Tourism: for Eurobaromter 2011 will be a good year After the standstill registered in 2008 and in 2009, corresponding to the most acute phase of the economic recession, in 2010 tourist bookings increasing by over two thirds. Figures released a few days ago by Eurobarometer – presented at the European Tourism Stakeholders Conference organised by the Hungarian Presidency and the European Commission in Budapest – confirm that tourism has recovered from the crisis. European Commission Vice-President Antonio Tajani, responsible for Industry and Entrepreneurship said: “The fact that 58% of EU residents are opting to enjoy their holidays in Europe highlights that, generally, the tourism industry is on its way to recovery and becoming a growth industry once again”. The Eurobarometer survey highlights various aspects. In fact, “Italy was the most frequently mentioned planned holiday destination for 2011 (11.5%). Spain came second with 8.6% followed by France (8.2%)”. In general, there is “an increasing appetite for travelling” almost 73% EU citizens travelled for leisure or business in 2010. The top five travellers are the residents of Finland (89%), Denmark (87%), the Netherlands, Sweden (both 87%), Luxembourg (85%) and Norway (84%). 32% of respondents (30 thousand people) named “local attractiveness” matters as the major consideration when choosing holiday destinations; followed by “cultural heritage” (27%) and “entertainment possibilities” (14 %). However “sun and beach” and “visiting friends and relatives” are mentioned as a main motivation for travel. Finally, over half of EU citizens organised their main holidays themselves, notably through the Internet. This means that the tourism sector is undergoing transformations marked by tighter relations between travellers and tourist service providers. Moreover, “such approach – states Eurobarometer – is even more popular in the candidate countries Turkey (80%), Iceland (79%) and Croatia (78%)”.Safety of goods: increased controls and sequestration Increased safety for European consumers. According to the 2010 annual RAPEX report (the EU rapid alert system for all dangerous consumer products) “a record 2244 unsafe products were banned, withdrawn from the market or recalled from consumers in 2010”, up 13% compared with 2009. John Dalli, Commissioner in charge of Health and Consumer Policy, said: “Safety at source is key to product safety, especially given the new realities of globalisation. Companies must design out safety risks from the start, manufacturers must manage the quality of the manufacturing process, checking the final products coming off the conveyor belt”. Partnerships initiated by EU27 “are beginning to reap results, both in Europe, and in countries that supply us, such as China”. Since the introduction of RAPEX in 2004, notifications have increased five-fold (from 468 in 2004). The increased capacity and efficiency is attributed to: “more active product safety enforcement by national authorities”, better allocation of resources; “greater awareness among businesses of their obligations”; enhanced cooperation with third countries, in particular China. As regards the countries of origin, the highest number of notifications sent through RAPEX regarded products from China (58% in 2010) followed by notifications on products of European origin, of unknown origin and imports from other countries. RAPEX points out: “Clothing and textiles (625 notifications) were the most frequently notified products (suffocation and irritation risks) followed by toys (488 notifications), (mainly choking risk), and motor vehicles (175 notifications), (risk of injury), which together accounted for 66% of all notifications on products posing a serious risk in 2010”. Electrical appliances (158 notifications) became the fourth most frequently notified category of product. Market surveillance authorities conducted a specific check of the safety of helmets for leisure purposes (for alpine skiers, snowboarders, cyclists, skateboards, roller skaters, horse riders). They inspected 367 helmets for compliance with relevant safety legislation: 63% of the sample were non compliant.
