Greece to Allocate €387 Million from Recovery Fund for Tourism Projects
Funds amounting to 387 million euros from the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF) are available for projects to improve Greece’s tourism sector, Greek Tourism Minister Olga Kefalogianni said on Wednesday.
Speaking during a press conference in Athens, Kefalogianni presented the main actions for tourism that are included in the “Greece 2.0” National Recovery and Resilience Plan*. The actions include projects for the sector’s development, which are to be coordinated and implemented by the Tourism Ministry.
“These are projects that aim to promote the sustainability of our destinations; to diversify and improve the competitiveness of Greek tourism; to upgrade tourist education and training; and strengthen the promotion of the Greek tourist product with a new approach and the utilization of new tools,” the minister said.
During the press conference, the tourism minister invited interested potential beneficiaries, including private entities and local governments (regional authorities and municipalities), to submit proposals for projects related to infrastructure upgrades (tourist ports, ski centers) and the improvement of accessibility at Greek beaches.
Kefalogianni highlighted that beneficiaries for the funds will be selected on a first-come first-serve basis. “Therefore, those interested must hurry and submit their proposals in order to make use of the resources,” she said.
The projects
The announced projects to be carried out with resources from Greece’s recovery fund are centered around four actions:
Action 1: “Tourism Development” – Budget: 321 million euros
The action concerning tourism development is divided into 7 sub-projects. The Tourism Ministry has already published notices and invited proposals for sub-projects that concern funds for:
– the support of mountain tourism (upgrade of ski centers and mountain refuge facilities). Deadline to submit applications: March 31, 2024 / Funds must be absorbed, and projects must be completed by July 31, 2025.
– the improvement of accessibility to beaches. Deadline to submit applications: January 25, 2024 / Funds must be absorbed, and projects must be completed by December 31, 2025
– the upgrade of tourist ports. Deadline to submit applications: December 27, 2023 / Funds must be absorbed, and projects must be completed by December 31, 2025.
The total sum of resources for the announced sub-projects adds up to 222 million euros from the recovery fund.
Parties that wish to submit investment proposals can find detailed information (in Greek) here.
The ministry will soon release calls for expressions of interest for the other four sub-projects, which include the:
– creation of DMMOs (destination management and marketing organizations);
– upgrade of thermal springs facilities (for promotion of health and wellness tourism);
– development of an agrifood/gastronomy tourism network; and
– upgrade of existing diving/marine parks and financing the preparation of studies for new ones.
Action 2: “Tourism Education” – Budget: 45 million euros
The action for tourism education concerns the reskilling and upskilling of those employed in the tourism sector. The training programs will cover various job positions and address existing and future needs of the industry. The action includes distance learning programs while some 18,000 tourism employees that participate in the training program will receive a benefit.
Calls for expressions of interest for Action 2 are to be announced soon.
Action 3: “Digital Transformation of the Register of Tourism Businesses” – Budget: 10 million euros
The action sees the development of a new flexible registry for the ministry to improve services provided to both citizens and tourism enterprises. The action will also include: the creation of the MyDigitalTourism digital platform to facilitate entrepreneurs and travelers on issues that are in the responsibilities of the Tourism Ministry; the creation of a subsystem for recording arrivals and departures of visitors to tourist accommodations; and the digitization of the ministry’s services that will prove useful especially for the submission of documents for licensing tourism businesses and the provision of information about legislation and procedures required for the establishment and operation of a business in the sector.
Calls for expressions of interest for Action 3 are to be announced soon.
Action 4: “Digital Transformation of the Greek National Tourism Organization (GNTO)” – Budget: 10 million euros
The action includes the creation of a Digital Tourist Map that will present the country’s tourism product in detail and include the unique features of all destinations; the development of an innovative platform for travelers with real-time information; and the evolution of the existing official website (visitgreece.gr) of the Greek National Tourism Organization (GNTO), as well as an application for mobile devices.
Calls for expressions of interest for Action 4 are to be announced soon.
“This is a great and one-off opportunity… By implementing all the planned projects, we are aiming for a development that concerns the whole country and the benefits of which will be distributed to society and citizens in a balanced, fair, and remunerative manner,” Kefalogianni said.
* “Greece 2.0”
The “Greece 2.0” plan is part of the European Union’s Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF) – an instrument providing grants and loans to support reforms and investments in the EU Member States. The RRF launched from the EU’s NextGenerationEU 800-billion-euro instrument to support the economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic and build a greener, more digital, and more resilient future.
Approved by ECOFIN in July 2021, the “Greece 2.0” plan includes 106 investments and 68 reforms, utilizing investment resources of 31.16 billion euros, of which 30,5 billion European funds (17.8 billion euros in grants and 12.7 billion euros in loans) will mobilize a total of 60 billion euros in investments that must be carried out in the country until 2026.