Country: Last update 25-04-2018

MEMBER STATES' ANNUAL REPORTING TEMPLATE

Article 3 of Council Decision 86/664/EEC1 of 22 December 1986 establishing a consultation and cooperation procedure in the field of tourism stipulates that:

"...each Member State shall send the Commission, once a year, a report on the most significant measures it has taken and, as far as possible, on measures it is considering taking in the provision of services for tourists which could have consequences for travellers from the other Member States. The Commission shall inform the other Member States thereof".

The following reporting form aims at facilitating compliance with this Council Decision.

SECTION 1 TOURISM ORGANISATION AND GOVERNANCE

This section is aimed at reporting on the following:

 Administrative organisation

 Territorial organisation

 Organisation and links between the national tourism authority and the provinces / regions

 Organisation and links between the national tourism authority and industry associations, stakeholders and customers

1.1. Please provide a short description of the administrative and territorial organisation of public bodies responsible for tourism, indicating the relationship and cooperation between national, regional and local bodies of the core responsibilities and competences of each department (Max. 3000 characters) At the national level the main organization for tourism policy in Lithuania is the Ministry of Economy. The Tourism Policy Division of the Ministry is responsible for: • Tourism policy-making • Tourism planning • International cooperation • Planning of the EU support The Lithuanian State Department of Tourism under the Ministry of Economy is responsible for: • Implementation of the Tourism policy • Targeted tourism marketing

1 http://eur- lex.europa.eu/Notice.do?val=123070%3Acs&lang=en&list=123070%3Acs%2C&pos=1&page=1&nbl= 1&pgs=10&hwords=

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• Tourism market supervision • Implementation of the EU projects. The Tourism Council, an advisory body of the Ministry of Economy has been established. The members of the Council chaired by the Minister of Economy are tourism related ministries, tourism business associations. At local level tourism is covered by municipalities and Local Tourism Information Centers. There are 3 main tourism business organizations in Lithuania: 1. The Chamber for Tourism of the Republic of Lithuania established in 2011 represents 10 main tourism business associations: The Chamber for Tourism of the Republic of Lithuania established in 2011 and represents 10 main tourism business associations (in 2017 enlarged from 9 to 10): • the Lithuanian Hotel and Restaurant Association established in 2002 represents the hospitality sector and unites more than 300 members. The association protects the rights and interests of members in discussions with government and management institutions; • the Lithuanian Countryside Tourism Association established in 1997, unites 390 members and co-ordinates the activities of members in developing rural tourism; • the Lithuanian Health Resorts Association established in 2007, unites 8 members, promotes health tourism in the country; • the National Tourism Business Association established in 2011, unites 6 members and promotes inbound tourism; • the Lithuanian Camps Association established in 2004, unites 23 members and promotes camping tourism; • the Lithuanian Castles and Manors Association established in 2005, unites 50 members and promotes responsible tourism and national heritage, its preservation and revitalization; • the Lithuanian Private Healthcare Establishment Association established in 1996, unites 100 members and promotes the services of the Private Healthcare Establishments; • the National SPA Association established in 2007, unites 15 members and promotes SPA treatment. • the Lithuanian Golf Federation established in 2000, unites 9 members and promotes golf tourism. - the Lithuanian Tourism information centres association. Unites more than 50 members. 2. The Lithuanian Tourism Association (LTA) established in 1991, representing Lithuanian tour operators and agencies (53 members); 3. The Lithuanian Medical Tourism Association “Medical Lithuania“ established in 2012, representing Lithuanian medical establishments (13 members).

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1.2. Please provide an organisation chart reflecting the above described administrative and territorial organisation.

1.3. Please list and describe briefly the relationship and main areas of cooperation between national/regional public tourism bodies and the most significant / active private organisations / stakeholders / industry associations /unions / consumer organisations. (Max. 1500 characters) The tourism related organizations cooperate in tourism policy making. 1.4. What is the existing national/regional specific legislation on tourism? (Max. 500 characters) The Law on Tourism was adopted first in 1998, and since then several amendments of the law have been made. The Law on Tourism establishes the principles and priorities of the tourism industry and organising of independent tourism, requirements for provision of tourist services, competence of state or municipal institutions supervising tourism services providers and conditions of utilising tourism resources. The Ministry of Economy is responsible for the transposition of the Directive (EU) 2015/2302 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 25 November 2015 on package travel and linked travel arrangements, amending Regulation (EC) No 2006/2004 and Directive 2011/83/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council and repealing Council Directive 90/314/EEC (hereinafter referred to as ‘the Directive’) into the national legislation. The draft Law on Tourism transposing provisions of the Directive was submitted to the Parliament of the Republic of Lithuania in October 2017. It was not adopted in 2017, as it required several amendments. Currently the legislative procedure is in process.

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SECTION 2 - MEMBER STATE ECONOMIC DATA AND TOURISM BUDGETS This section is intended to provide an overview of the key statistical information about the general tourism economic environment of the Member States.

Data marked with green is also collected by Eurostat. Data marked with orange is equally collected by the OECD. The data categories match the templates of these two organisations, therefore data reported to the Commission can be transferred / used when reporting to Eurostat and OECD and vice-versa.

The statistical data provided in the tables below shall cover the year 2016 and, if available, 2017.

The data collected through these sections will also feed into the future Virtual Tourism Observatory.

Please use the Excel templates provided below in order to facilitate coherence and comparability of the data.

Please note that you are only requested to fill in data that is available in your country. Please insert "N/A" for those that you are not able to provide.

Kindly please find attached. SECTION 3 NATIONAL TOURISM POLICY AND STRATEGIES This section aims at collecting information on the Member States general strategic vision as well as the specific objectives of their tourism policies. 3.1. Please provide information in bullet points on the key mission, main medium and long-term objectives and the main targets of your national tourism policy. (Max. 1500 characters) On 12 March 2014, the Government of the Republic of Lithuania approved the Lithuanian Tourism Development Programme 2014-2020. Taking into account the principles of sustainable tourism the Programme sets out the national tourism development objectives, goals and development priorities until 2020.

The strategic objective of the Programme is to increase the competitiveness of the tourism sector of Lithuania. The Programme emphasises that to maintain tourist flows it is necessary to develop competitive tourism products, expand tourism infrastructure, promote the export of tourism services to foreign countries, take effective marketing and communication measures and increase awareness about Lithuania.

The main objectives of the Programme are to improve the development of tourism infrastructure and the quality of services in Lithuania as a tourism destination, as well as reduce the seasonality of tourism services.

The Programme identifies the primary targeted inbound tourism markets in 2014–2020, which are the neighbouring countries, including , Belarus, , , the Scandinavian countries, and the United Kingdom (from which more than 70 per cent of all tourists come to Lithuania each year).

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Four priority tourism types have been identified in the Programme: cultural tourism, business tourism, health tourism and green (eco) tourism. The Programme also covers the priority regions for tourism development (, the coastal area, the Nemunas Lowland, the Southern Dzūkija, the Eastern Aukštaitija and the Žemaitija Highlands), which offer the most attractive tourism destinations in the municipal territories. In these areas, there are plans to promote and develop the public and private infrastructure of the priority tourism products identified in the Programme. Also, maps are drawn which provide for the European Union structural support to be invested in the tourism destinations.

The results of the Programme activities will be evaluated on the basis of the established criteria, which define the extent to which the travel and tourism competitiveness will change, the increase of percentage of the foreign tourist travels, the growth of revenue from the inbound tourism, the changed image of Lithuania as a rest destination, the occupancy of accommodation establishments during the low season, etc. On 23rd December 2015 the Lithuanian Strategy for Tourism Marketing for 2016-2020 was approved by the Decree of the Minister of Economy. The key objective of the Strategy is to increase the competitiveness in tourism sector, which would result in higher income of the Lithuanian population, development of new business possibilities and generating new investments, thus increasing the GDP. Marketing measures provided in the Strategy are focused on awareness raising of Lithuania, as a touristic destination, development of competitive tourism products, and establishment of effective communication channels. This can be achieved by reasonable use of Lithuanian natural and cultural resources, promotion of national traditions and events, and presentation of tourism services in domestic and international markets. In 2017, Lithuania organised many activities in promotion the Sustainable Tourism. The guidelines for Sustainable tourism and the indicators of sustainable have been prepared.

3.2. Do you have a multi-annual national tourism strategy specific / relevant for tourism in place? If yes, please describe in bullet points the main medium and long-term objectives of the strategy as well as who is responsible for its implementation. How is the implementation monitored and how often? (Max. 2000 characters) Lithuania has the Lithuanian Tourism Development Programme 2014-2020. The Ministry of Economy of the Republic of Lithuania was the initiator of the Programme. The responsible bodies for the Programm’s implementation are: Ministry of Economy, the State Department of Tourism under the Ministry of Economy, Ministry of Culture, Ministry of Transport and Communications, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Agriculture, State Service for Protected Areas under the Ministry of Environment, Lithuanian Health Resort Science and Research Centre, municipalities and private sector. The implementation of the Programme is monitored quarterly and annually sending reports back to the Government of the Republic of Lithuania on the implementation of measures, the use of funds and achievement of outcomes and indicators.

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4. TOURISM CHALLENGES, MEASURES AND INITIATIVES This section aims at collecting information on the challenges the Member states and the tourism industry has to deal with as well as the measures put in place to tackle them. 4.1. Please identify the key challenges for the tourism sector in your country and indicate their importance /priority in the table below.

IMPORTANCE / PRIORITY CHALLENGES HIGH MEDIUM LOW Diversification of the tourism offer x Protection of the cultural heritage x Protection of the natural heritage x ICT and innovation x Connectivity and transport x Employment in tourism x Improving education and skills in tourism x Combatting seasonality x Demographic changes x Improving accessibility of tourism x Improving socio-economic data in tourism x Economic crisis and recovery x Improving the sustainability of tourism offer x Combatting climate change x Improving the quality of tourism offer x Developing responsible tourism practices x Competition against other destinations x Administrative / regulatory burden, bureaucracy x Other, please specify

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4.2. Please describe briefly the main measures in your country aimed at tackling the key high-priority challenges indicated above. (Max. 2000 characters) To develop public and private infrastructure in the priority areas of tourism development; To create and develop attractive tourism routes; To improve country’s accessibility; To increase the qualifications of employees of the tourism sector and improve their entrepreneurship skills; To transpose the Package Travel Directive 2015/2302/EU into the national legislation by 01/01/2018; To stimulate the certification and the accreditation of tourism services providers; To stimulate the creation and the implementation of e-marketing projects; To implement integrated marketing activities in the priority tourism markets; To develop the marking and information system of tourism objects; To co-operate with neighbouring countries in the field of the implementation of joint international marketing projects; To stimulate the creation of tourism clusters in order to initiate the implementation of joint public and private tourism marketing projects; To increase the supply of cultural events and attractions of-season. To promote sustainable tourism.

4.3. Please identify if any of the above mentioned challenges relate to any legislative measures at EU level, and how. (Max. 1000 characters) On 25 November 2015 the new Package Travel Directive (2015/2302/EU) was adopted, bringing it up to date with the developments in the travel market. The Member States have to transpose it by 1 January 2018 and it will be applicable from 1 July 2018.

The Ministry of Economy is responsible for the transposition of the Directive into the national law. The inter-institutional working group has been formed to prepare the draft laws in order to implement the provisions of the Directive. The most important provisions to be addressed at the national level are related to insolvency protection measures and efficiency of supervisory functions performed by the State Tourism Department under the Ministry of Economy.

Growth in visitor numbers creates the preconditions for development of new international transportation routes, better connectivity and intermodal transport systems. An example is the Rail Baltic project, which is proposed as a modern and eco-friendly high speed railway that will connect with its neighbors and with Central and Western Europe. Rail Baltic is one of the biggest investments in the coming years that will improve travel opportunities for Estonian people as well as developing business and trade, tourism and the exchange of goods. The railway route will ensure speeds of up to 240 km/h and provide the opportunity to travel comfortably and quickly to Latvia and Lithuania and onwards to Central Europe and beyond.

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4.4. Please identify and describe any measures implemented in your country to increase tourism flows from other EU Member States and from third countries. (Max. 1000 characters) Lithuanian State Department of Tourism implements a wide range of marketing activities in target markets in order to increase inbound tourism flows to Lithuania, promote the country, increase the awareness etc. Some of the main marketing activities being implemented are the following: establishing Lithuanian tourism representation offices in 5 markets in Europe (Germany, Great Britain, , Italy, Japan); participating in major tourism exhibitions such as MATKA, IMTM, ITB Berlin, EIBTM, JATA EXPO, CITM Shanghai, etc.; publishing brochures about Lithuania in 10 languages including brochures for long haul markets in Chinese and Japanese; cooperating with Latvia and Estonia and presenting the Baltic countries in long haul markets (China, Japan and USA) using a “three in one holiday” concept; communication in 5 social networks in 5 languages; organizing press trips for foreign media representatives; organizing famtrips in Lithuania for foreign tour operators; organizing special event for the long haul markets „Baltic Connecting“, etc. In 2017, the fifth edition of CONVENE proved to be the most successful one yet, living up to its growing reputation as the Region’s premier meeting and event industry show. CONVENE 2017 served to reflect the development of the Baltic region’s industry over the past few years. The event featured 170 eager Hosted Buyers from 32 countries and 86 Exhibitors representing the best of the Baltic Sea Region. Together, these industry professionals took part in over 3600 pre-scheduled meetings, which provided unique starting points for exciting new business relationships. Following the two-day event, more than half of our Hosted Buyers took part in one of six FAM tours organised across Lithuania and in Latvia, Estonia and .

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4.5. Please describe how promotional measures implemented in your country make use of / capitalise on the promotional campaigns carried out by the Commission (i.e. Ready for Europe, EDEN, low-season tourism campaigns, etc.). (Max. 1000 characters) Lithuanian State Department of Tourism under the Ministry of Economy participated in the ETC activities in the promotion of Europe and Lithuania in long haul markets. 11 articles have been published in the E-magazine www.visitEurope.com, Lithuania was promoted at the Facebook account of ETC. Lithuania participated at two round table discussions organized by ETC and UNWTO on topics of Wellness and Medical Tourism (5 July, Budapest) and High Level Meeting on Crisis Communication in Tourism (12 December, Madrid). The State Department of Tourism under the Ministry of Economy participated at the General meetings of ETC held in Prague and Larnaka. In Lithuania the main objective of the EDEN project “Lithuanian Cultural Tourism Destination of Excellence” was to select the best cultural Lithuanian Destination of Excellence and four runners up, award them and report them to the European Commission. The selected winner "Pakruojis Manor” was promoted in national media, promotional materials and international tourism fairs where Lithuanian State Department of Tourism takes place with its exhibition stand. Information about cultural tourism destinations was published on official websites of Lithuanian State Department of Tourism – www.tourism.lt (http://www.tourism.lt/en/news/lithuanian-destination-of-excellence-pakruojis-manor). Participation in the project “Lithuanian Cultural Tourism Destination of Excellence” increased the competition among participants to become the nominees of cultural tourism destination of excellence. This project helped to raise attention to Lithuanian cultural heritage, respect for the environment and raised the awareness of culture related activities and experiences in Lithuania. Moreover, the project helped to strengthen relationships between tangible cultural heritage objects owners; it increased availability and convenient accessibility of culture related activities and experiences. The project helped significantly to increase the visibility of destinations and the EDEN project and strengthen the image of Lithuania in Europe.

4.6. Please identify and describe any measures /actions in your country which contribute to maximising the potential of national policies for developing tourism (e.g. ensuring that tourism interests are taken into account in the development of other policies which may have impact on tourism). (Max.1000 characters)

4.7. Please identify and describe any measures/actions in your country which contribute to maximising the potential of EU Financial Instruments for developing tourism (e.g. information on main objectives, financing opportunities, training courses, etc.). (Max. 1000 characters) In order to raise awareness of how to use the EU Financial Instruments for developing tourism, the Ministry of Economy organizes meetings with potential applicants. The Ministry organizes training sessions aimed at encouraging the representatives of Municipalities to use the funding effectively. A working Group within the Ministry is established with the aim to evaluate the running projects and to identify the most important problems that occure. The applicants are provided with needed help and information as in each Division of the Ministry that deals with EU funding, one officer is responsible for EU projects implementation.

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4.8 Please describe shortly which EU programmes are used the most frequently and for what purposes of tourism development in your country. (Max. 1000 characters) The tourism sector of Lithuania is financed from the 2014 – 2020 EU Funds Investment Action Programme Priority’s No 5, "Environmental protection, sustainable use of natural resources and adaptation to climate change", that is a measure for promotion of the heritage of culture and nature. The tool allows complex marketing activities in foreign markets as well as in Lithuania that can be implemented by the State Department of Tourism under the Ministry of Economy of the Republic of Lithuania. The Municipalities are using the measure for E-marketing activities as well as measure of “National tourist routes, tracks, and product marketing and labeling of tourism infrastructure development”. The Priority No 5 does not allow the participation of Lithuanian tourism business in the projects. For tourism business a tool “New Opportunities LT” in EU's priority of "Small and Medium- sized Business Competitiveness Promotion” is allocated.

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Sustainable and responsible tourism, whether talking about economic, social or environmental sustainability, is a broad concept and may be interpreted in various ways depending on the attributes of a Member State or region. The following questions focus on sustainability and responsibility in tourism as described in the 2007 Commission Communication2 on an agenda for sustainable and competitive European tourism.

4.9. Sustainable destination: What support is given to strengthen destination management at the national /regional/local level (e.g. supportive policy environment, knowledge networks, training programmes, technological support tools, financial support, promotional activities, etc.)? (Max. 1000 characters) The image of Lithuania as a safe and hospitable tourism state has great influence on the competitiveness of the tourism sector and the entire economy. So it is very important to improve the image of Lithuania by promoting an overall complex of high-quality and sustainable tourism destinations, as well as its appropriate perception in target markets, promote Lithuania’s sights of interest, make them more attractive, develop better information about their reachability by private and public transport, etc. It is also necessary to ensure a long-term, consistent and uniform state image-building and coordination of these activities.

In 2015, Lithuania has been elected represent Europe in the UNWTO Committee on Tourism and Sustainability and is working actively in preparation for the 2017 - the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development. Lithuanian alongside with other members of the Committee is working on the Plan for the Observance with the objectives and suggested actions for 2017. In 2017, with the aim to achieve Sustainable Tourism Development Goals and identify the most effective ways to increase the competitiveness of the tourism sector, the Ministry of Economy initiated a survey on “Sustainable tourism development in Lithuania”. The results were used to prepare guidelines for sustainable tourism development, which will be targeted to the Ministry and the Lithuanian State Department of Tourism under the Ministry of Economy, municipalities, tourism information centres, as well as the tourism business sector. In 2017, Lithuania in a cooperation with Estonia, Finland and Germany started to implement the project From the SDGs towards a Sustainable Tourism in the BSR 9 (CBSS call “Sustainable development for a prosperous Baltic Sea Region”). The project targets the following interest groups: a) National and regional tourism authorities b) National, regional and local tourism organisations and DMOs c) Private tourism service providers d) Academic institutions The Baltic Sea Tourism Forum will use the results of the project to continue focusing on a sustainable tourism development in the Baltic Sea region. The outcomes of the regional workshop and inputs from best practices around the Baltic Sea will be used to strengthen the process of sustainable tourism development on local and regional level. Strategic partnerships like the Baltic Sea Commission will additionally support the communication and dissemination of project activities and results. The main result envisaged in the project is to develop the basis for a PA Tourism flagship process to make Baltic Sea region tourism more sustainable and make the tourism sector act more sustainable. Comparable workshops on regional and national level, the collection of best practices, and the conception of a Sustainable Tourism Award will provide valuable insights into the subject of sustainability in tourism. The results will convey a better

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understanding of the status quo of sustainable tourism on local and regional level in different countries. The project activities will deliver valuable starting points for actions in the regions and on transnational level. In a best-case scenario, the responsible authorities would directly seek incorporation of first results gained in the project and apply them on local, regional or even national level. Moreover, one of the biggest challenges in BSR tourism is to measure the impact of tourism. With regard to sustainability and tourism, the actual performance cannot be evaluated through to a lack of appropriate measuring tools. The project will identify and deliver tools that can be applied by regions and tourism providers helping to measure their actual performance. The project will address a variety of tourism stakeholders around the Baltic Sea that have an interest in developing tourism in a more sustainable way. After implementing the planned activities, strategic and thematic partnerships will emerge that will continue to work on advancing sustainable tourism on regional, national and transitional level.

4.10. Sustainable businesses: What support is given to strengthen the sustainability and competitiveness of tourism businesses (e.g. supportive policy environment, knowledge networks, orientation of business support services to sustainability, training, financial incentives, promotional activities, etc.)? (Max. 1000 characters) Sustained competitiveness of tourism products call for high standards in infrastructure and services. Lithuania currently lacks certificates and quality accreditations attesting to the compliance with highest quality requirements (“Blue Flag”, “Green Key”), there have been no certificates of sustainable or green (eco) tourism issued as yet, therefore, in order to increase the competitiveness of the green (eco) tourism it is important to improve the quality of related services and seek compliance with international quality standards. The special chapter “Sustainable tourism initiatives” has been created at the website of the Ministry of Economy to promote sustainability and international and local activities. The Ministry of Economy organised the 5th Lithuanian Tourism Forum (27-09-2017), dedicated to the Centenary of the Stare and to the Sustainable and responsible tourism. Moreover, 2 seminars and 1 workshop for tourism business have been organized to promote sustainable and responsible tourism.

4.11. Responsible tourism: What support is given to tourists and the tourism industry to promote their responsible practices and choices (e.g. awareness raising, sustainability in education, national marketing and media campaigns, promotion of certification schemes, etc.)? (Max. 1000 characters) During the “World Travel Market” (WTM London) exhibition in 2013, Lithuania was nominated as the best destination for responsible tourism. In 2013 the “Ethical traveller” announced the world’s 10 best ethical destinations, and Lithuania was one of them. The countries in this list are the leaders in developing countries which encourage and promote eco-tourism. The Ministry of Economy organised the 5th Lithuanian Tourism Forum (27-09- 2017), dedicated to the Centenary of the Stare and to the Sustainable and responsible tourism. Moreover, 2 seminars and 1 workshop for tourism business have been organized to promote sustainable and responsible tourism.

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4.12. Please describe maximum three of the most significant planned / future tourism measures (legislative or non-legislative) which envisage to impact travellers visiting your country from other Member States or from outside Europe. (Max. 1000 characters) The implementation of the Lithuanian Tourism Development Programme 2014-2020 Amendments of the Tourism Law related to the transposition of the Package Travel Directive 2015/2302/EU 6th European Congress on Rural Tourism, dedicated to the EU-China Tourism year and Centenary of Lithuania (3-5 October 2018, , Lithuania)

5. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

5.1. Please describe maximum 3 best practices of tourism measures implemented at national, regional or local level (any type of activity). (Max. 2000 characters) The 1st awards of sustainable tourism in Lithuania, dedicated to the International Year of Sustainable Tourism. Guidelines of Sustainable tourism in Lithuania Research of the resources (mud, mineral water, etc.) of the health resorts in Lithuania in cooperation with the Research Council of the republic of Lithuania

5.2. Please describe, in a concise manner, in your view, what policy developments / actions / activities would you expect from the Commission's tourism team that would serve better (than the current ones) the EU Member States and the industry. (Max. 2000 characters) To continue working on the most important tourism related issues. There are so many discussion points in the tourism sector, but we see the lack of more detail analysis and insufficient attention is devoted to the most important challenges of the European tourism. Taking into account the serious challenges related to criminal situation in Europe, the security issues and their impact on tourism industry should be addressed at the European level.

We are grateful to the European Commission for their initiative to organise a series of workshops on collaborative economy in the field of short-term accommodation services. The discussions on different aspects of these services have been very useful and offering a deeper insight into the models of short-term accommodation across Europe. We acknowledge the significance of sharing economy models in the single market, also the need to ensure the transparency of activities and compliance with the legal requirements established for service providers by the relevant European legislation. We believe that some guidelines or another similar document setting out the general principles for the short-term accommodation sector would serve as a valuable tool in developing further policies at national or regional level.

THANK YOU

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