Tourism Organizations – Europe
This page lists tourism organizations in Europe. The purpose of this page is to show different types of organizations, structures and events that European destinations establish to manage and promote themselves.
This is not an exhaustive list of tourism organizations, rather a sample list providing an overview of tourism governance structures in Europe.
AUSTRIA
ÖRV
The Association of Austrian Travel Agents ÖRV is an independent und neutral trade association representing the interests of the most important Austrian travel agencies and tour operators. Around 80% of the business volume in the Austrian tourism sector is generated by ÖRV members. The association focuses on facilitating the exchange of information among its members and creating optimum conditions for the sector.
Public: oerv.at
Institutional: oerv.at – Über uns
Austria: An Alpine Sense of Life
Danubeparks
Danubeparks is the Network of Protected Areas along the Danube River, consisting of 16 protected areas from nine Danube countries (Germany, Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Croatia, Serbia, Bulgaria, Romania and Moldova), all hotspots for biodiversity. The protected areas along the Danube preserve and restore the most valuable habitats of this international river, thus safeguarding an important part of Europe’s natural heritage for future generations. Cross-border and transnational cooperation is a fundamental part of this work since nature doesn’t recognize state borders. An important aspect of the conservation efforts undertaken by Danubeparks is the development of responsible nature tourism. The organization is headquartered at Danube-Auen National Park near Vienna, Austria.
Public: danubeparks.org
Institutional: danubeparks.org – About Us
BELGIUM
EARTH
EARTH stands for European Alliance of Responsible Tourism and Hospitality, with offices in Brussels, and represents the first European partnership network aimed at the development of sustainable tourism, with members from Austria, Belgium, England, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy and Spain. The members of EARTH are industry experts in the field of responsible tourism; among them, there are tour operators, national networks, independent consultants, associations and NGOs.
Public: earth-net.eu
Institutional: earth-net.eu/about
CZECH REPUBLIC
European Quartet
The European Quartet is a marketing cooperation established by the Central European countries of Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, and Slovakia to attract overseas visitors from long-distance markets such as Asia, Australia and the Americas; in order to promote multi-destination travel in Central Europe. The four countries, in the framework of European integration, are united as the Visegrad Four Group (V4) on a political level and share historical roots and cultural traditions while maintaining unique identities in terms of architecture, art, folklore and landscape. One goal of the initiative is to show that beyond enticing capital cities – Prague, Budapest, Warsaw, and Bratislava – there is much more to discover, like UNESCO monuments, world-famous spas, historical towns and outstanding natural beauty. The group, initiated by national tourism organizations, realizes activities such as trade fair participations, workshops and roadshows in cooperation with the private sector that in turn sets up bookable cross-border tours and itineraries combining the four countries.
Public: discover-ce.eu
Institutional: discover-ce.eu/about-us
Visit Czech Republic: UNESCO Heritage Sites in Vysočina Region
FRANCE
French Wine Tourism Cluster
Created in 2000 by Atout France, the France Tourism Development Agency, the Wine Tourism Cluster unites all important players in enotourism in order to develop and promote this important segment of French lifestyle and culture, generating some 10 million wine tourists in 2016.
Public: visitfrenchwine.com
Institutional: atout-france.fr/content/oenotourisme
France.fr: Explore French Culture
GERMANY
German National Tourism Board
The GNTB – German National Tourism Board, or DZT as it is known in German, is an entity financed by the German government to promote Germany internationally as a travel destination. Its main activities include the development of new marketing strategies and concepts based on specific themes, events and attractions; and also bringing together and optimising the diverse marketing activities of partners in the German travel industry.
Public: germany.travel
Institutional: germany.travel – About us
DRV
The German Travel Association (DRV) is the leading special interest group of the German tourism industry. It defends above all the interests of tour operators and travel agents. It has a strong membership base with several thousands of member companies.
Institutional: drv.de
ITB Berlin
ITB Berlin is the world’s leading travel trade show and takes place every year in Germany’s capital at the beginning of March. As an integral part of the fair, ITB Convention offers insights into the latest trends in travel and tourism.
Public: itb-berlin.de – Visitors
Institutional: itb-berlin.de
ITB Convention: itb-convention.com
ITALY
Mediterranean Pearls
Mediterranean Pearls is a Destination Management Organization (DMO) seated in Catania, Italy that aims to promote ecological tourism in seaside, hill, river and lake areas, mainly based on ecological mobility; the idea being that destinations along the Mediterranean are like pearls in a chain. The focus is on soft mobility options such as biking, in Italy and other Mediterranean destinations.
Public: www.mediterraneanpearls.it
Institutional: mediterraneanpearls.it – About us
NORWAY
USUS
USUS is a network, or tourism cluster, devoted to enterprises operating in the travel, experience and culture industries in the Agder (Sørlandet) and Telemark regions in Southern Norway. It is a unique Destination Management Organization – DMO in the sense that it has a strong focus on repeat visitors.
Public: visitsorlandet.com
Institutional: usus.no
Heidi Sørvig of Visit Sørlandet at SoMeT: The future role of a DMO
ROMANIA
AER
The Association of Ecotourism in Romania – AER brings together the public and private sector in an innovative way, creating a partnership aimed at nature conservation and the development of sustainable tourism. AER contributes to the quality improvement of ecotourism services and promotes nature as an essential element in Romania’s image as a tourist destination. AER aims at improving the quality of ecotourism services and developing the infrastructure of ecotourism destinations, contributing to nature conservation and sustainable development in Romania.
Public: eco-romania.ro
Institutional: asociatiaaer.ro/en
SERBIA
NTOS
The National Tourism Organization of Serbia (NTOS) is in charge of promoting Serbia as a tourism destination internationally. It is represented in many source markets through representation agencies.
Public: serbia.travel
Institutional: serbia.travel – About us
Danube Competence Center
The Danube Competence Center (DCC), based in Belgrade, is a Danube focused association of tourism actors for a sustainable and competitive destination Danube. The association’s main task is to build and support networks of tourism stakeholders by enhancing transnational cooperation through various tourism development and promotional activities. Members are from the public, private and non-governmental sector, representing all ten Danube countries: Germany, Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Croatia, Serbia, Romania, Bulgaria, Moldova and Ukraine.
Public: danube.travel
Institutional: danubecc.org
SLOVAKIA
Ministry of Transport and Construction
The Tourism Section of the Ministry of Transport and Construction of the Slovak Republic is responsible for the planning and development of tourism, as well as for the implementation of measures that create incentives for the private sector. As a member of international organizations, it also supports cross-border cooporation in tourism.
Public: slovakia.travel
Institutional: mindop.sk – Tourism
SATA – SACKA
The Slovak Association of Tour Operators and Travel Agents, based in the capital Bratislava, is the main private-sector organization in the Slovak tourism industry, with some 150 members and 90-95 percent of the industry turnover represented. Its main goal is to promote tourism development in Slovakia.
Institutional: sacka.eu
SPAIN
Galicia Tourism Cluster
The Tourism Cluster of Galicia is a group of tourism companies linked in the same value chain that develops activities within the specific geographic space that is Galicia, with the purpose of nurturing cooperation among stakeholders, increasing competitiveness, strengthening the Galicia brand, fostering innovation, and promoting the internationalization of tourism businesses.
Public: turismo.gal
Institutional: clusterturismogalicia.com/en/cluster
Surfing Europe
Surfing Europe is a product club dedicated to developing surfing tourism along the Atlantic coast of Europe. It is co-funded by the COSME program of the European Union, with partners in Spain / Basque Country, Portugal, France and the United Kingdom.
Public: europesurfing.eu
Institutional: europesurfing.eu/about.php
European Commission: Tourism Product Club
MEET Network
The Mediterranean Experience of EcoTourism Network, with offices in Málaga, Spain, aims at fostering a better coordination and management of Mediterranean tourism in protected areas by functioning as a transnational Destination Management Organization for ecotourism in the Mediterranean region, helping Mediterranean protected areas to create and promote viable ecotourism products in their territory. The countries included in this initiative, which is supported by IUCN and other international organizations, are Spain, France, Italy, Albania, Malta, Greece, Lebanon, Jordan and Tunisia, among others.
Public: meetnetwork.org
Institutional: meetnetwork.org – About
SWITZERLAND
SRV
The Swiss Federation of Travel Agents SRV is the trade organization that unites travel agencies and tour operators in Switzerland and Liechtenstein, representing the interests of its members on the national and international level. It is actively engaged in the establishing a facilitating framework for tourism and does lobbying with policymakers on a political level, in the business sector and with regard to the public.
Public: srv.ch
Institutional: srv.ch/wirueberuns
World Tourism Forum Lucerne Think Tank
The World Tourism Forum Lucerne Think Tank is a highly focused, top-level strategic body which allows leaders from around the world to reflect on the bigger challenges faced by the tourism industry.
Institutional: wtflucerne.org/think-tank
UKRAINE
UAETA
The Ukrainian Adventure and Ecotourism Association UAETA is a Kiev-based initiative dedicated to the promotion and development of environmentally friendly active recreation and ecotourism, with the main goal of creating optimum conditions for adventure and ecological tourism in Ukraine.
Public: uaeta.org
Institutional: uaeta.org – About
Odessa City Council Department of Culture and Tourism
The Department of Culture and Tourism of the Odessa City Council is a public-sector tourism organization, in charge of promoting culture and tourism in this port city on the Black Sea. It operates the Odessa Tourist Information Center, with branch offices around the city.
Public: odessatourism.org
Institutional: omr.gov.ua/en/tourist
Tourist Information Center: tic.in.ua
Amazing Ukraine: Open for Tourism
UNITED KINGDOM
VisitBritain
As the national tourism agency – a non-departmental public body funded by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS), legally constituted as the British Tourist Authority (BTA) under the Development of Tourism Act 1969, VisitBritain/VisitEngland plays a leading role in building England’s tourism product and raising Britain’s profile worldwide. The agency works with a wide range of partners in both the United Kingdom and overseas.
Public: visitbritain.com
Institutional: visitbritain.org
VisitBritain provides a comprehensive directory of DMOs in England.
List of Destination Management Organizations: visitbritain.com – DMOs in England
ABTA
ABTA is the UK’s largest travel association, representing travel agents and tour operators. The association offers guidance to its members as well as to the public and leads the travel industry in supporting high service standards, while also promoting responsible tourism at home and abroad. ABTA publishes an annual Travel Trends Report available for download.
Public: abta.com
Institutional: abta.com – Who we are
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