TU Dublin’s Ray Keaney Initiates EU Tourism Dialogue Ahead of Irish Presidency
With Ireland’s EU Council Presidency just weeks away, key European tourism stakeholders recently gathered in the European Parliament to discuss the strategic direction of the sector at a pivotal moment for EU policy and investment.
With just weeks to go before Ireland assumes the Presidency, attention is turning to the strategic decisions that will influence Europe’s tourism sector for the next decade. Choices made by the end of this year - particularly in relation to investment, innovation and policy - will determine whether tourism becomes a source of competitive advantage or vulnerability across the EU.
Against this backdrop, TU Dublin’s Ray Keaney, Head of Hospitality Management at the School of Tourism & Hospitality Management, initiated a landmark meeting in the European Parliament last month. The event, hosted by Cynthia Ní Mhurchú MEP, was titled “Supporting the EU’s Long-Term Strategic Success through Tourism.”
For the first time ahead of a new Council Presidency trio, representatives from across the European institutional landscape came together for an open and collaborative discussion. Participants included delegates from the European Commission, European Parliament, European Council, European Committee of the Regions, European Economic and Social Committee, as well as industry voices such as the European Travel Commission and the European Tourism Manifesto.
Discussions focused on key themes including governance, research, innovation, funding and investment, alongside the broader policy landscape shaping tourism. A central aim of the meeting was to reframe how tourism is understood within EU policymaking - recognising its critical role in driving employment, regional development and SME growth, while addressing its current under-representation in competitiveness and innovation frameworks.
The timing of the discussion is particularly significant. In March, European leaders called on the Commission and Member States to map dependencies in strategic sectors by the end of 2026. At the same time, negotiations on the EU’s next long-term budget - the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) for 2028–2034 are expected to conclude by year-end. Together, these developments present a pivotal opportunity to strengthen tourism’s position within Europe’s economic strategy.
Looking ahead, tourism’s impact is only set to grow, with projections suggesting that by 2035, one in every seven new jobs in Europe will be supported by the sector.
Following the event, Ray Keaney joined Cynthia Ní Mhurchú MEP and Dr Misa Labarile for a podcast discussion. Misa Labarile, who works in the tourism unit of the Directorate-General for Mobility and Transport, is currently leading work on the EU’s forthcoming tourism strategy.
Ray Keaney’s contribution reflects TU Dublin’s growing influence in European tourism policy. Appointed by the European Commission to its expert group “Together for EU Tourism” (T4T) in 2023, he continues to play a key role in advancing dialogue and collaboration across the sector.
This engagement underscores TU Dublin’s commitment to shaping industry-relevant policy and its ongoing commitment to contributing academic and sectoral expertise to the future of tourism in Europe.