Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
Rethinking European Union in A Changing World Politics, Economics And Issues, Ömer Uğur, Editör, Peter Lang Publishing, Inc., Berlin, ss.133-151, 2020
Tourism, which is a globally developing and expanding
sector, is seen as an important policy tool in ensuring economic, social and
environmental development and sustainability. Tourism,
which is a sector in the middle of our lives and has important economic
effects, is in an indispensable position in intercultural communication.
European Union member countries have many partnerships as well as their own
language and culture, and it is important that the people within the Union stay
together and integrate around these common values by preserving their
differences in accordance with the basic philosophy of the Union. At this
point, tourism is an important sector for the European Union with its
contribution to European identity and also with its contribution to the defense
and promotion of Europe on an international scale (Yeğen et. Al., 2011: 238). Tourism plays an increasingly important role in the
daily lives of European citizens and they travel more for personal or
professional reasons, which is very important for cultural integration (Özden
et. Al., 2016: 316). Tourism plays a vital role in the European economy not
only because of its effects on visitor expense and economic growth but also on
the positive impact it has on regional development and employment. Tourism has
mutual effects and dependencies on many public domains, such as transportation,
the environment, the protection of consumer rights, and regional development.
The economic benefit of tourism has been made clear with the Tourism Satellite
Accounts system. In 2018, international tourism movements reached 1.4 billion
people with a 5% growth (Weston
et. Al., 2019: 25). The European Continent hosted 710 million people in
2018 with a growth of 5% compared to the previous year and became the most
visited continent, with 51% of the total visits according to the destination.
In 2018, international tourism revenue was realized at 1.7 trillion USD, with a
growth of 4% compared to the previous year. The European Continent achieved a
tourism revenue of 570 billion USD with a growth of 5% compared to the previous
year and maintained its position as the highest income from tourism with 39% of
the total tourism revenues (UNWTO,
2019).