On 9 December 2025, TUI's Brussels office, the TUI Care Foundation, and SFDO brought policymakers and industry leaders together at the European Parliament to explore how tourism can act as a vehicle to transform local food systems—benefiting communities, guests, and the environment.
Hosted by MEP Daniel Attard in his capacity as the Parliament's Rapporteur on Sustainable Tourism, the event explored an ambitious premise: investments that support local food systems can simultaneously strengthen rural economies and enrich the visitor experience.
Why Tourism and Food Systems Matter Now
As the EU develops its Tourism Strategy and advances the Farm to Fork Strategy as well as the Long-Term Vision for Rural Areas, the timing couldn't be better aligned.
The succes of TUI’s Field to Fork programme globally has demonstrated that supporting local food production in travel destinations isn’t just about reducing the environmental impact of food systems, it’s about creating economic opportunities and preserving the authentic character of Europe’s travel destinations.
The numbers tell a compelling story: in Greece alone, the programme has channeled over €800,000 into local food procurement, supporting 250+ farmers and involving 37 local communities. With 12 hotels participating and over 72,000 meals featuring organic regenerative foods served at themed events. The initiative proves that sustainability and profitability can go hand in hand.
Voices from the Discussion
Tim Van Severen, Head of EU Tourism Policy at TUI Group, who moderated the breakfast discussion, set the tone by emphasizing TUI's commitment to tourism as a force for good, noting how the TUI Care Foundation supports initiatives in travel destinations connecting local producers with tourism markets.
MEP Daniel Attard, Rapporteur on Sustainable Tourism in the European Parliament, delivered a stark warning against uneven tourism distribution. He emphasized the need to ensure all regions benefit from Europe's tourism potential, cautioning against a model where some destinations overflow with visitors while others with strong potential "do not get a single drop". MEP Attard stressed that enhanced connectivity, particularly to underserved regions, is of crucial importance to address both "undertourism" and relieve hotspots. He also highlighted how initiatives like the TUI Field to Fork Programme strengthen the offer that European destinations can have for visitors. Tourism Strategy in the EU should protect and prioritise authentic experiences which simultaneously strengthen rural economies, supporting local producers, and promoting environmental stewardship, representing a pillar of quality and sustainable tourism development across the European Union.
Ivory Hackett Evans from the TUI Care Foundation showcased the broader Lively Landscapes Initiative, demonstrating how tourism can valorize local communities while protecting natural environments, with lessons drawn from the Foundation's work in destinations worldwide.
Sotiris Bampagiouris from SFDO made a compelling case for reshaping food production systems to become socially, economically, and environmentally resilient. He stressed the importance of measurable performance indicators to track progress and ensure accountability in this transformation.
Nikiforos Steiakakis brought practical insights from the ground in Crete, arguing that Field to Fork represents "one of the few successful pragmatic business perspectives currently available." Drawing from hands-on experience, he highlighted tourism's remarkable potential to drive transformation in the primary sector, with direct farmer-to-tourism connections improving livelihoods, local economies, and regional authenticity.
TUI's Call to Action
Building on this momentum, TUI outlined four key policy recommendations:
- Targeted EU funding and technical support programmes for projects linking tourism and local food systems development
- Integration of tourism-food synergies in the EU's Tourism Strategy
- Policy frameworks that incentivize businesses to source locally and invest in their communities
- Effective monitoring tools to measure impact on sustainability and regional development objectives
Looking Ahead
The Field to Fork programme, now operating across nine locations including Greece, Cyprus, Portugal, Cape Verde, Colombia, Tanzania, and Puglia, demonstrates that we don't have to choose between economic development and environmental sustainability, or between tourism growth and rural authenticity. With the right connections and support, we can achieve both.
As the EU Tourism Strategy develops, this breakfast conversation in Brussels highlighted a clear path forward: when local food systems and tourism markets connect effectively, everyone wins—farmers gain stable income, tourists enjoy authentic experiences, hotels differentiate their offerings, and rural communities build resilience for the future.
The event reflects TUI's commitment to regenerative tourism and its goal to embed sustainability objectives across its destinations, proving that tourism can be a powerful catalyst for positive change in local food value chains throughout Europe and beyond.
