Set up in 1948, the OECD’s Tourism Committee is headquartered in Paris. It includes a restricted number of countries and, since October 2017, has been presided over by Portugal, through Turismo de Portugal. This Committee analyses and monitors policies and structural changes that affect the development of national and international tourism.
The work of the OECD’s Tourism Committee focuses on the economic aspects of tourism, restructuring of the sector’s industry, innovation, employment and tourism satellite account, through the development of specific studies, which make it possible to analyse the tourism sector in the different Member States, and the knowledge of the economic, environmental and social effects resulting from the implementation of the respective policies.
Portugal has been a member of the OECD’s Tourism Committee from the very outset, participating, through Turismo de Portugal, in the Committee’s meetings, and in other initiatives in the context of its activity. Portugal currently chairs the Committee, this being its third consecutive mandate.
At the 105th session of the Tourism Committee on 1 April 2020, Members expressed the urgent need for the Committee to make efforts to respond to the crisis in the travel and tourism sector caused by the pandemic.
_ adjustment to the current Work Programme was approved by Members including the creation of a new output - Mitigating the Impact of COVID-19 on Tourism and Supporting Recovery to support the policy response and actions needed for the recovery of the sector
_ the Committee also collaborates on the development of Key Policy Responses - a series of recommendations on a range of topics and sectors in order to address the health, economic and social crisis.
The OECD currently has 38 Member States (Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Korea, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, United Kingdom and United States of America). It plays a complementary role to other intergovernmental organisations as far as the economic matters of tourism are concerned, positioning itself as an Observatory of member countries’ Tourism Administrations.
In terms of structure, the Tourism Committee is part of the Centre for Entrepreneurship, SMEs and Local Development.
