European Tourism Ministers’ Conference in Vienna, 20–21 March
A total of around 250 ministers, experts and representatives from various organisations and the tourism industry will meet at the European Tourism Ministers’ Conference in Vienna, the capital of Austria, with the aim of placing more emphasis on the role of tourism as a source of growth and employment in political discussions and policy-making. The two-day discussion forum will analyse special issues related to growth and employment in the tourism industry and, for the first time, discuss, upon the European Commission’ s proposal, a new tourism policy within the EU. Erkki Virtanen, Permanent Secretary, will represent Finland at the conference.

Prepared in co-operation with Austria and Finland, the European Tourism Ministers’ Conference will hold two workshops during the first day. Where Workshop 1 organised by Finland will deal with the exploitation of information and communication technologies (ICT) in tourism, Workshop 2 will focus on a variety of opportunities provided by culture in tourism development.
ICT – Tool for growth and employment in tourism
The tourism business is not yet very active in making use of the opportunities provided by new technology. In particular, small and medium-sized enterprises in the industry utilise ICT less than those in other industries. Again, consumers in large numbers currently use the Internet, with new electronic, wireless applications being adopted rapidly. In fact, travellers make their purchase decisions on the basis of online travel information available.
Making more extensive use of information technology as part of a company’s business forms a prerequisite for the development and competitiveness of the tourism business. Accordingly, Workshop 1 will discuss the ways of improving the tourism business’s ability to make efficient use of the opportunities provided by ICT. The discussion will highlight new business models enabled by ICT, improvements in travel companies’ tourism and ICT skills, as well as opportunities for the
public sector to promote the adoption of ICT.
www.visiteurope.com for travellers in Europe
During the conference, on Tuesday 21 March at around 4.00p.m. Finnish time, Martin Bartenstein, Austria’s Federal Minister of Economics and Labour; Erkki Virtanen, Permanent Secretary; Günter Verheugen, Vice President of the European Commission (Enterprise and Industry); and Arthur Oberarscher, President of European Travel Commission, will launch the European Tourist Destinations Portal.
Implemented under the auspices of the European Commission, this portal integrates 34 European countries’ national tourism websites so that they can be easily accessed via a single entry point and provide practical information on travelling in Europe.
For further information, please contact:
Nina Vesterinen, Senior Specialist, MTI, tel. +358 50 365 9090
Lea Häyhä, Senior Specialist, MTI, tel. +358 50 413 5517
The European Tourist Destinations Portal: Inkeri Starry, Marketing Manager, Finnish Tourist Board, tel. +358 40 556 3017 
The website for the conference can be found on the Council Presidency’s website at