European SME Going Green 2030 Report

Comprehensive study published on the current situation of sustainable tourism development in Europe

28th May, 2022

The recently published “European Tourism Going Green (ETGG) SME 2030 Report” (505 pages) provides an overview of European-wide action on the state and development of sustainable tourism at different levels, with a particular focus on small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). It comprises information about the political framework for sustainable tourism at global and European level but the emphasis of the report is clearly put on the 21 national chapters that are describing and analyzing the current situation of sustainable tourism in each country.

These national reviews cover information regarding relevant stakeholders, policies and strategies as well as tangible activities and instruments linked to sustainable tourism development at national level. Furthermore, they address core achievements as well as challenges and opportunities regarding the development of sustainable tourism, possibly taking into consideration the implications of the COVID-19 crisis.

Positive trends & high potential for action

“The ETGG SME 2030 Report provides a unique compilation of sustainable tourism policies and activities in Europe," says Heike Dickhut, who works as a research associate in the ETGG 2030 project at the HNEE and was responsible for the overall editing of the report. “The report illustrates that most of the countries are showing an overall positive trend in terms of the development and implementation of sustainable tourism in their countries, even though to a different extent as well as in regard to the forms and fields of action. Although the reports show that there is much positive progress towards promoting and developing the tourism sector in European countries, the potential for further action is still high and yet to be tapped. Thus, there is still much effort necessary for boosting the improvement of sustainable tourism in Europe”, adds the researcher.  

European-wide action for sustainable tourism

The 21 country reports, which form the core of the report, were primarily written by partner universities from the respective countries, which have compiled extensive country-specific information on sustainable tourism (see below). The participating universities are mainly members of the so-called TRIANGLE Knowledge Alliance, a European network of universities that aims to strengthen knowledge transfer and cooperation between higher education institutes and the private tourism sector, especially SMEs, and to foster sustainable development of tourism in Europe. “The information provided by the universities as part of the ETGG SME 2030 Report intends to support tourism SMEs in a variety of ways to implement sustainability in their businesses, to better exploit their innovation potential and at the end of the day increase their competitiveness on the European market. At the same time, the joint effort of elaborating this has contributed to strengthen the exchange and cooperation between the universities involved,” speaks Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Strasdas, Professor for Sustainable Tourism at the HNEE and project leader of the ETGG 2030 project.

The "ETGG SME 2030 Report" was elaborated as part of the same-named project under the leadership of ZENAT of the HNEE. The project aims to support small and medium-sized tourism businesses (SMEs) on their way to more sustainability. This is done by developing and setting up an online training and expert system that offers these businesses direct access to expert knowledge and consulting services in the field of sustainable tourism. Furthermore, instruments such as the "RU Ready for Certification" app are provided, by the use of which SMEs can implement sustainability in their operational and procurement processes and improve their socio-economic and ecological performance. A main goal is the sustainability certification of the companies and the increase in competitiveness. These support offers are being tested in nine tourism regions in six different countries with UNESCO cultural heritage sites and Natura 2000 areas.

For more information please visit the ETGG2030 Project

CONTACT: heike.dickhut@hnee.de