Has The Information Society Succeeded To Improve The Competitiveness Of European Sustainable Tourism Economy?

Europe represents one of the most significant tourism destinations in the world, but, nowadays, it is more and more important the issue of adapting the tourism demand and supply to the need of sustainability. Information Technologies can help to increase the competitiveness of the tourism industry, creating a bridge between tourism supply and demand. According to the figures presented by the UNWTO, the growth rate of international tourist arrivals in 2013 compared to 2012 was of 5% (meaning 52 million international tourists arrivals), reaching 1,09 billion arrivals in 2013. The highest absolute growth was experienced by Europe (29 million arrivals in 2013), while the highest relative growth was registered in Asia and the Pacific (6%). The average international tourist receipt exceeded US$700 per person, while total tourists’ expenditures leveled more than $1,4 trillion. Tourism sector, including the related industries, contributed in 2013 by 9,5% to the total global Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and created approximately 10% of the jobs worldwide. In Romania the ascending trend of tourists’ arrivals in accommodation establishments was interrupted by decreases in 2009 and 2010, due to the global economic-financial crisis. The indicator “Nights spent at tourist accommodation establishments by residents” experienced a similar evolution. Revenues from tourism and its contribution to GDP can be improved through the usage of information technology services. The present paper gives a possible answer to the following questions: can Information Society improve the competitiveness of European Sustainable Tourism Economy? Are there evidences of the impact of modern informational technologies on trends in sustainable tourism economy? In the analysis, the author used EUROSTAT data for European countries, 2000-2013 time-series. Statistical indicators used in the analysis are grouped by three areas of interest: Tourism Area (Arrivals of residents/non-residents at tourist accommodation establishments, Participation in tourism for personal purposes), Environment Area (emissions of greenhouse gases, air pollution, environment protection expenditure) and Information Technology Area (individuals using the internet for ordering goods or services, households with Internet access). The applied statistical methodology includes: Descriptive Statistics, non-parametric statistical tests.