208. Takes note of the Special Report entitled ‘Were ERDF co-financed tourism projects effective?’, which states that tourism is the largest service industry in the Union; welcomes the Court of Auditors’ conclusion that most projects had several results, either by creating or maintaining jobs or by creating tourism capacity or activity; calls on the Commission to follow the Court of Auditors’ recommendations concerning the management and control of ERDF funding for tourism projects and to make use of the provisions of the Lisbon Treaty to propose a multiannual tourism programme; with appropriately funded budget lines;

210. Takes note of the Special Report entitled ‘Were ERDF co-financed tourism projects effective?’, which states that tourism is the largest service industry in the Union; welcomes the Court of Auditors' conclusion that most projects had several results, either by creating or maintaining jobs or by creating tourism capacity or activity; calls on the Commission to follow the Court of Auditors' recommendations concerning the management and control of ERDF funding for tourism projects and to make use of the provisions of the Lisbon Treaty to propose a multiannual tourism programme; with appropriately funded budget lines;

1. Notes that the competitiveness of the European tourism industry will only be guaranteed by using the best technologies available; calls on the Member States and the Commission to encourage the tourist sector to adopt strategies on energy efficiency and the introduction of renewables; welcomes the launch of an ‘ICT and tourism’ platform by the Commission, which could serve as an accelerator for tourism enterprises, especially SMEs, when developing new and innovative tools and services; believes that a single market for online services will increase the competitiveness of the tourism industry in Europe and that ICT should contribute ...[+++]to sustainable management, also bearing in mind the EU climate strategy and respecting the special needs of rural, mountainous and coastal regions; believes that better coordination of all tourism activities via ICT should be enhanced under the auspices of the Commission, since tourists book more and more travel services through electronic platforms and non-European web search engines; believes that the Commission should secure fair and legal competition in this area;

diversification towards non-agricultural activities, support for the establishment and development of micro-businesses, promotion of tourism and the protection, development and management of the natural heritage that contributes to sustainable economic development.

23. Is very much in favour of building on Agenda 21 in order to promote targeted initiatives to foster sustainable tourist activity, including labelling for tourist services and travel organisers (tour operators, hotel sector, agencies, tourist guides, municipalities, etc.); fiscal measures designed to fund measures to redress the adverse effects of tourism; integrated management practices in sensitive areas (such as coastal and mountain areas); and the inclusion of tourism-related aspects in other economic activities;

Such activities include land reparcelling, setting up farm advisory services, marketing high-quality agricultural products, developing key services in rural areas, renovating villages and protecting heritage, promoting tourism and craft activities and managing integrated rural development strategies by local partnerships.