Why ISTO launched a new committee on social policies of tourism.

It is at the European Parliament in Brussels, on April 3rd 2019, that ISTO launched its new Committee on the social policies of tourism.

The objective of this committee, as recalled by ISTO President, Inés Ayala Sender, is to create a place of debates, exchanges and proposals in order to allow the public authorities and other concerned organisations to know better existing mechanisms, to measure their strengths and weaknesses and to promote them to those wishing to acquire such devices to facilitate access to tourism for all and the development of responsible tourism. The work that will be carried out by this committee should also enable the analyse of social tourism policies and the study of data on the evolution of holiday departure rates.

Four continents represented

More than thirty representatives from European countries (Belgium, France, Spain, Greece, Hungary, Lithuania, Portugal, Romania) but also from the Americas (Canada, Guatemala, Mexico, Peru), Africa (Benin, Mali) and Asia (China, South Korea) took part in this meeting at the end of which the coordination of the Committee was entrusted to France represented by Marie-Odile Beau of the tourism sub-directorate of the Ministry of Economy and finance. As a reminder, ISTO currently brings together 35 organizations representing public authorities at national, regional or local level, active or interested in social policies of tourism.