HOTREC

1
HOTREC Hotels, Restaurants and Cafés in Europe
Can partnerships improve competitiveness? Present
ation by Susanne Kraus-Winkler, Managing Partner,
Kohl and Partner, Wien Member of HOTREC Executive
Committee
5th European Tourism Forum, Cyprus, 16 November
2006
2
Can partnerships improve competitiveness? Partner
ship a pair or group of partners Partner a
person who takes part with another Competitiveness
aptitude to compete To compete implies having
a sense of rivalry to outdo another as well as
to do one's best From latin com-petere -petere
to seek, to strive com- together
3
Can partnerships improve competitiveness? Who do
we want to outdo? Europe versus other parts of
the world With which alliances? Who are the
partners? What should they contribute?
5th European Tourism Forum, Cyprus, 16 November
2006
4
European tourism

• Leading world tourism destination
• But its worldwide market share is reducing

5
Specificities of European tourism

• Broad diversity of destinations
• Huge cultural and natural heritage
• and assets
• 99 of enterprises lt250 persons
• 94,2 of enterprises lt10 persons

5th European Tourism Forum, Cyprus, 16 November
2006
6
Who are the partners ?
7
The sine qua non partners
Consumers

• What do the consumers want?
• Many more consumers
• Many more different sorts of consumers
• Changes in travel patterns
• Changes in travel objectives
• More emphasis on quality authenticity
• But also on everything for nothing!

8
The indispensable partners
Workforce

• Labour-intensive industry
• Flexibility
• Professionalism (education, life-long training,
  consumer mindedness)
• Availability
• Mobility
• Labour costs

9
The indispensable partners
Public authorities
10
The indispensable partners
Public authorities

• European authorities as regulators
• enforce the interactive process by consulting
  with and informing the tourism stakeholders on
  issues and initiatives that may affect tourism
• make sure that the impact of its policy
  initiatives on the sectors competitiveness is
  identified at an early stage
• ? Paroles, paroles?

11
The indispensable partners
Public authorities

• Public authorities as tax collectors
• Incredible accumulation of taxes !
• Just for the hospitality sector
• VAT,
• excise duties,
• bed tax,
• terrasses,
• signs,
• etc.

12
The indispensable partners
Public authorities

• European Institutions and funding
• Very difficult for SMEs to access EU funds!
• But recent JEREMIE initiative by Commission
• Advisory and technical assistance
• Equity and venture capital
• Guarantees

13
The indispensable partners
Financial Institutions

• Access to financing very difficult for SMEs
• - Capital-intensive industry
• Return on investment?
• Collaterals?
• Basel II?
• New schemes?

14
Who are the partners ?
15
Thank you for your kind attention! For more
information please visit our website www.hotrec.o
rg
5th European Tourism Forum, Cyprus, 16 November
2006