Name: College read-out / Press conference by European Commission Executive Vice-President Raffaele FITTO and European Commissioner Apostolos TZITZIKOSTAS on a European strategy on sustainable tourism
Uploaded: 2026-11-04T11:28:23+00:00
Duration: 1165 s

College read-out / Press conference by European Commission Executive Vice-President Raffaele FITTO and European Commissioner Apostolos TZITZIKOSTAS on a European strategy on sustainable tourism

4 November 2026

Contents updated on 4 Nov 2026

A journalist questions why the tourism strategy avoids the term overtourism, asks if “balanced tourism” reflects political limits on confronting volume-based destinations, and challenges the asymmetry between support for rural “right to stay” and lack of focus on residents in overtouristed areas; EVP Fitto responds by framing tourism as a tool to enable people to remain in diverse territories via an integrated approach across EU policies (transport, fisheries, agriculture) and adequate public services.

Wed, 4 Nov 2026 European Commission

Follow its sittings

00:00 - 00:25

Speaker 3

Thank you very much, EVP and commissioner. And let me remind you that you can benefit from the team of excellent interpreters that we have with us here for you in all EU official languages. So, don't hesitate to speak any of those. And let's start with Eirini.

00:25 - 00:55

Speaker 12

Hello to both of you. The strategy doesn't use the word overtourism as I looked it through. So, and neither does it regard this as a problem. So the question is, the reframing as a balanced tourism, is it an admission that the Commission just lacks the political will to confront destinations that profit just from volume? Or is it or do you put this at a lack of competence?

00:55 - 01:24

Speaker 10

Is it a political choice? And for EVP Fitto, the strategy emphasizes that the freedom to stay for a rural communities, but does not underline the freedom to stay for local residents, teachers, doctors, etc., on the areas that suffer from overtourism and see their ability to remain at their homes even more threatened. Why is this asymmetry at the strategy? Thank you.

01:24 - 01:27

Speaker 1

Thank you. EVP, would you like to start?

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