During the 157th CoR plenary session on 9-11 October, the ECR political group in the CoR hosted its annual workshop. This year's workshop was entitled "Redefining the equilibrium towards sustainable tourism" to discuss the first-hand accounts of local and regional authorities' efforts, challenges and expectations in managing the tourism sector.

Key speakers included Barbara Hegedűs, Deputy Mayor of Veszprem; Władysław Ortyl, Marshal of the Podkarpackie region; Juraj Droba, President of the Bratislava region; Roberta Angelilli, Vice-President of the Lazio Region; and Dagmar Škodová Parmová, Mayor of České Budějovice in the Czech Republic.

The tourism industry brings with it an array of opportunities for a multitude of other sectors—including hospitality, employment, infrastructure and cultural exchanges. It creates jobs and helps to boost socio-economic development. 

However, tourism brings with it a cost, a cost that does not only impact the local population in terms of societal factors, but also in terms of housing, cultural heritage and the environment.

Vice-President of the Lazio region Roberta Angelilli acknowledged that the tourism sector, although a driver of the economy, is challenging from the following perspectives for her region: "overtourism, environmental impact, jobs and innovation". The main objective for the Vice-President is that "tourism is sustainable".

President of the Bratislava region Juraj Droba talked about a different challenge for his region: the impact of the COVID pandemic on the sector. "The immediate priority of the Bratislava region is to enhance and develop our infrastructure and to further develop the tourism sector, which was very badly hit by the COVID pandemic but we need to secure necessary investments". 

Similarly, Marshal Ortyl, President of the Podkarpackie region, highlighted the consequences of the war in Ukraine on the tourism sector in his region, which initially were quite significant: "Many tourists stopped coming and cancelled bookings. They were afraid because of the war. Even if the war is not on our territory, it made tourists uncomfortable. Now it's getting better, tourists are coming back", stated the Marshal.

Finally, Ms Dagmar Škodová Parmová, Mayor of České Budějovice, Czech Republic referred to the short-term rental sector emphasizing that it can be demanding on public services but it's a question of gaining access to data from the platforms: "This would help increase the liveability of certain areas for the local residents", she concluded.