The European Tourism Action Group has asked the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) to consider urgent action to combat arrival, departure and hotel taxes.

The last year had seen the US increasing passenger taxes, Paris introduce a bednight tax and the UK preparing to levy an airport departure tax from November.

"Removal of constraints that erode Europe's competitive edge is an essential prerequisite to revising the serious loss in Europe's world market share in tourism," warned European Tourism Action Group (ETAG) secretary general, Leonard Lickorish.

He claimed revenue generated by tourism within Europe had fallen by ten percent over the past decade.

Mr. Lickorish's comments followed ETAG's 42^nd meeting of the major European tourism and travel trade associations, which also called for a European visa to encourage international visitors.

Mr. Lickorish said that some taxes on tourists were for the improvement of services but others went to the national exchequers and already heavily taxed visitors were receiving nothing.

He added: "It is a paradox that while governments have made great progress in reducing taxation on world trade in goods through the GATT agreements, burdens on service industries, notably tourism, have substantially increased.

"Yet tourism offers greater opportunities for growth prosperity and new job creation as Europe's largest single trade."

It felt Europe was 'seriously' under promoted abroad and recommended more collective marketing by the European Commission with the industry, particularly in the US and Japan.

But ETAG welcomed the European Commission's initiative to have a Green Paper prepared on the role of the European Union in tourism.

"There is no industry policy within Europe and the European Community does not regard tourism as a top industry," he said.