European Sustainable Tourism Mobility Forum

This year's theme is Sustainable Tourism Mobility and the New European Tourism Strategy, with a special focus on the emerging roles and skills needed to support integrated mobility planning for sustainable tourism. 

Draft programme

09.15 Registration and coffee 
10.00 Plenary programme

• Welcome by Nina Nesterova, Prof Sustainable Development in Tourism & Transport, and Jorrit Snijder, President of the Executive Board, Breda University of Applied Sciences.
• Panel discussions:

Panel I: Brand Destination Europe: Shaping Sustainable Tourism Mobility 

Brand Destination Europe is not only about why people visit Europe, but also about how they arrive and move across the continent. The greatest sustainability potential of this strategy line lies in accelerating the development of the European rail network and enabling a modal shift from air to land-based transport for tourism flows to, from, and within Europe.  

Moderation: Tatiana Veselova, Public Affairs and Corporate communications Manager, European Travel Commission

Panelists:  

• Mona Bjorklund - Director for Policy Coordination, DG MOVE
• Fabian Schulz-Luckenbach - Head of Public Affairs International Long-Distance Passenger Transport, DB Fernverkehr AG  
• Françoise Guaspare - Senior Policy Advisor, European Metropolitan Transport Authorities 

Panel II: Urban and Regional Tourism Mobility under the EU Sustainable Tourism Strategy 

Urban and regional destinations are key to implementing the EU Sustainable Tourism Strategy. This panel focuses on accelerating the modal shift to sustainable tourism mobility at local and regional levels, and on embedding tourism mobility into spatial and transport planning to ensure efficient, low-carbon, and accessible travel for both visitors and residents, while managing flows and minimizing environmental impact

Moderation: Karen Vancluysen, Secretary General, Polis

Panelists:  

• Isabelle Vandoorne, Deputy Head of Unit Innovation and Urban Mobility, DG MOVE
• Emilie Ursule, Tourism Mobility Program Officer, Normandy Tourism
• José Antonio Donaire, Commissioner for the Management of Sustainable Tourisme, City of Barcelona  

12.30 Lunch

13.30 Parallel sessions

PARALLEL SESSION 1: New Roles, New Skills: preparing for the tourism mobility transition 

Tourism and Transport Education: Current Gaps and Future Skills  
Speakers:

• Corné Dijkmans, Director of Research, Breda University of Applied Sciences
• Panagiotis Papantoniou, Associate Professor at the Department of Surveying and Geoinformatics, West Attica University transport planning

Practice Perspectives: Emerging roles and jobs at the Tourism–Transport Interface  
Moderation: Tim Fairhurst, Director General, ETOA  

This interactive with audience session explores emerging roles and jobs at the tourism–transport interface in the context of the transition toward sustainable mobility. Participants will identify the competences required for new and evolving professional profiles, as well as the upskilling needs of existing staff to support low-carbon, integrated tourism mobility systems.

Panel III: Shaping Tourism Mobility Education for Emerging Tourism Mobility Roles
This panel discusses what tourism mobility education should focus on, based on insights from the forum. Speakers will highlight good practices and successful examples of skills development, and explore the next steps to align education with emerging roles and the evolving needs of the tourism–transport sector. The session aims to provide guidance for preparing professionals to support the transition toward sustainable, low-carbon tourism mobility

Moderation: 

• Don Guikink, Senior Lecturer, Breda University of Applied Sciences (CIVITAS MUSE network)
• Klaus Ehrilich, Secretary General, European Federation of Rural Tourism (EU Tourism Pact for Skills).

Panelists:  

• Ivar Neelis, Researcher and Lecturer, Breda University of Applied Sciences
• Angelika Sauermost, Director of Quality and Sustainable Transition, Comité Régional du Tourisme et des Loisirs d’Occitanie 
   

PARALLEL SESSION 2: Connecting mobility and tourism: integrated planning approaches 

This session will explore the intersection of tourism and mobility, examining how integrated mobility planning can support sustainable tourism, enhance visitor experiences, and benefit local communities. It will highlight best practices in collaboration between transport operators and public authorities. The discussion will also focus on promoting sustainable transport in nature areas (MONA project) addressing policy recommendations related to governance, infrastructure, data use, and communication. In addition, the session will cover transport planning in capitals and small and medium-sized cities, as well as the coordination of mobility services for tourism-related events.

15.30 Coffee break

16.00 Keynote by Prof. Dr. Franz Fischler, Ex- EU Commissioner for Agriculture, Rural Development, Austria.

16.25 Forum conclusion by Nina Nesterova, Prof Sustainable Tourism & Transport, Breda University of Applied Sciences. 

16.30 Network reception   

17.30 End