In a move to respond to the digital transition of the tourism industry, EBI together with 19 other organisations representing the travel and tourism sector at European level agreed to sign a Code of Conduct on data sharing in the tourism sector. This non-binding document clarifies the main aspects to consider in data sharing agreements and should help to build trust and foster data sharing agreements. 

This document aims at building trust between tourism stakeholders and providing support in the creation of mutually beneficial data sharing agreements in the tourism industry. By setting out common principles (such as interoperability, security, liability...) definitions and guidelines for data sharing, this document contributes to the EU-wide architecture for non-personal data exchange. It is a timely tool to respond to several challenges with regards to the access, use and sharing of data in a high-quality manner. It highlights how to ensure privacy and security when sorting and processing data. At the same time, this document establishes a level playing field where the public sector, private sector and stakeholders have equal chances and opportunities to use and share data in tourism.  

You can find the Code of Conduct here.

A new investor report by the European Commission shows that investors plan to invest an average of 124.5€ in the blue economy by 2030.

The main investment drivers for those present at BlueInvest Day and the BlueInvest e-pitching event co-organised with EBI, are innovation, impact and sustainability (besides economic return).

The report identifies sustainable boating and sustainable tourism management as two of the key innovations and technologies to advance coastal and maritime tourism and ship-building. Boating and nautical tourism and recreation are seen as key elements of both value chains. Some of the 27 action areas for accelerating the green and digital transition and for improving the resilience of the EU tourism industry, identified by the European Commission in 2022, were also included in the report such as: circularity of tourism services or peer learning and networking for SMEs.

The report shows examples of companies and entrepreneurs who are shaping the blue economy and highlights specific investment opportunities, including an overview of key innovations and technologies.

Click here to learn more.

According to the report, at a global level, the GHG emissions of the tourism sector stand at around 5% of global emissions. It is estimated that 75% of all tourism emissions are linked to transportation. A research project from 2013 estimated that the sector was responsible for 8% of global GHG emissions.

The report was developed by the UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) with support from the Germany Ministry for the Environment and is released in collaboration with UN Climate Change. It provides an overview of GHG emissions measurement in tourism alongside an assessment of the sector’s climate action efforts. It summarises current methodologies, establishing the approaches and frameworks guiding measurement and the tools available to measure emissions.

The full report can be found in full here.

The "Roadmap on the implementation of the circular economy for end-of-life boats” was launched by European Boating Industry (EBI) on Thursday, 30 March.

It sets the stage to comprehensively solve the issue of end-of-life boats, a key challenge for the industry. Public and private stakeholders, including national authorities, industry, consumers/boaters, academia, and related industries came together to develop a comprehensive approach. It follows the successful dismantling and recycling schemes already set up in many European countries.

The industry, represented by EBI, commits to phasing out landfilling and energy recovery by 2030. It will expand the use of more sustainable recycling solutions in coordination with other composite use industries, such as wind energy. The Roadmap places the boating industry on a pathway to achieving the goals of the European Green Deal through the implementation of a number of policy objectives, namely the New approach for a sustainable blue economy in the EU Transforming the EU’s Blue Economy, the Circular Economy Action Plan and Zero Pollution Ambition. In addition, the European Strategy for more Growth and Jobs in Coastal and Maritime Tourism and Staff Working Document on Nautical Tourism include end-of-life boats as priority areas.

Moreover, it provides recommendations to be implemented, including on financing, dismantling, transport, recycling, research and innovation. The Roadmap will be executed by political and private-sector actors and be driven forward by a new EU Network on end-of-life boats, promoting action at EU level and better coordination of Member States. Several countries have also indicated their interest in using the Roadmap as a blueprint to develop a comprehensive approach on end-of-life boats.

You can learn more here.

On Thursday 20 April at 11 am EBI will hold its first webinar of the year: "Understanding and implementing LCA in the Boating Industry".

This webinar, exclusively for EBI members, will address one of the industry’s hottest topics: Life Cycle Analysis. Featuring several experts in the area, the webinar will help professionals understand and use LCA as a tool to help them reduce their environmental footprint.

Registration is now open here for EBI members and member companies of national member associations.

The “Roadmap on the implementation of the circular economy for end-of-life boats” is launched by European Boating Industry (EBI) today. It sets the stage to comprehensively solve the issue of end-of-life boats, a key challenge for the industry. Public and private stakeholders, including national authorities, industry, consumers/boaters, academia, and related industries came together to develop a comprehensive approach. It follows the successful dismantling and recycling schemes already set up in many European countries.

It is estimated that there are over 6.5 million boats in European waters, mostly smaller than 7.5 meters. They have a lifetime of up to 50 years or more. The number of boats reaching their end-of-life until 2030 is now projected at more than 30,000 boats per year in the EU. This would result on average of over 23,1000 tons of end-of-life composite waste per year. Recreational and commercial marine make about 2-3% of the total composite use in Europe.

The industry, represented by EBI, commits to phasing out landfilling and energy recovery by 2030. It will expand the use of more sustainable recycling solutions in coordination with other composite use industries, such as wind energy. The Roadmap places the boating industry on a pathway to achieving the goals of the European Green Deal and moving towards the circular economy.

Moreover, it provides recommendations to be implemented, including on financing, dismantling, transport, recycling, research and innovation. The Roadmap will be executed by political and private-sector actors and be driven forward by a new EU Network on end-of-life boats. Several countries have also indicated their interest in using the Roadmap as a blueprint to develop a comprehensive approach on end-of-life boats.

BlueInvest and EBI are pleased to present the 2nd edition of the BlueInvest e-pitch session, which will be held online on 23 March at 16:00 CET. It will focus on the recreational boating industry and innovation in the sector. BlueInvest and EBI have selected five European companies with innovative solutions related to green boating and boat repair to present their innovative solutions.

BlueInvest is an EU initiative to boost innovation and investment in sustainable technologies for the blue economy by supporting readiness and access to finance for early-stage companies, SMEs and start-ups. It is funded by the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund. It offers different opportunities to learn about BlueInvest and direct contact to investors. Through this initiative, EBI aims to support the sector as well as to further promote its mission advancing and representing a sustainable boating and nautical tourism industry #MadeInEurope.

Register here.

23 March, 16:00 CET                                                   Blue Invest E-pitching session (online)

4 April, 14:00 – 16:00 CET                                        2nd Council meeting (Online – Zoom)

19 April, 10:00 CET                                                      2nd Executive Committee (Online, Zoom)

20 – 21 June                                                                   General Assembly (Jeanneau - Les Herbiers, France)

20 June, Afternoon                                                     3rd Council meeting (Les Herbiers, France)

21 June, Morning                                                         2nd General Assembly (Les Herbiers, France)

The International Marine Certification Institute (UK) has been appointed by the UK Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) as an Approved Body under the UK Regulations. This means that IMCI (UK) can now start issuing UKCA certificates under the Recreational Craft Regulations (RCR).

IMCI (UK), a spin-off of IMCI in Brussels, has been appointed for the same product categories and conformity assessment procedures as IMCI has used since 1996 under the EU Recreational Craft Directive (RCD).

You can read more about it here.