91997E3544

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3544/97 by Gerardo Fernández-Albor (PPE) to the Commission (12 November 1997)

Subject: Winter holiday programme for the elderly

The success of the winter holiday programme for the elderly announced by the Spanish welfare authorities was demonstrated by the fact that on the first day 80% of the available places were booked.

Given that this age group enjoys holidays every year, which, in addition to their recreation and leisure value, provide a useful boost to the economies of tourist areas during the low season, it would be worthwhile to consider extending such programmes to greater numbers of older people in other European Union countries.

Is the Commission in any way involved in the abovementioned winter holiday programme for the elderly in Spain and does it believe this programme should be extended to other European countries to enable their elderly citizens to enjoy the benefits of the mild southern climate during the winter?

Answer given by Mr Papoutsis on behalf of the Commission (12 December 1997)

The Commission is aware that the seasonality issue, which affects many tourism destinations experiencing over-concentration in the peak season, is one of the principal challenges facing the tourism sector.

A number of initiatives have been taken at national level to help redress some of the problems caused by seasonality, among which is the winter holiday programme for the elderly in Spain.

As for the possibility of extending the programme to other Member States, the Commission believes that this and other similar initiatives could be usefully explored in the context of exchanges of experiences and co-operation involving the Commission, the Member States and the industry.