On March 18, the Generalitat of Catalonia approved Decree-Law 4/2025, which introduces urgent measures to verify the viability of campsites located in areas exposed to flood risk and to support the economic recovery of the affected areas. The goal is therefore twofold: to protect human lives and to ensure the economic continuity of a sector that is fundamental for the region.
Decree-Law 4/2025 also provides for the creation of a dedicated fund (whose amount has not yet been specified) to support the affected tourism businesses. This aid will be used to cover possible infrastructural changes, relocations of facilities, or the creation of new accommodation solutions, in cases where remaining in flood-prone areas is no longer sustainable.
The regulatory intervention became necessary and urgent because, today, floods are among the most serious natural disasters in Spain, and their frequency is expected to increase due to climate change. Tragedies such as that of Biescas in 1996, with dozens of victims, or the recent devastation caused by the DANA that severely hit Catalonia and the Valencian Community last October, are warning signs that cannot be ignored. It should be noted that out of the 396 existing Catalan campsites, as many as 151 (about 43%) are located in areas at hydrogeological risk. Hence the need for a structured and timely intervention, such as the one introduced with Decree-Law 4/2025.
Safety, prevention, and revival
Decree-Law 4/2025 follows a preventive logic, aimed at avoiding future tragedies and requalifying tourism in terms of sustainability and resilience. In detail, the law introduces a technical evaluation system to assess the viability of campsites located in risk areas. Where the continued presence of such facilities is deemed unsustainable, relocation, closure, or adaptation will be possible.
To ensure that this does not result in a net loss of tourist accommodations – and therefore economic damage to local communities – the Generalitat has established an Economic Recovery Fund. The fund will be financed, among other sources, by the tourist tax introduced in 2012 and will be jointly managed by the departments of Economy, Business, and Labor.
The resources may be used to: create new accommodation facilities; expand the existing tourist offer; compensate losses in the most affected areas. The measures will be addressed to both public and private operators, already active or intending to start new activities in the hospitality sector. The available tools will include subsidized credit lines, direct grants, or transfers to the municipalities involved to support the reorganization of the tourism offer.
The camping sector responds responsibly
As reported by the Camping Profesional website, in response to the new measures, the Catalan Federation of Campsites (FCC) reaffirmed its willingness to fully collaborate with the Government to improve the quality and safety of campsites, addressing climate change with the most effective tools, cutting-edge technologies, and self-protection protocols.
The FCC also emphasized that the safety of clients and employees has always been a priority for the sector, which has long been moving towards more resilient and responsible management: “From the outset, we agreed with the Government on the urgency of reviewing and updating the flood and risk maps of Catalan campsites and the information sheets of each facility, in addition to carrying out a case-by-case diagnosis”.
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