The Federation of the European Sporting Goods Industry (FESI) has developed a set of concrete recommendations, in collaboration with its members and experts, to help shape the European Commission’s forthcoming EU Sustainable Tourism Strategy and unlock the potential of sport and active tourism across Europe.
Building on its existing position paper on sport tourism, FESI’s recommendations translate the sector’s priorities into practical actions to support more sustainable, accessible and competitive tourism destinations.
FESI calls for sport and active tourism to be explicitly recognised in the future EU strategy, with stronger coordination across policy areas, improved sustainable transport connections, better access to EU funding and more consistent data to inform policymaking and investment.
The recommendations also highlight the role of the sporting goods industry in developing circular equipment services, including rental, repair and reuse, and fostering partnerships between companies, tourism destinations, sport organisations and public authorities. Such cooperation can improve access to sporting activities, reduce environmental impacts and generate economic opportunities for local communities.
“The forthcoming EU Sustainable Tourism Strategy is an important opportunity to strengthen the links between sport, tourism and industry. As I highlighted earlier this month at the Congrès du tourisme sportif, we must turn this momentum into concrete action and partnerships that benefit destinations and citizens alike. While the industry can make a lot of efforts at product and business practices level, we need a broad investment in infrastructure to make those sustainable, efficient and resilent.” Jérôme Pero, FESI Secretary General.
FESI also stresses the importance of promoting active lifestyles through tourism, supporting responsible access to natural areas, diversifying tourism offers beyond peak seasons and recognising the contribution of outdoor sports, winter sports and sports-related visitor experiences to Europe’s tourism ecosystem.
Through these recommendations, FESI aims to contribute to an EU Sustainable Tourism Strategy that better connects tourism, sport, health, mobility and environmental objectives, while supporting innovative and replicable solutions across Europe.
FESI is actively engaging with the European Commission and relevant stakeholders in the development of the EU Sustainable Tourism Strategy, and will continue to contribute its expertise to ensure that the sporting goods sector’s role is fully recognised in Europe’s sustainable tourism ambitions.
About FESI: Founded in 1960 FESI – the Federation of the European Sporting Goods Industry represents the interests of approximately 1.800 sporting goods manufacturers (85% of the European market) through its National Sporting Goods Industry Federations and its directly affiliated member companies. 70-75% of FESI’s membership is made up of Small and Medium Sized Enterprises. In total, the European Sporting Goods Industry employs over 700.000 EU citizens and has an annual turnover of some 81 billion euro.
Contact: Ariane Gatti, FESI Senior Communication & Policy Manager / [email protected] / +32 274 08 94
