visit Flanders Wallonia:Tourist Office forBrussels andWallonia (OPT)
• BulgariaBulgarian State Agencyfor Tourism
• CroatiaCroatian NationalTourist Board (CNTB)
• CyprusCyprus TourismOrganisation (CTO)
• Czech RepublicCzechTourism
• DenmarkVisitDenmark
• EstoniaEstonian Tourist Board -Enterprise Estonia
• FinlandFinnish Tourist Board(MEK)
• GermanyGerman NationalTourist Board (GNTB)
• GreeceGreek National TourismOrganisation (GNTO)
• HungaryHungarian Tourism Plc.
• IcelandIcelandic Tourist Board
• IrelandFáilte Ireland Tourism Ireland Ltd.
• ItalyThe Italian GovernmentTourism Board
• LatviaLatvian TourismDevelopment Agency (TAVA)
• LithuaniaLithuanian StateDepartment of Tourism
• LuxembourgLuxembourg NationalTourist Office (ONT)
• MaltaMalta Tourism Authority(MTA)
• MonacoMonaco GovernmentTourist and Convention Office
• MontenegroNational TourismOrganisation of Montenegro
• NorwayInnovation Norway
• PolandPolish Tourist Organisation(PTO)
• PortugalTurismo de Portugal,I.P.
• RomaniaRomanian NationalAuthority for Tourism
• San MarinoState Office forTourism
• SerbiaNational TourismOrganisation of Serbia (NTOS)
• SlovakiaSlovak Tourist Board
• SloveniaSpirit Slovenia,Slovenian Tourist Board
• SpainTurespaña - Instituto deTurismo
• SwedenVisitSweden
• SwitzerlandSwitzerlandTourism
• TurkeyMinistry of Culture andTourism
