Tourism

This morning, a session was held to assess the projects financed by the Next Generation EU funds in Barcelona, attended by the institutions and entities that have fostered them.

Jaume Collboni, Mayor of Barcelona, and Nadia Calviño, President of the European Investment Bank, opened today the session “Now, Barcelona moves forward with Next Generation EU funds” held at the Llotja de Mar in Barcelona. This event served to take stock of the projects financed by the Next Generation EU funds in Barcelona.

Among these are 19 projects that comprise the Sustainable Tourism Plan for Destination Barcelona, amounting to €41 million in funding. These initiatives will be rolled out in the city over the next 3 years and are actions grouped under decentralised new tourist offerings, heritage and culture, sustainability, innovation, and sustainable mobility, among others.

Two roundtable discussions were also held, the first focusing on the management, challenges, and future solutions posed by the Next Generation EU funds, along with the presentation of key flagship projects. The second session dealt with the upcoming work to be developed in Barcelona over the coming years.

The event also confirmed Barcelona as the Spanish city receiving the most resources through these European grant calls.

Future plans

This session confirms the success of “Barcelona, we make future plans,” a plan to draw European funds that are part of the economic aid package aimed at mitigating the crisis caused by COVID-19. It aims to return these funds to citizens in the form of projects financed by the Next Generation EU funds, thanks to calls for proposals and agreements.

The municipal plan “Barcelona, we make future plans” is structured around seven strategic axes: boosting the economy, renewable energies and rehabilitation, a fair digital transition, sustainable mobility, healthcare and social infrastructure, innovation and knowledge, and nature recovery. Each axis encompasses a series of objectives to take the most benefit from European resources.

Tourism innovation

Barcelona has allocated €2.5 million from the Next Generation EU funds to subsidise tourism innovation projects to drive the transformation and digitalisation of the city of Barcelona.

The call for these subsidies opens during the second half of July and targets associations, foundations, and business organisations related to the visitor economy. The aim is to transform and modernise the tourism sector through sustainability and digitalisation.