Google & European Travel Commission Collaborate to Help Recover European Tourism

Posted date: 24 May 2021

Google has partnered with the European Travel Commission (ETC) as an Associate Member to provide help regarding the recovery of the European tourism sector in 2021 and strengthen the sector, which is one of the main contributors to economic growth, employment, and regional development for the European citizens.

In a press release issued by ETC, it was revealed that the organisation has been working for years to encourage eco-friendly development of tourism in Europe, raise awareness for less-known European destinations, and emphasise the benefits of local experiences along with off-season travel.

“We at ETC are thrilled to welcome Google as an Associate Member of our organisation at a time when our role in promoting European tourism is more important than ever. Google’s membership will allow us to work together towards a brighter, stronger future for travel in Europe, for the benefit of all Europeans,” Executive Director of ETC Eduardo Santander said.

Likewise, Google’s Government Affairs and Public Policy Senior Manager, Diego Ciulli, said that they are honoured to join the European Travel Commission and look forward to working together, SchengenVisaInfo.com reports.

“The travel landscape changes quickly, and we are committed to continue to provide digital skills training, data insights and tools to help travel and tourism organization adapt their offerings to meet new travel demands,” Ciulli added.

According to ETC, with its work, Google helps the tourism sector through the insights and tools that help destination marketing organizations (DMOs) to reach potential visitors. Furthermore, the membership announcement relies on the Google DMO Partnership Programme of 2017 launched at the Destinations International Annual Conference to motivate and train DMOs on how to use the data and insights in order to be able to target their travel offerings.

Moreover, the collaboration between ETC and Google will help build the digital capacity of tourism organizations in Europe through customized training events for members of ETC, qualifying them for digital transformation and market skills.

This cooperation will also lead policy and decision making in the tourism sector by using joint research and leadership initiatives.

In the context of their work to support the travel and tourism sector, Google launched UNWTO and Google Tourism Acceleration Programme to foster digital skills and help the recovery of tourism in Europe.

Thus, it is expected that the collaboration between the two will help in exchanging insights to promote eco-friendly travel, help the tourism sector grow, and provide an economic boost to Europe through research projects, events, webinars, and so on.

Previously, ETC revealed that to January 2021, Europe registered an 85 per cent decrease in international arrivals due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Reference Link: https://www.schengenvisainfo.com/news/google-european-travel-commission-collaborate-to-help-recover-european-tourism/

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