16.5 million EU jobs are at risk if the British holiday pound holidays elsewhere

The EU estimates over 16.5 million people are involved in tourism

© Facts4EU.Org 2021

Almost a quarter of Greek jobs are reliant on tourists arriving this summer

Part One : The huge economic hit for many EU countries (our Saturday report)
Part Two : The massive number of EU jobs at stake (this report)

In yesterday’s report Facts4EU.Org revealed the significant risk for the economies of EU countries if the tourist season does not re-start this summer.

In today’s report we look at another key metric. How important is the tourism industry for jobs in each EU country?

Figures on numbers of people employed in the tourism industry or which are connected to the tourism industry differ, depending on which set of EU data you choose. Below we start by showing the numbers obtained from the EU statistical agency’s 2019 report on tourism. Please note that this data is incomplete as it only covers 15 of the 27 EU countries.

Brexit Facts4EU.Org Summary

Jobs in some way dependent on tourism

  • Italy : 4,206,857
  • Germany : 2,919,106
  • Spain : 2,425,300
  • France : 1,336,692
  • Netherlands : 791,000
  • Portugal : 488,003

© Brexit Facts4EU.Org - click to enlarge

The total for the top 6 EU countries alone is 12.2 million jobs. For the EU27 as a whole the EU estimates 16.5 million jobs are involved. 4.2 million jobs are at risk in Italy alone,

But about the proportion of tourism jobs as a percentage of total employment?

The above does not tell the whole story, however, and in case it only includes 15 out of the 27 EU countries. A more interesting measure is the percentage of a country’s workforce engaged in tourism. This shows just how important tourism is to the livelihoods of people in some EU countries.

This data is not available in the EU’s 2019 tourism report, but we tracked down an official Eurostat paper from 2018, showing data relating to 2016. We do not believe the ratios will have changed significantly since then.

Brexit Facts4EU.Org Summary

Percentage of workforce (excluding the financial sector) involved in tourism

  1. Greece : 23.9%
  2. Cyprus : 20.3%
  3. Malta : 15.3%
  4. Ireland : 13.3%
  5. Austria : 12.7%
  6. Spain : 12.3%

© Brexit Facts4EU.Org - click to enlarge

As can be seen, almost one-quarter of all non-financial jobs in Greece are dependent on tourism. In Cyprus it’s more than a fifth. Even in Ireland, almost one in seven jobs relies to a varying extent on its tourism industry.

Observations

The reaction of many of our readers to Part One of this series yesterday is probably best summarised by: "If the EU are behaving so badly, we'll holiday in the UK or in a non-EU country, thank you very much."

We seriously wonder if the fanatical idealogues in the EU Commission - to say nothing of some of the leaders of EU countries such as Monsieur Macron - have any idea of what they are risking. The British people are generally tolerant, and slow to anger. We sense a growing feeling of anger amongst the British people against the EU's bullying, unreasonable, and vindictive behaviour towards the United Kingdom.

The EU's vindictive behaviour crosses all areas, from its absurd insistence that despite almost all UK standards and laws still being identical to those of the EU, it will make life as tough as possible for UK exporters, to its legal action against the UK for trying to keep the United Kingdom as a whole country, to its refusal to grant 'equivalence' to the UK's important financial sector despite the UK having done this unilaterally for the EU last November.

This was always going to happen when you have unelected fanatics in charge

There can now be no doubt whatsoever that what we predicted since 2016 - that the EU would never agree a reasonable deal resulting in friendly relations - has come to pass.

This EU Commission is on the ropes. It's performance in key areas has been abysmal and its focus on the priorities it deems important are very clearly out of place given the immediate challenges it faces.

As for tourism and the EU jobs dependent on this, do we think the EU Commission gives a hoot? No, we do not. The Berlaymont building in Brussels is now run by zealots intent on punishing the United Kingdom for daring to break free. The interests of its own citizens whose jobs are on the line are way down the priority list.

If the EU wishes to make the Europe-loving British public think again about their holiday plans (and their purchasing preferences in the shops in the UK), then they are going the right way about it.

We love Europe and its peoples. We dislike the EU intensely.

Yes, 'ordinary people' CAN make a difference

Many people like you, our readers, have expressed their profound concerns about the current state of democracy and the direction where this great country of ours is headed. Brexit Facts4EU.Org continues to work behind the scenes - in addition to what you read on our website and in social media - to pressure the Government and MPs.

It has always been everyday people like you who made it possible for Facts4EU.Org to exist and to provide this service. We present facts-based research that most of the MSM fails to provide, and through that give a voice to a more commonsense approach that is shared and sought by so many people, still not being heard as it often differs from the 'party line' or 'right thing to say'.

Yes, you can do something and we hope you will. Please help us out with a donation today, so we can keep fighting for a free, truly independent, and sovereign United Kingdom and research and publish facts presented in a way you won't see anywhere else.

We do not have corporate funders, which makes our monthly planning more difficult, but it means we are not directed by a confined number of donors. We only take directions from our widespread readership - most of you very well informed - by listening to things you say.

Please support our work to enable us to carry on with our research and publishing, thank you. We badly need your help.

Quick, secure, and confidential donation links are below this article, or you can use our Donations page here.

[ Sources: Official EU Commission reports ] Politicians and journalists can contact us for details, as ever.

Facts4EU.Org, Sun 16 May 2021

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