In Umbria, the summer season has ended with a full recovery of tourism flows after the pandemic. According to statistics published on the Region’s website, from January to July 2024, there were a total of 1,514,450 arrivals and 3,831,692 overnight stays. This marks an increase of 5.2% in arrivals and 6.1% in overnight stays compared to 2023, and 10.8% in arrivals and 15.6% in overnight stays compared to 2019. A healthy sector, therefore, that the Italian Region aims to further strengthen through new funding.
A total of €35 million will be made available through 5 new calls for proposals, recently announced by the President of the Umbria Region, Donatella Tesei, and the Regional Tourism Councillor, Paola Agabiti. These investments will be used to promote Umbria as a destination and improve its tourism offerings by upgrading hotels, non-hotel accommodations, open-air resorts, and historic residences. Additionally, they will strengthen the promotion and commercialization of tourist products, including through portals and platforms.
The announced calls for proposals
Call for grant support for investment in accommodation facilities: €17,500,000 (PR FESR 2021-2027 ACTION 1.3.4). The goal is to support investments aimed at upgrading and improving accommodation facilities and related services. Eligible applicants include hotels, non-hotel accommodations, open-air resorts, and historic residences. For a minimum investment of €150,000, there will be a 50% non-repayable grant (de minimis aid) up to a maximum of €1,000,000 under the standard regime. Applications can be submitted starting October 28, 2024, through the platform managed by Sviluppumbria.
Call for financial instrument support for investment in accommodation facilities: €5,500,000 (PR FESR 2021-2027 ACTION 1.3.4). The objective and beneficiaries are the same as the previous call, but the financial tool differs: for a minimum investment of €70,000 and a maximum of €500,000, 60% financing will be provided at a 1% concessional rate with debt forgiveness up to 50%. Applications are open from October 28, 2024, on the Gepafin platform.
Call for strengthening national and international positioning and support for commercialization: €720,000. Managed by the Chamber of Commerce, this call aims to support the development and strengthening of activities by entities specialized in promoting and commercializing Umbria’s tourism products. It is aimed at consortia and consortium companies that include at least one travel agency among their members. Applicants must present a project with a minimum value of €200,000, with a grant covering up to 70% of costs, up to a maximum of €240,000.
Call for support of territorial tourism products: €1,800,000 (parallel program POR FESR 2013-2020 PAC). These funds will support Umbrian municipalities in developing relevant tourism products for the regional tourism system. Beneficiaries are territorially contiguous municipalities. The maximum number of groupings is 10, with grants ranging from €120,000 to €450,000, depending on the number of municipalities involved.
Digital Tourism Ecosystem (FSC 2021-2027/PR FESR 2021-2027). Funds are allocated to the new UmbriaTourism portal and the expansion and updating of the Turismatica platform.
Image by Tonixjesse
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