Promoting sustainability from above: reflections on the influence of the European Union on tourism governance

Abstract

Due to the long-standing absence of direct and legally binding competencies in tourism, European Union (EU) tourism policy has mainly influenced tourism governance through indirect interventions and non-binding instruments  (Anastasiadou, 2006, 2008a, b; Halkier, 2010). For example, in October 2007 the European Commission adopted its ‘Agenda for a sustainable and competitive European tourism’ (European Commission, 2007). This communication proposed measures aimed at complementing the EU policy interventions that have consequences for tourism and its sustainability throughout Europe. However, its overall impact on tourism structures has been miniscule; instead, impact on tourism governance has come from elsewhere.