The Government of Spain approves 175 tourism sustainability projects that will mobilise €478 million in European funds

Minister Héctor Gómez considers that "these projects represent a step forward in improving the competitiveness of our tourist destinations, and a commitment to a new, more sustainable and digital model that increases the destinations' capacity to unite the territory. The projects will also allow us to diversify our tourist offer and to deseasonalise the flow of travellers who visit us, contributing to improving the benefits and employment generated by our tourist industry in the territory as a whole".

Of the plans selected, 160 will be managed by local authorities and 15 correspond to cohesion actions to be developed by the autonomous communities, but which will also have an impact on the destinations. By type of destination, 75 correspond to rural destinations with a tourist identity; 34 to mixed/residential sun and beach destinations; 21 to cities with a tourist identity; 8 to urban tourist destinations; and the rest to rural coastal destinations (5), natural areas (5), highly internationalised sun and beach destinations (11) and large urban destinations (1).

The extraordinary programme of the Sustainable Tourism Plan in Destinations has a budget of €478 million for 2023 and its territorial distribution is as follows:

Almost two billion euros to modernise national tourism

This additional €478 million to support domestic tourism comes on top of the €660 million allocated for the same purpose in 2021 and the €720 million in last year's allocation. In total, €1.858 billion has been allocated to these projects, which prioritise environmental sustainability and digitalisation, with the aim of achieving more competitive and higher quality tourism.

At the meeting, the minister was accompanied by the Secretary of State for Tourism, Rosana Morillo, and representatives of the different autonomous communities.

The minister recalled that the forecasts for 2023 are very positive given the record figures reached at Easter and over the May bank holiday, and the recovery of tourism will reach completion this year, once again registering historic figures in terms of tourist numbers and spending. This year, the priority of the National Tourism Plan will be the Sun and Beach and Blue Tourism destinations, which is a recognition of the pioneering destinations and a boost for their modernisation.

During the Spanish Presidency of the Council of the EU in the second half of 2023, "the tourism agenda will be one of our priorities," said Héctor Gómez.

Non official translation