December 14, 2023.- The Ministry of Industry and Tourism has convened for next December 29 the Tourism Sector Conference in which it is planned to approve the territorial distribution of a total of 183 million euros in aid for social sustainability plans, energy efficiency and training in Digital Skills of the tourism sector.
The new call comes after the refusal of the communities of Galicia, Andalusia, Cantabria, La Rioja, Murcia, Comunidad Valenciana, Aragón, Canarias, Extremadura, Illes Balears, Madrid, as well as the autonomous cities of Ceuta and Melilla, to approve the agenda scheduled at today’s meeting.
Both the agenda and the various agreements were addressed yesterday in the Sectoral Committee on Tourism and obtained the unanimous support of all the autonomous communities and cities, without any of them expressing their disagreement. At that meeting, all the consultations on the documentation submitted and the agreements planned for final approval at the Sectoral Conference this Thursday were attended.
Among the sections scheduled for approval today, there were three agreements for the territorial distribution of 183 million euros in aid for social sustainability plans, energy efficiency and the formation of Digital Skills in the tourism sector. Likewise, there was unanimity in the criteria of territorial distribution used.
Given this situation, and with the aim of meeting the deadlines agreed with the European Commission and minimizing the risk that funds may not reach companies in the tourism sector, the Ministry of Industry and Tourism has decided to convene a new session of the Sectoral Conference on Tourism on December 29, to agree on the territorial distribution of these funds corresponding to the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan.
Importance of funds for the tourism sector
It should be noted that tourism is the main industry in the country. It currently accounts for 12% of the gross domestic product and employs 2.6 million people, 13% of the total number of members of the national economy.
For this reason, for the Ministry of Industry and Tourism it is essential to carry out the territorial distribution of the funds before the end of the year to ensure the availability and correct management of them.