Sustainable tourism in a digital age: Implications of the twin transitions for employment, working conditions and industrial relations
Gepubliceerd: 2 December 2025
This report assesses the impact of the green and digital transitions on the EU’s tourism sector in relation to employment, skills, work organisation and working conditions. It also examines the contribution of social dialogue to addressing these challenges. The sector is both directly and indirectly affected by climate change. So far, digitalisation has had the greatest measurable impact on employment in the travel agency subsector, which witnessed an 11 % reduction in employment between 2014 and 2024, at least in part as a result of the shift of services to platform and online services. There is greater demand for skills in the areas of environmental sustainability, big data, AI and virtual reality applications, particularly among medium- to high-skilled workers in the sector.
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The tourism sector in the EU is directly exposed to climate change and increasingly shaped by climate policy, given its 10% share of EU emissions. Governments are increasing efforts to manage visitor flows and promote sustainable and eco-tourism. However, although surveys show high demand for sustainable travel, cost remains a key factor in travellers’ holiday choices.
Beyond the 22 % fall in travel agency employment between 2019 and 2023, there is no evidence that the green or digital transitions are reducing labour demand. Instead, staff shortages have deepened as many workers did not return to the sector after the pandemic.
The twin transitions are expected to drive the demand for new skills, from digital marketing and software developers to web and application designers, data scientists, cybersecurity and virtual and augmented reality design. Sustainability skills – such as water management, energy efficiency, recycling and waste management, as well as specialist tour guides - are also particularly important among larger hotel chains and tourism authorities.
Although many providers and Member States offer tourism-specific training, advanced digital and sustainability skills training remain limited. Ongoing barriers - including the predominance of small and micro companies, seasonality, and a workforce that is often low-skilled, young or migrant – continue to limit access and uptake.
Collective agreements addressing the impact of the twin transitions and labour shortages are still rare. Where they exist, they focus on training and attractiveness, underlining the need for capacity building and increasing collective bargaining coverage to prepare the sector for the green and digital transformations.
Dit gedeelte bevat informatie over de gegevens in deze publicatie.
List of tables
Table 1: Central portals used to apply for and access personal information for various benefits, 2025
Table 2: Examples of chatbots used in social protection, 2025
Table 3: Pension simulator examples, 2025
Table 4: Examples of online benefit calculators for benefits other than old-age benefits, 2025
Table 5: Digitalisation of applications for social benefits, 2025
Table 6: Unemployment benefits – possibility of applying (and conducting other front-office functions) digitally
Table 7: Sick leave benefits – possibility of applying (and conducting other front-office functions) digitally
Table 8: Maternity/paternity benefits – possibility of applying (and conducting other front-office functions) digitally
Table 9: Disability benefits – possibility of applying (and conducting other front-office functions) digitally
Table 10: Old-age/survivor benefits – possibility of applying (and conducting other front-office functions) digitally
Table 11: Benefits for accidents at work and occupational diseases – possibility of applying (and conducting other front-office functions) digitally
Table 12: Minimum-income benefits – possibility of applying (and conducting other front-office functions) digitally
Table 13: Child/family benefits – possibility of applying (and conducting other front-office functions) digitally
Table 14: Housing benefits – possibility of applying (and conducting other front-office functions) digitally
Table 15: Automated decisions to grant benefits in Norway, different schemes, 2023
Table 16: Examples of the use of RRP funding in the digitalisation of social protection
Table A1: National correspondents or experts who contributed to the report
List of figures
Figure 1: Digitalisation of benefits: front-office processes
Figure 2: Digitalisation of benefits: back-office processes
Figure 3: Digitalisation strategies capturing social protection
Eurofound beveelt aan om deze publicatie als volgt te citeren.
Eurofound (2025), Sustainable tourism in a digital age: Preparing the tourism sector for the twin transitions, Publications Office of the European Union, Luxembourg.
