The Italian Veneto Region is increasing resources allocated to local tourism. Through two resolutions recently published in the Official Regional Bulletin, the Regional Council has approved an increase in the financial availability previously set aside for two different ERDF (European Regional Development Fund) calls. In total, this is about €13.5 million more. Good results, meanwhile, for the national FRI-Tur call for tenders: according to the Ministry of Tourism, 350 applications were submitted, for over €691 million of investment required.
Specifically, with Resolution No. 1046 of September 10, 2024 (published in BUR No. 122 on September 13, 2024), the Veneto Regional Council allocated €12.4 million for the second edition of the call, which closed in April, titled “Regenerating Tourism and Accommodation Businesses by Supporting Greater Accessibility, Technological Development, and the Digital and Ecological Transition” (approved with DGR No. 1640 on December 22, 2023, and updated with DGR No. 154 on February 20, 2024).
This call initially had a total budget of €15 million, but as explained by Federico Caner, Tourism Councillor and rapporteur of the proposal voted on by the Council, “considering the number of applications received and the quality of the projects ranked, we proposed increasing the financial allocation by a total of €12,467,105.39 to allow further funding of eligible projects from the ranking list”.
The same principle underlies another provision of the Veneto Region, Resolution No. 1045 of September 10, 2024 (published in BUR No. 123 on September 17, 2024), with which the Council decided to increase financial resources for the “Call for the Evolution of Veneto’s Tourist Destinations into Smart Tourism Destinations” (approved with DGR No. 1639 on December 22, 2023). In this case, the initial budget of €2.5 million is being increased by €1,009,154.20 to fund all 10 applications deemed eligible based on the ranking approved in early August.
With these significant increases, the Veneto Region is allocating a total of nearly €31 million to support local tourism, continuing on the path of renewal, digitalization, and competitiveness in this strategic economic sector.
FRI-Tur call: 350 applications submitted
At the national level, the tourism sector is also experiencing a period of great activity, thanks to resources provided to businesses through the FRI-Tur Call (Revolving Fund for Supporting Tourism Businesses). This incentive, part of the NRRP (National Recovery and Resilience Plan), promoted by the Ministry of Tourism and managed by Invitalia, aims to improve hospitality services and enhance accommodation facilities, focusing on digitalization and environmental sustainability.
The deadline for submitting applications for the FRI-Tur funding call was September 12, and according to the Ministry of Tourism, 350 applications were submitted, requesting over €691 million in investments (€691,683,807 to be exact).
“The applications submitted so far for the Revolving Fund within the NRRP Tourism framework confirm the Italian tourism sector’s interest in aligning with European guidelines on sustainability, technological, and digital development,” commented Tourism Minister Daniela Santanchè in a statement. “They demonstrate how the efforts to enhance tourism activities are naturally leading to extraordinary and driving results for the national economy“.
For 2024, the total allocation for the fund is €780 million, of which €180 million is for non-repayable grants and €600 million is for low-interest loans provided by Cassa Depositi e Prestiti.
FRI-Tur focuses on medium-to-large investments, ranging from €500,000 to €10 million, with an emphasis on energy efficiency improvements (50% of the funds are allocated for this), seismic safety upgrades, the removal of architectural barriers, building renovations, digitalization, and other areas that will make Italian tourism businesses more competitive internationally. Projects must be completed by December 31, 2025.
Photo by AldoDK
Camping in the UK: growing passion for the sea – Devon tops the list for quality sites