The Tourism Committee, in which Germany is represented by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action, is where members exchange information, opinions and best practices relating to their tourism policies. Findings from other OECD activities, such as research into climate change, green growth, sustainability, arts and culture, deregulation, safe traveling and infrastructure, are also fed into the work. The committee has made the link between transport and tourism and the sharing/collaborative economy a new focus of their work.

The most important tasks of the Tourism Committee include:

  • maximizing the positive effects of tourism on economic and social areas and on the environment;
  • promoting sustainable tourism development as the basis for economic growth, job creation and combating poverty;
  • enhancing infrastructure and the images of destinations in the interest of local populations, tourists and investors;
  • supporting OECD countries in creating better conditions for tourism.

Affiliated with the Tourism Committee, the OECD Working Party on Statistics has been doing trendsetting work for many years. The Working Party has worked with EUROSTAND and the World Tourism Organization and developed a method for creating a system of tourism satellite accounts (TSA), which is being used by countries across the world. This method can be used to establish the extent to which tourism – an industry that cuts across various different sectors – generates GDP and employment in a given country.