The government presented this Tuesday in Covilhã the Inland Tourism Agenda, a set of measures worth €200 million for “positive differentiation”, to boost tourism in low-density areas.
“We are going to strengthen the positive differentiation measures for inland tourism and it is mainly an agenda to implement projects and measures. It is an agenda to act”underlined the Secretary of State for Tourism, Commerce and Services, Nuno Fazenda, during the presentation of the strategy at the Municipal Theater of Covilhã, in the Castelo Branco district.
According to the official, the main priorities of the plan “value the territory, support businesses, qualify human resources, attract people and also connect territories and project the image of the interior beyond”with the aim of contributing to territorial cohesion.
Nuno Fazenda said that 90% of the tourist demand is concentrated on the coast and 95% of the demand comes from foreign tourists, which means that inland there is only 5% of that international tourist demand and “there is a high opportunity to to grow”. “.
The Secretary of State presented several enhancement measures to enhance the attractiveness of the interior, to “have more tourism all over the country, all year round” and “reach more markets”.
This stimulus package will be available in June, according to the Minister of Economy and Sea, António Costa Silva.
Linha + Interior Turismo, with a grant of EUR 20 million, supports up to 70% non-refundable eligible expenses, up to a maximum of EUR 400 thousand per project.
The normative order was signed this Tuesday and the notice, for public and private nonprofits, will be released “in the coming days,” Nuno Fazenda said.
Under Revive III, in collaboration with municipalities, eight properties of historical and heritage value, such as castles, monasteries, spas or palaces, in the municipalities of Peso da Régua, São João da Pesqueira, Arganil, Mesão Frio, Tondela, Sardoal, Crato and Monchique.
The Productive Innovation Incentive Scheme provides for a 5% higher base rate for low-density areas, making it easier for inland projects to reach the maximum incentive rate of 40% of the total eligible investment.
The microcredit + Interior Turismo, totaling 15 million euros, includes the interest-free loan, with an associated performance bonus, which can amount to 30% of the loan granted.
There is also a cross-guaranteed credit line, with an allocation of EUR 35 million, with a greater guarantee for projects in the interior, for loans of up to EUR 4.5 million and a financing risk coverage of more percentage points in the low-density areas.
The Offer Qualification Support Line stipulates 80% funding coverage and a 30% realization premium, “twice as much in interest-free financing and in the lost fund compared to the coast.”
Priority access to finance in low-density regions for capitalization operations, between €150,000 and €1.5 million, is another announced measure, as well as funding of up to €1.5 million per operation using the Real Estate Investment for the Interior.
There is also a non-refundable incentive of up to 70% for companies based in the Interior, with a maximum ceiling of 50,000 euros per project to internationalize the brands.
In terms of investments in environmental sustainability, there is an increase of 10 percentage points in bank financing up to 500,000 euros and in the performance bonus.
The Regressar + Interior Turismo program, worth 400 thousand euros, to stimulate the mobility of people to tourism companies in the interior, has an additional support of 25% on the value allocated in the Return Support Measure of emigrants, and the same is happening inside the country, with applications approved in Employment Interior Mais.
Support for events in low-density areas is also increased by 25% and the Cinema Support Fund contributes 40% to the investment for productions shot domestically.
Promotional campaigns are also planned in Portugal and abroad to “raise awareness of the interior”, Nuno Fazenda stressed.
According to the Minister of Economy, also present at the meeting, the agenda is “not to develop the inland against the coast, but to create synergies” and “to transform tourism into a multidimensional factor”.
Source: DN
