South Tyrol's youth green: With a new resolution against over-tourism in the Alpine region!

South Tyrol's youth green: With a new resolution against over-tourism in the Alpine region!

The annual general meeting of the Federation of Young European Greens (FYEG) took place in Paris from May 21 to 25, 2025 and brought together around 130 delegates from more than 30 countries. South Tyrol was represented by Camilla Cristofoletti, Gabriel Prenner and Juliane Wild. At this important event, the South Tyrolean delegation presented its own resolution that dealt with over-tourism in the Alpine region. The resolution calls for measures for sustainable tourism development and cross-border knowledge exchange and was unanimously adopted by all delegations South Tyrol News reported.

Camilla Cristofoletti spoke of a valuable exchange between the different organizations and emphasized the political inspiration that could be gained from the events. Gabriel Prenner explained that the resolution has made a central concern from South Tyrol more visible at the European level. The exchange about over-tourism is particularly relevant as it challenges not only local but also global sustainability goals.

Sustainability in tourism

The tourism sector brings numerous economic benefits, especially in Germany, where many small and medium-sized companies operate in this area. Millions of people are employed in the tourism industry and the sector offers development prospects, particularly for rural regions. This point is also supported by the Green parliamentary group highlighted, which is committed to sustainable, climate-friendly and socially just tourism.

But there are also negative impacts of tourism, including high emissions, waste and pressure on housing markets from vacation homes. There is therefore a need for a rethink and intelligent solutions in tourism. Promoting closer public transport and expanding rail infrastructure are key approaches to supporting more sustainable tourism.

Future prospects and challenges

During its general assembly, the FYEG not only adopted the resolution on over-tourism, but also other important papers, including one on European security and defense policy and one on the situation in the Middle East. These documents call for an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza and address the protection of the civilian population. The discussion about the Israel-Palestine resolution was particularly intense and lasted late into the night. Juliane Wild described the general assembly as an instructive experience in finding political compromises.

In order to actually implement sustainable tourism development, the challenges of unhealthy tourism must be addressed. This requires, among other things, investments in infrastructure such as sidewalks and cycle path networks to promote environmentally friendly mobility. The creation of fair working conditions and moments of encounter with the local population are also essential in order to create a tourism-friendly environment.

FYEG's initiative to resolve over-tourism clearly shows how important a new, sustainable approach is to the tourism sector. The aim is to further develop Germany and the entire Alpine region as an ecologically, economically and socially sustainable tourism location, leading to climate neutrality in 2045.