site.bta 11% of World's Tourists Come to Danube Region

11% of World's Tourists Come to Danube Region

Sofia, June 8 (BTA) - Some 52 per cent of the world's tourists
visit Europe and 11 per cent (125 million people annually) come
to the Danube Region, World Tourism Organization
Secretary-General Taleb Rifai said in Sofia Monday.

Rifai was addressing a meeting of the Danube Region countries
entitled "Sustainable Tourism through Cooperation with EU Funds
and Investments."

The Secretary-General further said that the Danube River, other
natural assets and the cultural heritage combine to make the
Danube Region a blessed area which can support a booming tourist
 industry serving the purposes of regional development and
cohesion. According to him, the region's strength lies in
offering multiple-destination tourist services.

Europe should brace itself for a shrinking market share because
tourism is a global game and everyone wants to take part, but
Europe's lead should remain a permanent goal, Rifai said.
Predicting that the world's tourists will increase by more than
50 per cent by 2030, he said this is an enormous challenge, but
Europe should be prepared to lose some of its markets because
now there is no place on the planet unvisited by tourists.

Daniel Calleja, Director-General of the European Commission's DG
 for the Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs,
said that tourism is among the best functioning sectors in
Europe. Listing the challenges facing the EU tourism industry,
Calleja singled out the problem of excessive national and
European regulation, noting that a programme is to be written to
 address the issue. Other challenges include the need to build a
 Digital Single Market in Europe, raise the competence level of
tourism employees, overcome the seasonal nature of tourist
services, and deal with the market redistribution which is going
 on in favour of Asia.

Walter Deffaa, Director-General of the European Commission's DG
for Regional and Urban Policy, said that many people practise
bicycle tourism in the Danube Region every year, but only 8,000
of them go beyond Budapest, although the eastern part of the
region, including Bulgaria, also has huge potential to develop
the industry. This part of the region is also confronted with
the challenges of promoting cruise ship tourism, cultural routes
 and green tourism products and aligning statistical data,
Deffaa said.