An estimated 400 tourism stakeholders (representatives of public authorities at EU, national and regional level, European associations, representatives of the industry and other private stakeholders) participated in the 2015 European Tourism Day.

This year’s programme evolved around the topic 'Promotion of Europe as a quality competitive tourism destination'.

During this full-day conference four panel debates discussed the subject from different perspectives:

• Examples and good practices of European initiatives aiming at promoting Europe as a destination
• The importance of the collection and analysis of socio-economic data and the role it can play in enhancing the promotion of Europe as a destination and improving the travel experience EU destinations and service providers can offer
• Synergies between tourism and cultural and creative industries that enhance the visibility of both sectors and contribute to the promotion of Europe as a tourism destination
• Improving the presence of EU tourism SMEs in international markets, with the final aim of increasing tourism flow from these markets and enhancing visibility of the European tourism offer

The conference was held at the Commission's Charlemagne building. It also hosted an exhibition of this year's winners of the European Destinations of Excellence (EDEN) award.

More information

• Tourism in the EU