MEMBER STATES' ANNUAL TOURISM REPORTING TEMPLATE

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1 MEMBER STATES' ANNUAL TOURISM REPORTING TEMPLATE Article 3 of Council Decision 86/664/EEC 1 of 22 December 1986 establishing a consultation and cooperation procedure in the field of tourism stipulates that: "...each Member State shall send the Commission, once a year, a report on the most significant measures it has taken and, as far as possible, on measures it is considering taking in the provision of services for tourists which could have consequences for travellers from the other Member States. The Commission shall inform the other Member States thereof". The following reporting form aims at facilitating compliance with this Council Decision. SECTION 1 TOURISM ORGANISATION AND GOVERNANCE This section is aimed at reporting on the following: Administrative organisation Territorial organisation Organisation and links between the national tourism authority and the provinces / regions Organisation and links between the national tourism authority and industry associations, stakeholders and customers 1.1. Please provide a short description of the administrative and territorial organisation of public bodies responsible for tourism, indicating the relationship and cooperation between national, regional and local bodies of the core responsibilities and competences of each department (Max characters) The responsible ministry for tourism policy is the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment. It is responsible for defining the priorities of tourism policy, for the general development of tourism, and the coordination of support measures for tourism. It is also responsible for preparing legislation on tourism and maintaining international relations in the tourism sector. The Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment chairs the inter-ministerial working group, which is an unofficial entity providing exchange of information at ministry level. Convening several times a year, the group is one of the entities implementing tourism policy. At the end of 2014, the Government decided to close down Finnish Tourism Board (FTB) as an agency and incorporate into Finpro (almost entirely State-funded organisation who helps Finnish SMEs go international, encourages foreign direct investment in Finland and from now on promotes tourism). The goal of the incorporation was to utilise synergies between FTB and Finpro internationalisation services and strengthen public services for tourism companies. Visit Finland s most central functions promoting Finland's country brand in tourism, the supporting product marketing with businesses and co-ordinating product development will continue &pgs=10&hwords= 1

2 Visit Finland works closely with ministries, travel businesses, transport companies and the Finnish regions. This co-operation involves research, product development and, above all, marketing of leisure tourism to Finland from abroad. Under the name Finland Convention Bureau it promotes Finland as an international meetings destination. In addition, other organizations supporting the tourism industry development in Finland are for example Finnish Safety and Chemicals Agency (Tukes) that supervises and promotes consumer safety and Metsähallitus that is a state-owned enterprise administers more than 12 million hectares of state-owned land and water areas including national parks and hiking areas. At the territorial level, there are various public authorities handling local tourism affairs, together with other tasks. The Regional State Administrative Agencies foster regional parity by executing all legislative implementation, steering and supervisory functions in the regions. The Centres for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment (ELY) manage the regional implementation and development tasks of the state administration, offering financing, advisory, consulting and training services for tourism companies business development. There is a sector manager for tourism who acts as a national expert on tourism for all ELY Centres. The Regional Councils, as joint municipal authorities, are in charge of regional planning and they supervise the regional interests, including the development of the tourism sector. There are also about 30 regional tourism organisations in Finland that have varied objectives, tasks and ownership structures. Locally, tourism issues are handled by municipalities and local tourist information offices Please provide an organisation chart reflecting the above described administrative and territorial organisation. EU Parliament Government with ministries (most imporant related to tourism) Economic Affairs and Employment Finance Environment Transport & Communications Education & Culture Interior Foreign Agriculture& Forestry Finpro Tekes Finnvera Finnish Competition and Consumer Authority Finnish Safety and Chemicals Agency Centre for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment (15) Visit Finland Invest in Finland Nordia Management Ltd Regional State Administrative Agencies (6) Statistics Finland Regional councils (18) Finnish Environment Institute Finnish Transport Agency Finavia Universities Polytechnics Vocational Other schools Municipalities Regional Development centres LTD Regional tourism organisations (30) Strategies, Development programmes, Projects, Working groups Embassies Finland Promotion Board Agency for Rural Affairs Metsähallitus Finnish Forest Reaserch Institute Finnish Game & Fisheries R I Rural Network of Finland Rural Policy Council Island Committee Entrepreneurs Tourism related trade unions, entrepreneural organisations, umbrella organisations 2

3 1.3. Please list and describe briefly the relationship and main areas of cooperation between national/regional public tourism bodies and the most significant / active private organisations / stakeholders / industry associations /unions / consumer organisations. (Max characters) Finnish Hospitality Association (called MaRa in Finnish) - operates as a guardian for tourism related industries to and in Finland - represents organisations such as hotels, restaurants, amusement parks, programme services member organizations - representation in various working groups. Association of tourism organisations in Finland (called SUOMA in Finnish) - serves as an umbrella organization for regional tourist organisations, tourist centre organisations and tourist information offices in Finland and supervises their interests with respect to central organisations in the tourist industry, state tourist administration and other organisations operating in the industry, without seeking direct financial gain or benefits for its members. - has 15 regional tourism organization members and 51 local tourism offices members; the network has in total 159 tourism organizations. - presentation in various working groups. The Association of Finnish Travel Agents (AFTA, SMAL in Finnish) - looks after the interests of tour operators and travel agencies. It is a member of ECTAA, the European Travel Agents' and Tour Operators' Associations. AFTA has about 160 full members with some 250 offices and more than 100 associate members, including airlines, shipping or land transport companies, accommodation businesses and tourism sector magazines. - presentation in various working groups. The Finnish Ski Area Association (SHKY) - umbrella organisation of Finnish ski resorts, has a membership of 70 ski resorts and 52 ski schools. - presentation in various working groups What is the existing national/regional specific legislation on tourism? (Max. 500 characters) - The Act on Accommodation and Food Service Operations (308/2006) - Package Travel Act (1079/1994) - Travel Agency Act (2008/939) - The Act on Incorporated Company called Finpro Oy (1446/2015) - Consumer Safety Act (920/2011) SECTION 2 - MEMBER STATE ECONOMIC DATA AND TOURISM BUDGETS This section is intended to provide an overview of the key statistical information about the general tourism economic environment of the Member States. Data marked with green is also collected by Eurostat. Data marked with orange is equally collected by the OECD. The data categories match the templates of these two organisations, therefore data reported to the Commission can be transferred / used when reporting to Eurostat and OECD and vice-versa. The statistical data provided in the tables below shall cover the year 2012 and, if available, The data collected through these sections will also feed into the future Virtual Tourism Observatory. Please use the Excel templates provided below in order to facilitate coherence and comparability of the data. 3

4 Please note that you are only requested to fill in data that is available in your country. Please insert "N/A" for those that you are not able to provide. Microsoft Excel Worksheet SECTION 3 NATIONAL TOURISM POLICY AND STRATEGIES This section aims at collecting information on the Member States general strategic vision as well as the specific objectives of their tourism policies Please provide information in bullet points on the key mission, main medium and long-term objectives and the main targets of your national tourism policy. (Max characters) In 2014 new ways to accelerate growth and to secure a competitive operating environment were sought in the Tourism Industry Top Project. Taking part in the project were more than 900 representatives of tourism related industries and regions. They produced 42 proposals for development projects to the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment. Based on the proposals, the prerequisite for growth is the ability of different players to work together in creating and offering well packaged high-quality experiences that exceed the customers expectations. Another important target is to make finding and buying the Finnish travel services easy by enhancing sales and marketing in this area. A result of the Tourism Industry Top Project was the emergence of the Roadmap for Growth and Renewal in Finnish Tourism for All relevant ministries are committed themselves to this new tourism policy Do you have a multi-annual national tourism strategy specific / relevant for tourism in place? If yes, please describe in bullet points the main medium and longterm objectives of the strategy as well as who is responsible for its implementation. How is the implementation monitored and how often? (Max characters) 4

5 Finland s tourism strategy (Roadmap for Growth and Renewal in Finnish Tourism for ) was presented in January The aim is to make Finland the number-one tourist destination in Northern Europe by The strategic priority areas of the roadmap are as follows: Strengthening theme-based co-operation between tourist centres and networks of tourism enterprises, as well as new openings in product development, sales and marketing Developing competitive and comprehensive offerings from the interfaces of tourism and other fields Increasing the effectiveness of marketing activities and making the travel services easier to buy A competitive operational environment for tourism that supports growth and renewal Easy accessibility A number of different measures will be taken to promote the achievement of the objectives laid out in the roadmap. The strategic projects supporting growth and renewal for will be launched first. Funding for them will come from the following financial instruments in the administrative branch of MEE: Finrelax Turning Finland into a top country of wellbeing tourism Making the Finnish archipelago internationally known Finland Stopover making Finland a leading stopover country Making digital tourism services easy to find and buy Creation of a demonstration project targeting sustainable waterway tourism and utilising bioeconomy, cleantech, and digital technology Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment is responsible for the implementation of the roadmap in cooperation with various partners (including Visit Finland, Invest in Finland, Finnish Funding Agency for Innovations, ministries, Finnish Transport Agency, Statistics Finland, ELY Centres, Regional Councils, regional tourism organizations, municipalities, enterprises, education organizations, etc.) Implementation is monitored by a monitoring group once a year. More information: for+2015%e2%80% pdf/aaf8ecb3-1af a62c-8b5078fed39b 4. TOURISM CHALLENGES, MEASURES AND INITIATIVES This section aims at collecting information on the challenges the Member states and the tourism industry has to deal with as well as the measures put in place to tackle them Please identify the key challenges for the tourism sector in your country and indicate their importance /priority in the table below. CHALLENGES Diversification of the tourism offer Protection of the cultural heritage Protection of the natural heritage ICT and innovation Connectivity and transport Employment in tourism IMPORTANCE / PRIORITY HIGH MEDIUM LOW 5

6 Improving education and skills in tourism Combatting seasonality Demographic changes Improving accessibility of tourism Improving socio-economic data in tourism Economic crisis and recovery Improving the sustainability of tourism offer Combatting climate change Improving the quality of tourism offer Developing responsible tourism practices Competition against other destinations Administrative / regulatory burden, bureaucracy Other, please specify Country: Finland 4.2. Please describe briefly the main measures in your country aimed at tackling the key high-priority challenges indicated above. (Max characters) Connectivity and transport: Air transport strategy Finland s new air transport strategy has been launched in The role of Helsinki Airport as an international transit hub for Asian routes ensures the continuity of travel connections to an extensive network of European destinations. Steps are taken to further strengthen the position of Helsinki Airport as a transit hub, particularly in the intense competition for transit passengers on routes between Europe and Asia. A substantial investment programme has been launched at Helsinki Airport. The strategy recommends that Finavia continues to operate the Finnish airport network in keeping with the network principle and that efforts be continued to develop frameworks for cooperation and to improve networking and marketing in order to ensure a solid foundation for Finnish air transport, tourism, export industries and other sectors of the economy. Transport Code Legal provisions on transport market will be brought together under one act, the Transport Code. The reform aims to support new service models and better respond to the needs of transport users. The Transport Code will make market access easier and promote the interoperability of the different parts of the transport system. The Transport Code will cover all transport modes. It will build a growth environment for digital business. The transport sector will remove obstacles to the development of new services that utilise digitalisation. The Transport Code will promote the introduction of interoperable digital ticket and payment systems by ensuring open information and payment interfaces. The Transport Code will pave the way for the Mobility as a Service concept. Seasonality: The aim of two national product based programmes (OutdoorsFinland and CultureFinland), is to reduce seasonality/prolong the season by promoting the development of new offering. Visit Finland implements the development of the summer activities via the Outdoors Finland (OF) project. The development of cultural tourism is steered and coordinated via the national Culture Finland (CF) umbrella programme. It aims to increase cultural tourism to and in Finland by improving cooperation between various culture and tourism industry parties in order to create new and attractive cultural tourism products and services Please identify if any of the above mentioned challenges relate to any legislative measures at EU level, and how. (Max characters) 6

7 4.4. Please identify and describe any measures implemented in your country to increase tourism flows from other EU Member States and from third countries. (Max characters) The strategic projects for : Finrelax Turning Finland into a top country of wellbeing tourism Making the Finnish archipelago internationally known Finland Stopover making Finland a leading stopover country Making digital tourism services easy to find and buy 4.5. Please describe how promotional measures implemented in your country make use of / capitalise on the promotional campaigns carried out by the Commission (i.e. Ready for Europe, EDEN, low-season tourism campaigns, etc.). (Max characters) 4.6. Please identify and describe any measures /actions in your country which contribute to maximising the potential of national policies for developing tourism (e.g. ensuring that tourism interests are taken into account in the development of other policies which may have impact on tourism). (Max.1000 characters) Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment develops tourism in close cooperation with actors in other administrative branches. The aim of the cross-administrative tourism working group (MiniMatka) is to exchange information on tourism more effectively and prepare tourism-related matters. The working group meets several times each year and it is one the bodies implementing Finland s tourism strategy. Members of the working group include - Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment - Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry - Agency for Rural Affairs - Ministry of Transport and Communication - Ministry of the Environment - Ministry of Education and Culture - Ministry for Foreign Affairs - Centre for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment - Visit Finland 4.7. Please identify and describe any measures/actions in your country which contribute to maximising the potential of EU Financial Instruments for developing tourism (e.g. information on main objectives, financing opportunities, training courses, etc.). (Max characters) Different organizations hold information events on EU financing opportunities all over the country. A lot of information of financing opportunities is also available on internet, for instance and Please describe shortly which EU programmes are used the most frequently and for what purposes of tourism development in your country. (Max characters) European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), European Social Fund (ESF), European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD), European Neighborhood Instrument Cross-Border Cooperation (ENI CBC), European Territorial Cooperation objective (ETC), European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF) 7

8 Sustainable and responsible tourism, whether talking about economic, social or environmental sustainability, is a broad concept and may be interpreted in various ways depending on the attributes of a Member State or region. The following questions focus on sustainability and responsibility in tourism as described in the 2007 Commission Communication 2 on an agenda for sustainable and competitive European tourism Sustainable destination: What support is given to strengthen destination management at the national /regional/local level (e.g. supportive policy environment, knowledge networks, training programmes, technological support tools, financial support, promotional activities, etc.)? (Max characters) Roadmap for Growth and Renewal in Finnish Tourism for enhances more sustainable tourism. In Finland the nature has intrinsic value but is also invaluable to humans on a concrete level. Demand for ecosystem services will increase in line with population and economic growth, and improvements in material standards of living. The transition towards greener tourism is a long and challenging process. Energy saving and enhancing energy efficiency are often economically profitable. Good energy-related decisions mean good environmental decisions. Recycling of waste also facilitates considerable reductions in greenhouse gas emissions but we can achieve even higher reductions by preventing wastage and the generation of waste. Cultural sustainability, in turn, is based on an awareness and appreciation of culture and cultural heritage. Local culture must remain vibrant and its special characteristics must be preserved. Culturally sustainable tourism is developed with an ear to locals and considering other local businesses. Culturally sustainable tourism strives to maintain local values. Consumer choices are crucial to determining what enterprises develop and consumers buy. Demand thus creates and modifies supply. As a cross-sectoral industry, tourism has the opportunity to influence the shift towards more sustainable, cleaner, lower-carbon economic growth. This calls for new, innovative solutions in terms of more ecological performance and the development of sustainable tourism products and experiences. Measures: Project on the BCD demonstration (utilising bioeconomy, cleantech and digitalisation) of sustainable water tourism Increasing communication and training on the importance of sustainability and responsibility and the increasing environmental and cultural awareness of customers as a competitive edge for Finland Encouraging tourism companies to consider environmental and cultural responsibility in the development of their business Communicating implemented measures to customers in marketing Increasing awareness and practical knowledge of adjusting to climate change Diversifying tourism service offering according to weather conditions an opportunity to increase yearround activities and profitability Supporting solutions that encourage future consumers to make sustainable choices In Finland there are many eco-labels which aim at reducing resource use and the production of waste. DQN (destination quality net) is a programme for tourist destinations and centres, consisting of research, training and development aiming at the establishment of continuous quality work, follow-up of this work, and systematic improvement of quality and the sustainability. There is a special Green DQN concentrating on quality and environmental issues /index_en.htm 8

9 4.10. Sustainable businesses: What support is given to strengthen the sustainability and competitiveness of tourism businesses (e.g. supportive policy environment, knowledge networks, orientation of business support services to sustainability, training, financial incentives, promotional activities, etc.)? (Max characters) Financial support, various training programmes, pilot projects, guidebooks, tools and seminars aimed at businesses to strengthen their sustainability and competitiveness Responsible tourism: What support is given to tourists and the tourism industry to promote their responsible practices and choices (e.g. awareness raising, sustainability in education, national marketing and media campaigns, promotion of certification schemes, etc.)? (Max characters) There are various supportive actions aimed at tourists and companies. For example: - The Swan is a Nordic Ecolabel, and it is the most well-known ecolabel in Finland. 45 hotels and 14 restaurants have been certified in tourism. The objective of the Swan is to promote sustainable development. Through the sign, consumers and other buyers are guided to make wise environmental choices. It also encourages manufacturers and service providers to offer better alternatives from an environmental perspective. - Metsähallitus (forest administration) has published a guide Act responsibly in Finnish nature - Environmental Guide for Tourists and Recreational Users of Nature - Quality1000 is a programme tailored for the hospitality industry and founded on international criteria for quality awards, including responsibility. One of the programmes under Quality 1000 is aimed at destinations Tourism destinations in Green DQN. Green Start is a tool for responsible business with which company is enabled to launch a practical environmental program and proceed towards sustainable tourism together with its operating environment and customers. The logo is used to help the customers identify and select these responsible companies and destinations. - Companies of Himos tourist resort (located in Central Finland) has developed with its partners internet based carbon footprint calculator. The customers are able to calculate their own carbon footprint while holidaymaking in Himos and have the option to make responsible travel decisions Please describe maximum three of the most significant planned / future tourism measures (legislative or non-legislative) which envisage to impact travellers visiting your country from other Member States or from outside Europe. (Max characters) Transit tourism development (passengers from Europe to Asia via Helsinki airport) 5. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION 5.1. Please describe maximum 3 best practices of tourism measures implemented at national, regional or local level (any type of activity). (Max characters) Strategic Tourism Growth Programmes: Finnish Archipelago, Finrelax and Stopover Finland Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment has granted special funding for three strategic tourism growth programs. These programs are aimed to enhance the internationalisation of small and medium sized travel and tourism companies in Finland. The objective of Finnish Archipelago programme is to build up international awareness and interest towards Finland s coastal regions and archipelago as a tourism destination. Finrelax programme promotes Finland as a unique source for natural wellbeing (nature tourism, silence, sauna etc.) and Stopover Finland aims to increase Finland s tourism income by attracting Asian tourists to stop over in Finland for five hours to five days on the way to other European destinations. All programs offer advice and training to SMEs, build up product packages and menus and organise a variety of sales promotion and consumer marketing activities in selected target markets. 9

10 Visit Arctic Europe project Visit Arctic Europe project is a joint project of Finland, Sweden and Norway. It is funded by Interreg Nord programme, public sector and participating companies. The aim of the project is the development of northern Scandinavia area into a cross-border, high-quality tourist area, which is an internationally competitive and wellknown Arctic tourist destination. The project will be heavily focused on tourism marketing, for support of which the networking and co-operation of the tourism operators in the area with international tour operators will be fortified Please describe, in a concise manner, in your view, what policy developments / actions / activities would you expect from the Commission's tourism team that would serve better (than the current ones) the EU Member States and the industry. (Max characters) VISA issues Strengthen and unify statistical data gathering, tourism research and market research in EU Best practices and benchmarking cases delivery THANK YOU 10