Tourism Interest Groups in the EU Policy Arena: Characteristics, Relationships and Challenges

Despite the European Union's (EU) influence on tourism, surprisingly little is known of tourism interest representation and the nature of their relationship with the EU institutions. Empirical evidence drawn from a study on the EU tourism policy environment demonstrates that the difficulty interest groups experience at the national level in influencing the policy agenda permeates at the supranational level, where it is augmented by the added complexities of this policy environment. Fragmentation, overlap and conflict are key aspects of tourism interest representation, which condition the ability of groups to form coalitions or single voice platforms. Due to the large number of actors, lobbying and agenda setting are more complex and challenging. In addition, the characteristics of an issue network, rather than a policy community for tourism, are identified, but it is recommended that further investigation of the EU tourism policy environment that encompasses a wider range of interest groups and other stakeholders should be conducted.