Flanders Takes the Presidency of NECSTouR

After a six-year mandate of Catalonia Presidency, Andalusia has taken seat of the NECSTouR Presidency until March 2023. NECSTouR is thankful for the solid leadership and actions Andalucia has taken. From 1 April 2023, Peter De Wilde will chair NECSTouR, the network uniting more than 40 top European regional destinations, on behalf of Flanders. Through interregional cooperation, NECSTouR seeks to influence European decision-making related to tourism. The network supports its members to realise the “tourism of tomorrow” through a cooperation strategy focused on sustainable tourism development, “smart” innovative destinations, and data-driven destination development.

Visit Flanders strengthens the positive power of tourism with the aim of making Flanders flourish as an innovative, inspiring and quality tourism destination. Visit Flanders also supports the tourism sector to further develop Flanders as a tourism destination and promotes the destination Flanders abroad. These efforts benefit the place as well as its residents, entrepreneurs and visitors.

“The Flemish chairmanship of NECSTouR offers opportunities to spread our Flemish vision ‘Travel to Tomorrow’ among European regions and at European and international level,” says CEO ad interim Peter De Wilde of Visit Flanders. “But also to explore opportunities to realise Flemish tourism projects by using European support mechanisms. Regions can play a key role in leading a ‘smart’ and sustainable approach to managing tourist destinations, and NECSTouR has the necessary experience to support us in this.”

In addition, NECSTouR’s ‘Tourism of Tomorrow lab’ offers us personalised services to make more data-driven decisions. The aim of this lab is to create an ecosystem where tourism professionals and data experts can work together to develop projects, share knowledge and disseminate best practices in destination management.

“Flanders is now taking over the presidency from Andalusia, and we want to work to strengthen the role of regions in EU tourism policy, raise the profile of tourism on the European agenda and maximise the benefits of NECSTouR membership in destination management,” concludes Peter De Wilde, President of NECSTouR, CEO of Visit Flanders, CEO of Flanders Heritage Agency.

“It is not the positive seasonal volumes that are enough, but the ambitious 2030 targets that we need to achieve, hand in hand with the EU Tourism Agenda and the path of a real paradigm shift for our destinations. During our Presidency key milestones have been achieved thanks to the network’s projects: actions to promote destinations’ climate action in a common plan; practices and partnerships to move towards a regenerative destinations’ model; one year anniversary in coaching Destination Management Organisations in measuring sustainable tourism for decision-making through the Tourism of Tomorrow Lab. Such is the journey we embraced with NECSTouR and we are firmly convinced that Flanders will brilliantly lead the network in direction of a tourism transition to sustainability and respond to common challenges through European cooperation”.