The Catalan Tourist Board (CTB) participates and, in some cases, leads several European projects that have a great impact on the creation of sustainable tourism experiences, the digitalisation of the tourism sector and cross-border and transnational cooperation, among other aspects. It collaborates with the General Directorate of Tourism (DGT) in some of these projects.
The CTB in European projects – Results 2015-2023
Current European projects
Currently, the Catalan Tourist Board participates in the following European projects:
Completed European projects
Moreover, the Catalan Tourist Board was part of the following European projects:
The Catalan Tourist Board participates in some European networks that promote business cooperation and coordination between regions in order to achieve a more social and sustainable tourism.
NECSTouR, a Network of European Regions for a Sustainable and Competitive Tourism
Catalonia presided from 2015 to 2021 NECSTouR, a Network of European Regions for a Sustainable and Competitive Tourism created by Tuscany, PACA (Provence, Alpes, Côte d’Azur) and Catalonia.
The network works to boost the cooperation between European regions in the consolidation of the sustainable tourism and to influence the European tourism policy. In order to achieve it the network coordinates through 3 specific initiatives: the Barcelona Declaration “Better places to live, better places to visit” and its legacy that derives to a regenerative tourism model that ensures the well-being of the community; the Plan of Climate Action in tourism that aims to contribute to achieving zero emissions targets following the principles of the Glasgow Declaration; and the Tourism of Tomorrow LAB that promotes the culture of data in the sustainable management of tourism.
Today it counts around 41 regions and 30 associated members among companies, institutions, universities and associations of the European tourism sector.
During the six years of Presidency, Catalonia has positioned the network as the spokesperson of the regions in the field of tourism to the European Institutions and deal with topics such as the role of the community in the tourism model and governance, the fight against seasonality, distribution and diversification of tourism and the collaborative economy, among others subjects.
EUROREGION, Euroregion Pyrénées-Méditerranée
The Euroregion Pyrénées-Méditerranée is a cooperative political project involving the regions of Catalonia, the Balearic Islands, and Occitanie (and the Aragon, which is no longer part of the Euroregion).
The aim of the project is to create a sustainable development cluster in the northwestern Mediterranean region based on innovation and the social and economic integration of the territory. As such, the Euroregion shall contribute to the construction of a united, solidarity-based Europe attuned to the concerns and experiences of its citizens.
The CTB participates as a jury of the Tourism Innovation Awards and collaborates in the organization of the Miro in Cube hackathon, an annual tourism innovation competition that takes place simultaneously in 3 cities of the Euroregion: Barcelona, Palma and Perpignan.
Platform European Region of Gastronomy (ERG)
The European regions that achieved the title of European Region of Gastronomy, in the case of Catalonia in 2016, work together to raise awareness of the importance of their cultural and gastronomic heritage.
www.europeanregionofgastronomy.org
CTB is also part of:
Within the European Union’s (EU) 7-year Multiannual Financial Framework, 76% of the budget is managed in conjunction with national and regional administrations through a system of “shared management” and mainly through five major funds: the Structural and Investment Funds, led by the ERDF (European Regional Development Fund).
The remaining funds are managed directly by the EU in the form of subsidies (competitive funds) through different sectoral European programs (COSME, Horizon Europe, LIFE, Erasmus+, Europa Creativa…) and INTERREG European Territorial Cooperation programs (POCTEFA, SUDOE, EURO-MED, ENI CBC MED, Interreg Europe).
Exceptionally, to overcome the severe social and economic crisis resulting from the Covid-19 pandemic and to promote forward-looking reforms, the European Union has launched the Next Generation EU Plan (European Union Recovery Plan), the largest economic stimulus package in the history of the EU with the Recovery and Resilience Mechanism (RRM) and REACT-EU as funding instruments.
In order to receive the resources allocated to Spain, the State has submitted its Spanish Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan where component 14 deals specifically with tourism:
– Plan for the modernization and competitiveness of the tourism sector
More information:
Do not hesitate to visit the website of European Funds in Catalonia of the Department of External Action of the Generalitat de Catalunya, with specific information on the Next Generation EU.
The European Commission has also published a new digital edition of the Guide to EU funding for the tourism sector in which it highlights a wide range of European programs funded by the new Multiannual Financial Framework 2021-2027 budget and the Next Generation EU, of particular interest to the tourism sector.
