Tourism Sustainability Plan for Destination Barcelona (TSPDB)
The Tourism Sustainability Plan for Destination Barcelona involves a significant financial contribution from the NextGenerationEU funds towards the decentralisation of Barcelona’s tourism offer, with an allocation of 41 million euros. This fund is being used to update and modernise facilities and spaces that have become outdated, or to develop new ones, with the aim of optimising the distribution of tourist flows and also improving the quality of life for residents.
Barcelona is consolidating itself as a leading destination for sustainable urban tourism. To achieve this, it has secured nearly 41 million euros in Next Generation EU funds to invest in strategic projects aimed at restructuring the visitor economy and tourism model.
The Spanish government’s call for tourism sustainability plans has approved 19 projects submitted by Barcelona to advance in areas such as energy efficiency improvement, digital transition, competitiveness, and the green and sustainable transition.
These measures reflect Barcelona’s commitment to transforming and diversifying the tourism model, within the framework of the Barcelona Green Deal economic agenda, which positions the visitor economy as a strategic sector for economic and social development, with a wealth-multiplying effect for the entire city.
The actions, which will be carried out until 2026, are grouped into four main axes: competitiveness, green and sustainable transition, energy efficiency, and digital transition. These axes align with the requirements of the European Union and are organized into six areas of action: Litoral, Besòs/Collserola, Montjuïc, sustainable mobility, new decentralized tourism offerings, and innovation.
The 6 areas pursue 6 objectives:
- Consolidate the sustainability of the tourism model and its integration and coherence with the city model and the lives of its citizens, raising awareness among stakeholders in the visitor economy.
- Promote the territorial decentralization of tourism activity by fostering polycentrism through the enhancement of new narratives.
- Promote the enhancement or creation of new content based on culture, creativity, and Barcelona’s distinctive values as a destination.
- Foster sustainable tourism mobility compatible with the city’s tourism and mobility model.
- Drive processes to improve energy efficiency and mitigate climate change in tourism activities.
- Strengthen the comprehensive digitalization of tourism activities and promotion.
All the actions will result in an improvement in the quality of life for the citizens of Barcelona, as they will improve aspects such as urban mobility, and decentralise the influx of tourists, making the visitor economy more sustainable.