Sustainable Tourism Law

658 SUSTAINABLE TOURISM LAW the results of the final communications of the T20 Ministers’ Meeting of 22-24 February 2010, in Johannesburg 89 . The drastic changes in the sector, namely the globalization of the economy, the transformation of the airline industry with low-cost airlines emerging in the European market, internet 2.0, the weight of individual organization of trips (dynamic packages) in detriment of intermediation, as well as the transversal nature of the sector, which is affected by several Community policies and fields such as transport, environment, technologies, consumer protection, energy or taxation, constituting obstacles that the tourist industry has to face in a world that grows more competitive every day. It is also highly important to have a “strong coordination of these Community policies and a holistic approach”. Maintaining the competitiveness of a European tourist industry, fundamentally composed by small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), requires a strategy based in excellence, supported by a network of experts and destinations, allowing the creation, exchange and diffusion of knowledge, innovation, research and technological evolution. Incrementing competitiveness is a necessity, and more significantly it contributes to sustainable development, the additional social responsibility of enterprises 90 paired with a broader public conscience and European tourists’ awareness that their choices are fundamental to develop the demand for responsible tourism products and services in Europe. Thus, a set of suggestions was presented to the Commission: 1. To propose a consolidated framework for a EUTourism policy, in harmony with the Lisbon Treaty, the development of initiatives in this sector and fostering the cooperation between the Member States, namely through the exchange of good practices. This framework must especially support initiatives that have a European or, at least, a multinational dimension with a high added value, in opposition to those which are merely regional or national. 89 Emphasised “the importance of tourism and its potential contribution to the global agenda, in particular to the process of supporting economic recovery and the transformation towards a greener and more sustainable economy. The final T20 joint communiqué sent a clear message and invitation to reinforced cooperation and joint efforts in order to build a stronger, more sustainable and responsible tourism sector”. 90 Corporate social responsibility “is essential in the tourist industry and should be therefore taken into consideration in tourism activities and practices at destination, enterprise and tourist level”.