Latvia together with six other Member States ask the Commission to address war-related challenges in the upcoming Strategy for Sustainable Tourism

Seven Member States on the EU’s Eastern border – Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania and Slovakia – have co-signed a letter sent to the Executive Vice-President Fitto and Commissioner Tzitzikostas asking the European Commission to address challenges the tourism sector faces today, stemming from Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, in the upcoming EU Strategy for Sustainable Tourism.

The Member States have asked the Commission to fulfil its promise to address the challenges to the tourism sector in EU’s Eastern border regions in the upcoming EU Strategy for Sustainable Tourism, as set out in the Commission’s Communication on the EU’s Eastern Regions Bordering Russia, Belarus and Ukraine, published in February. In particular, the Member States ask for support to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), suffering from weakened international public trust and perception of regions in shadow of Russia’ war against Ukraine.

The Member States have highlighted the negative effects of the geopolitical situation on the tourism flows, on SMEs facing weaker investment confidence and on increasingly difficult access to finance. Therefore, Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania and Slovakia are asking for targeted measures that would boost connectivity and strengthen resilience in the tourism sector, as well as restore confidence in the region.

Photo: Latvia Travel.