EU ministers approve declaration to promote tourism

European Union tourism ministers on Thursday approved a declaration aimed at maintaining the EU's status as the world's leading tourist destination.

The Madrid Declaration was "the first step the EU has made to make the sector be sustainable and modern," Miguel Sebastian, Spanish minister of Industry, Tourism and Commerce, told a press conference.

The declaration highlights the necessity to use new technologies such as the Internet in tourism, to enhance client protection in the face of a multitude of rules and languages, and attach importance to new markets such as China, India and Russia.

It also aims to contribute to fight against seasonality and to maintain tourist employment in the off-season.

Source: Xinhua