Improving competitiveness in the tourism industry by building sustainability: EU approach

Tourism is not only one of the world’s major economic sectors, but also one of the mainstays of international trade as well as a dynamic catalyst for many other sectors. Its role is particularly significant in the context of natural resource protection, in cultural heritage and in promoting relationships among different peoples. However, this applies if it is achieved by means of a three-dimensional sustainability approach – economic, environmental and social – as is the case for many forms of tourism environmentally and socially friendly. The aim of this paper is to analyze the state of the art relative to certification programmes in ecotourism and sustainable tourism around the world, in order to examine the crucial elements that have determined market confusion in one of the most important industries of the 21st century. In particular, EU strategies will be analyzed and the efforts needed to integrate the main available tools highlighted, so as to create a Life Cycle Thinking policy. This approach can effectively contribute to more coherent and more straightforward policy making and towards the efficient and effective improvement of tourist products and processes and consequently of company competitiveness