European Tourism Day 2011 opens today in Brussels on 27th September, on the occasion of World Tourism Day. The conference will discuss how the preservation and promotion of the European industrial heritage may contribute to the diversification of the tourism offer in Europe, and how – at the same time – tourism development strategies may be key alternatives to avoid job-losses and economic depression in abandoned industrial areas.
It will bring together a number of high level speakers, EU Ministers, representatives from the Member States and International Organisations, projects leaders, policy officers, local and regional authorities, universities, tourism operators, specialised press and other stakeholders.