“City tourism is, and will be, the key driver to recovery in European tourism, be it short breaks or tourism from longer haul markets,” said ETOA Executive Director, Tom Jenkins. “In these challenging economic times, city administrations will feel the pressure to exploit tourism and impose last-minute taxes such as we have seen in Rome. But cities should be welcoming visitors in a positive way, encouraging tourism and enjoying all the benefits it brings to the local economy and local jobs. Operators and city tourist boards can work closely together to ensure an excellent product and a good visitor experience; City Fair offers a great opportunity for this to happen.”

City Fair, held in partnership with European Cities Marketing (ECM), takes place in London on Monday, June 20, 2011. Registration opened recently and already 50 city tourist boards and 70 operators have signed up: for full details visit www.cityfair.travel.

In addition to City Fair, ETOA will be building on the Group Tourism Charter launched in May and will hold a seminar on city tourism in Italy in late March. This will be a forum for various stakeholders to debate future challenges and opportunities.

ETOA has been contacting city administrations to build partnerships and avoid the consultation problems seen recently in Rome. Furthermore, ETOA is involved in IRU’s City Trophy award in the autumn, which recognizes a city’s excellence in welcoming coach tourism.