A Human Right to Health, Happiness… and Holidays?

Civitas, 21 April 2010

EU Commissioner Antonio Tajani, made the dramatic claim at last week’s EU Summit in Madrid that “Travelling for tourism today is a right, the way we spend our holidays is a formidable indicator of our quality of life”, writes Natalie Hamill.

Mr Tajani, the EU Commissioner for Enterprise and Industry, added that this universal right to tourism means that those Europeans who are “less fortunate” should have their holidays subsidised. Pensioners, 18-25 year olds, and those from disadvantaged backgrounds could potentially have 30% of the holiday costs subsidised by the EU.

It is yet to be established who qualifies as facing “difficult social, financial or personal” circumstances and thus who will be eligible for these discounted “EU holidays”. A pilot scheme is to run until 2013.

Perhaps Mr Tajani is trying to add fuel to the debate about what exactly the EU is achieving with EU states’ money, or maybe Mr Tajani has simply forgotten what it feels like to be a taxpayer… There is something strongly discouraging, if not demoralizing, about the thought of working hard and paying taxes to enable a universal “right to tourism”.

Mr Tajani’s proclaimed goal is to rejuvenate European culture whilst encouraging EU citizens to explore regions of the EU beyond their home country. He hopes to encourage Northern Europeans’ to holiday in Southern countries, and vice versa. Tajani’s spokesman said ““Why should someone from the Mediterranean not be able to travel to Edinburgh in summer for a breath of cool, fresh air; why should someone from Edinburgh not be able to travel to Greece in winter?”

Mr Tajani may regret that his announcement on the right to tourism came just before a volcanic ash cloud grounded most of Europe.  The huge cost to holiday-makers left frustrated and stranded present a sharp reminder of how costly “rights” can be, when they result in a call for compensation.

Subsidising travel may well benefit the tourism industry, fortify a European identity, and encourage citizens to experience new places. But insisting that tourism is a human right creates another unnecessary cost, which is hugely damaging in the current economic climate.