The debate also focused on ageing population tourism trends and allowed raising awareness about Commission measures to help address seasonality and other activities on active and healthy ageing.

Increasing transnational travel during the low seasons can stimulate economic growth, jobs and contribute to the competitiveness of the sector.  The Commission has already put in place several measures to help address the horizontal challenge of seasonality. Some examples of these measures are:

•support to the development and visibility of transnational tourism products
•actions in favour of increasing accessibility for elderly people 
•the analysis of the seasonal variation of tourism flows.

Over the period 2015-2016, the Commission was assisted by the informal ad-hoc EU Low-Medium Season Tourism Initiative Board (EULSTIB), which was set-up on an ad-hoc basis for a two-year mandate (2014-2016) to support the Commission with expertise on low-medium season tourism.  EULSTIB produced a Final Report gathers together knowledge and provides an overview of current and planned age-friendly tourism related products, initiatives and policies in Europe, giving priority, but not limited to those planned to support tourism in the low-medium season. It identifies best practices and most promising transnational products where low season tourism can create new jobs and economic growth while helping to address the societal challenge of seasonality. Finally, it provides a set of recommendations at EU level regarding how to best extend the low tourism season taking advantage, among others, of age-friendly tourism.

The workshop ‘Towards an age-friendly tourism: Opportunities for low and medium season’ concluded and wrapped up the activities of the EU Low-Medium Season Tourism Initiative Board (EULSTIB).