The Badajoz Carnival, declared a Festival of International Tourist Interest


The Badajoz Carnival has obtained recognition as a Festival of International Tourist Interest with the signing of the declaration by the Secretary of State for Tourism, Fernando Valdés, after verifying that the request made by the Municipal Council meets the requirements established in the Order ICT/851/2019, of July 25.

“These festivities, without a doubt one of the most important in Spain, represent a valuable asset for our tourist image abroad and represent a powerful resource for Extremadura to attract national and international visitors outside of high season. We hope that the declaration will help revitalize the Badajoz Carnival after a year of absence due to the pandemic”, Fernando Valdés assessed after signing the resolution.

A tradition with origins in the 18th century

The oldest testimonies about the celebration of this festival date back to the 18th century, although it is in the 19th century that the Badajoz Carnival is consolidated as a popular festival, coexisting with street carnival and masked balls in public and private halls.

Such is the popular roots of the festival that even when it was prohibited during the Francisco Franco regime, the people of Badajoz celebrated small parties at home with some improvised costume. With the arrival of democracy, the Carnival experienced a new resurgence thanks to a group of artists and students led by José Manuel Villafaina.

From then on, the so-called 'New Carnival' acquired notoriety in Spain and Portugal in the 1980s thanks to an important national promotion campaign that culminated in the participation as town criers of such popular comedians as Gomaespuma, Tip and Coll and Maricarmen and their dolls.

In 1996, the Carnival was recognized as a Festival of Regional Tourist Interest and in 2011 it was declared a Festival of National Tourist Interest. Since 2007, Badajoz has had its own Carnival Museum.

Requirements to be a Party of International Interest

To obtain recognition as a Fiesta of International Interest, it is necessary to previously have the distinction of Fiesta of National Interest. Thus, the origin, antiquity and traditional roots of the festival must be accredited, as well as its originality, cultural value, the high degree of citizen participation and its great scope as a tourist attraction.

It is also necessary to demonstrate that it is a festival that has been celebrated continuously over time (without interruptions that exceed five years between one edition and another) and prove that the town has sufficient establishments (both accommodation and other services) to receive the expected influx of visitors and tourists. The city of Badajoz alone has 1,885 accommodation places and 34,449 restaurants, in addition to being located in a highly touristic area of ​​Extremadura, with a wide and varied range of services.

Along with all this, it is required to have achieved a minimum of ten relevant impacts (not mere mentions, but a specific treatment of the party) in the media of one or several foreign countries.



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The Secretary of State for Tourism and the FEMP award the SICTED prizes for tourism quality.

The Secretary of State for Tourism and the Spanish Federation of Municipalities and Provinces (EMFF) have presented today at FITUR the XII SICTED Awards for Tourism Quality in Destinations, a distinction that recognizes the efforts of destinations and their tourism agents in search of excellence in the provision of services.

“These awards value and recognize the work and efforts carried out by professionals, institutions, companies and destinations that participate in the project in favor of continuous improvement and that, despite the current pandemic situation, have continued to bet on tourism quality. and continuous improvement”, highlighted the Secretary of State for Tourism, Fernando Valdés.

The Spanish Tourism Quality System has been in operation since the year 2000, continuously evolving and incorporating new programs to its roadmap, and has been used successfully throughout its history to improve the quality of the offer in tourist destinations and in the companies adhering to its various initiatives. With the Next Generation EU European funds, its Anfitriones training program will be promoted and the initiative's management computer platform will be reformed.

As every year, at the SICTED Awards ceremony, new destinations were welcomed, destinations whose companies have obtained the "Tourist Quality Commitment" distinction for the first time throughout 2021. On this occasion, the new SICTED destinations are: Fuentes de Andalucía and Luque (Andalusia), Altea, Calpe, La Canal de Navarrés and Torreblanca (Comunitat Valenciana), Cangas de Onís and Carreño (Principality of Asturias) and Cartagena and Molina de Segura (Region of Murcia ).

On the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the first pilot implementations of the project, a mention has been given to four destinations for their commitment and permanence in the SICTED project, which have been working on the model since 2002. These are Lanzarote, Menorca, Santiago de Compostela and Segovia.

As a novelty of this XII Edition of the SICTED awards, an eighth category has been established, as a special category for the Best SICTED digital promotional material, which values ​​the effort to create and disseminate digital promotional material for SICTED and the participating destinations and regions. in the project, giving it visibility and public recognition.

For all these reasons, the Secretary of State for Tourism, through this new call for the SICTED Awards, in its twelfth edition, grants public recognition to the tremendous effort made during the year 2021, by those professionals and entities that, through their special dedication in favor of tourist quality, they have seen in SICTED a valid tool for crisis management in the area of ​​their territory, destination or organization.

The winners and prizewinners in each category are:

  1. Category "Best Management Team SICTED"

    First prize: Encarna Marín, Concha Sánchez and Dulce Nombre de María Moreno, SICTED managers of the Murcia destination (Region of Murcia).

    They get the second prize: María Antonia Fuentes Acevedo, SICTED manager of the Levante Almeriense destination (Andalusia) and the Third award: Javier Navarro Martín, Diana Vázquez and Cosme Cabrera Díaz, SICTED managers of the destination Santa Cruz de Tenerife (Canary Islands).

  2. Category "Best SICTED destination"

    First prize: Destination Provincial Council of Pontevedra-Rías Baixas (Galicia).

    They get the second prize, the destination Alcalá La Real (Andalusia) and the third prize, the destination Elx-Elche (Comunitat Valenciana).

  3. Category "Best supra-municipal public administration in favor of SICTED"

    First prize: Valencian Community Tourism. Presidency of the Generalitat Valenciana.

    gets the second prize: Basquetour. Department of Tourism, Commerce and Consumption of the Basque Government.

    And the Third award, the General Directorate for Quality, Innovation and Promotion of Tourism in Andalusia.

  4. Category "Most competitive SICTED Tourist Service"

    First prize: Trade Federico Verdú-Nougat and Ice Cream, from the destination Gijón (Principality of Asturias).

    gets the second prize the RH Bayren Hotel & Spa in Gandía (Valencian Community) and the Third award, the Celler La Parra restaurant, in Pollença (Balearic Islands).

  5. Category "Best SICTED Agent"

    First prize: Ines Soler Regli.

    gets the second prize, Cayetano Ureña Zafra and the third prize, Natalia Gañán Gutierrez, all of them agents and consultants specialized in the Integral System of Spanish Tourism Quality in Destinations (SICTED).

  6. Category "Most outstanding SICTED tourist service improvement plan"

    First prize: "Vertical bioclimatic garden" improvement plan of the Ciudad Real Tourism Office (Castilla La Mancha).

    gets the second prize: “New cuisine under environmental, quality and production criteria” at the La Barraca de Orihuela Restaurant, in the Orihuela destination (Comunitat Valenciana).

    And the Third award: “12 signature routes through the Region of Murcia”, by ALDABA Tourist and Cultural Services (guides), from the destination Murcia (Region of Murcia).

  7. Category "Most notable SICTED destination improvement project"

    First prize: "Promotion of cycle tourism", of the Almuñécar destination (Andalusia).

    gets the second prize: “Digital improvement of tourist information in destination”, of El Campello (Comunitat Valenciana).

    And the Third award: “Get to know León and COVID”, from the León destination (Castilla y León).

  8. Special category “Best digital promotional material SICTED”:

    First prize: Campaign "This is a good sign" of the Valencian Community (Comunitat Valenciana).

    gets the second prize the promotional material "3 Videos to value the quality in destination" of the Region of La Ribagorza (Aragón).

    And the Third award, the promotional website “Caminito del Rey Quality Destination”, of the Caminito del Rey destination (Andalusia).

More information about
XII SICTED Awards

.(tagsToTranslate)FITUR(t)tourism(t)tourism quality



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The Secretary of State for Tourism and the FEMP award the SICTED awards for tourism quality


The Secretary of State for Tourism and the Spanish Federation of Municipalities and Provinces (FEMP) have presented today at FITUR the XII SICTED Awards for Tourism Quality in Destinations, a distinction that recognizes the efforts of destinations and their tourism agents in search of excellence in the provision of services.

“These awards value and recognize the work and efforts carried out by professionals, institutions, companies and destinations that participate in the project in favor of continuous improvement and that, despite the current pandemic situation, have continued to bet on tourism quality. and continuous improvement”, highlighted the Secretary of State for Tourism, Fernando Valdés.

The Spanish Tourism Quality System has been in operation since the year 2000, continuously evolving and incorporating new programs to its roadmap, and has been used successfully throughout its history to improve the quality of the offer in tourist destinations and in the companies adhering to its various initiatives. With the Next Generation EU European funds, its Anfitriones training program will be promoted and the initiative's management computer platform will be reformed.

As every year, at the SICTED Awards ceremony, new destinations have been welcomed, destinations whose companies have obtained the "Tourism Quality Commitment" distinction for the first time throughout 2021. On this occasion, the new SICTED destinations are: Fuentes de Andalucía and Luque (Andalusia), Altea, Calpe, La Canal de Navarrés and Torreblanca (Comunitat Valenciana), Cangas de Onís and Carreño (Principality of Asturias) and Cartagena and Molina de Segura (Region of Murcia ).

On the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the first pilot implementations of the project, a mention has been given to four destinations for their commitment and permanence in the SICTED project, which have been working on the model since 2002. These are Lanzarote, Menorca, Santiago de Compostela and Segovia.

As a novelty of this XII Edition of the SICTED awards, an eighth category has been established, as a special category for the Best SICTED digital promotional material, which values ​​the effort to create and disseminate digital promotional material for SICTED and the participating destinations and regions. in the project, giving it visibility and public recognition.

For all these reasons, the Secretary of State for Tourism, through this new call for the SICTED Awards, in its twelfth edition, grants public recognition to the tremendous effort made during the year 2021, by those professionals and entities that, through their special dedication in favor of tourist quality, they have seen in SICTED a valid tool for crisis management in the area of ​​their territory, destination or organization.

The winners and prizewinners in each category are:

1. Category "Best Management Team SICTED"

First prize: Encarna Marín, Concha Sánchez and Dulce Nombre de María Moreno, SICTED managers of the Murcia destination (Region of Murcia).

Second prize goes to: María Antonia Fuentes Acevedo, SICTED manager of the Levante Almeriense destination (Andalusia) and third prize goes to Javier Navarro Martín, Diana Vázquez and Cosme Cabrera Díaz, SICTED managers of the Santa Cruz de Tenerife destination (Canary Islands).

2. Category "Best SICTED destination"

First prize: Destination Provincial Council of Pontevedra-Rías Baixas (Galicia).

They obtain the second prize, the Alcalá La Real destination (Andalusia) and the third prize, the Elx-Elche destination (Comunitat Valenciana).

3. Category "Best supra-municipal public administration in favor of SICTED"

First prize: Turisme Comunitat Valenciana. Presidency of the Generalitat Valenciana.

Gets the second prize: Basquetour. Department of Tourism, Commerce and Consumption of the Basque Government.
And the third prize, the General Directorate of Quality, Innovation and Promotion of Tourism of Andalusia.

4. Category "Most competitive SICTED Tourist Service"

First prize: Trade Federico Verdú-Nougat and Ice Cream, from Gijón (Principality of Asturias).

The RH Bayren Hotel & Spa in Gandía (Comunitat Valenciana) wins the second prize and the Celler La Parra restaurant in Pollença (Illes Balears) wins the third prize.

5. Category "Best SICTED Agent"

First prize: Inés Soler Regli.
Second prize goes to Cayetano Ureña Zafra and third prize goes to Natalia Gañán Gutierrez, all of whom are agents and consultants specialized in the Comprehensive System of Spanish Tourism Quality in Destinations (SICTED).

6. Category "Most outstanding SICTED tourist service improvement plan"

First prize: “Vertical bioclimatic garden” improvement plan of the Ciudad Real Tourist Office (Castilla La Mancha).

Obtains the second prize: "New cuisine under environmental, quality and production criteria" of the La Barraca de Orihuela Restaurant, in the Orihuela destination (Comunitat Valenciana).
And the third prize: “12 author routes through the Region of Murcia”, from ALDABA Tourist and Cultural Services (guides), from the destination Murcia (Region of Murcia).

7. Category "Most notable SICTED destination improvement project"

First prize: "Promotion of cycle tourism", from the destination Almuñécar (Andalusia).

Obtains the second prize: “Digital improvement of tourist information in destination”, from El Campello (Comunitat Valenciana).
And the third prize: “Get to know León and COVID”, from the León destination (Castilla y León).

8. Special category “Best SICTED digital promotional material”:

First prize: “This is a good sign” campaign of the Valencian Community (Comunitat Valenciana).

The second prize is awarded to the promotional material “3 Videos to value quality at the destination” from the region of La Ribagorza (Aragón).
And the third prize, the promotional website "Caminito del Rey Quality Destination", of the destination Caminito del Rey (Andalusia).

For more information about the XII SICTED Awards, consult:

https://www.calidadendestino.es/Contenidos/PremiosSICTED.aspx

.(tagsToTranslate)FITUR(t)tourism(t)tourism quality



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FITUR 2022, showcase of the new Spanish tourism model


Within the framework of the international tourism fair – FITUR 2022, Spain will present the strategies to consolidate tourism recovery and the innovative projects and programs that the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Tourism is developing to advance a new, more digital, sustainable model of quality and safe.

For the Minister of Industry, Commerce and Tourism, Kings Maroto, “Spain has remained in a position of international leadership despite the crisis caused by the pandemic. During these months we have reinforced the support instruments for the sector while working on the projects and strategies that will allow us to transform our model and develop all the tourism potential of our country”. For the Minister of Tourism, "Spain faces 2022 with a solid foundation on which to base the recovery of tourism, and we have to take advantage of all the opportunities offered by the Recovery Plan to launch a historic transformation of our tourism model".

According to Maroto, "the success of our tourism model must be based on quality and not quantity, a model based on the development of new products and services, applying innovation and digitization as engines of transformation, implementing a new model economically, socially and environmentally sustainable, offering our visitors new and better experiences before, during and after their visit”.

Commitment to digitization and sustainability

Taking advantage of the 42nd edition of FITUR, an event that will bring together in Madrid during the three days all the actors of the national and international tourism sector, the Ministry of Tourism, with the stand of Turespaña as a reference space, it has scheduled an agenda of activities with the aim of presenting the main axes of the new model: Transformation through experiences,

digitization as the engine of transformation and sustainability as a priority for the future.

Thus, during the first day, the event experiences: new competitive paradigms in sun and beach destinations will be held, which will be attended by the minister (4:00 p.m.).

On Thursday the activities will revolve around the concept of digitization and its role in tourism transformation, the minister will attend the presentation of the Mastercard tourism innovation hub (10:00 a.m.) and at 12:00 p.m. she will inaugurate the round table on the role of digitization.

Already on Friday, the President of the Government and the Minister will intervene in the event on sustainability as a lever for tourism competitiveness (10:30 a.m.), in which the actions and investments that the Executive is developing to transform and adapt our destinations will be developed .

In addition, in this new edition, the public companies dependent on the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Tourism present in the exhibition will also carry out activities in their spaces.

Thus, from the stand of Tourism inns will seek to position its hotel network as a sustainable and nature destination. For its part, SEGITTUR organizes a new edition of Fitur Know-how & Export, a space in which Spanish companies can show their potential, knowledge, services and tourism products, as well as organize workshops for tourism professionals and destination managers where they can catch up on latest developments for smart tourist destinations.



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Convened aid to digitize destinations on the Camino de Santiago


The Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Tourism has announced aid aimed at the digital transformation and modernization of local entities integrated into the Network of Smart Tourist Destinations that are part of the Camino de Santiago in its different sections, with the aim of contributing to an improvement in the attention and experience of the pilgrim on their journey.

“With these grants we completed the deployment of the Xacobeo 2021-22 National Tourist Plan, an unprecedented program of 121 million euros for the revitalization of this millenary route with which we are rehabilitating the historic heritage of the Camino, improving sustainability and enriching the tourist offer of the Xacobeo destinations, and now also, promoting the use of innovative technologies so that the municipalities of the Camino gain competitiveness and continue to find in the tourist activity a source of employment and wealth, which helps them to set their population ”, explained the Secretary of State of Tourism, Fernando Valdes.

The basic order that regulates this aid has been published today in the Official State Gazette and can be consulted in its entirety at the following link:

https://www.boe.es/boe/dias/2022/01/13/pdfs/BOE-A-2022-553.pdf

Beneficiaries

It establishes as possible beneficiaries the groups of local entities (made up of a minimum of 3 entities and a maximum of 8) that belong to the same route of the Camino de Santiago and present projects to solve common needs related to the Jacobean route. Applicants must be members of the Smart Tourist Destinations Network or have applied for membership before granting the aid.

Grants between 500,000 and 1 million euros

Beneficiaries will be eligible for grants of between 500,000 and one million euros to finance actions such as:

– Strategic plans related to digital transformation.

– Modernization and digital transformation in destination management (provision of technological infrastructure for destination connectivity; data processing; ICT platforms; implementation of an intelligent tourist office; development of systems, tools and applications based on language technologies and computational linguistics; implementation of tools that allow the digitization of tourism companies and value for tourism (commerce, restaurants, travel agencies; implementation of technological tools to expand the "economic footprint of the Camino de Santiago" in destinations and tourist companies located in remote areas of the main route; generation of tools aimed at the business sector and the public sector; implementation of digital solutions such as chat bot or augmented reality …)

– Quality actions.

– Actions in training and entrepreneurship.

– Other actions with a potential positive impact on the Camino and on the pilgrim experience: from the point of view of improving and adapting physical infrastructures and natural surroundings, improving services for pilgrims and actions in terms of awareness and training.

The deadline for submitting applications will be open for a period of one month from the next publication in the Official State Gazette of the extract of the call regulated by this order of bases. The Ministry makes the following mailbox available to interested parties to answer questions: consultations.ayudas@segittur.es



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Tourism launches aid to digitize destinations of the DTI network


The Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Tourism has launched an aid program endowed with 6 million euros aimed at promoting the digitization of the destinations of the Smart Tourist Destinations (DTI) network, with the aim of providing the technological tools to improve the interaction with visitors and with the tourist fabric that serves them.

“The network of Smart Tourist Destinations since its creation in October 2018 has aroused great interest and has not stopped growing, becoming a true ecosystem that reinforces the competitiveness of our tourism model. Many of its members are very analog destinations with enormous digitization needs and with this line of aid we are going to decisively support the digital transformation and modernization of the local entities that are part of the network ”, explained the Secretary of State for Tourism , Fernando Valdés.

The order of bases that regulates this first call has been published today in the Official State Gazette and can be consulted in its entirety at the following link: https://www.boe.es/boe/dias/2022/01/12/pdfs/BOE-A-2022-483.pdf

Program beneficiaries

The aid, under a competitive competition regime, is addressed to local destination entities that are full members of the DTI network or submit their application for membership at the time of attending this call.

The subsidies may be used for projects that modernize the infrastructures, tools and digital solutions used by local entities in the management of tourist services. In particular, those who:

– Facilitate access to tourists in their place of origin through new promotional strategies and supports, paying special attention to positioning as a safe destination.

– Improve communication and access to resources and services by tourists in the destination, providing information of interest in real time, facilitating sales of tourism services through digital channels and adapting, thanks to the use of ICTs, the offer and services from destination to profiles with physical or sensory diversity.

– Develop ICT tools that allow the optimization of destination management.

– Promote public governance and its access to technology, through centralized systems for purchasing technological needs and monitoring competing destinations and environmental resource management tools.

The beneficiary local entities will be able to access aid of between 100,000 and 500,000 euros, depending on the population of the destinations they represent and whether they are presented individually or in groups.

The term for the presentation of applications will be open for one month from the next publication of the extract of the summons order in the BOE. The Ministry makes the following mailbox available to interested parties to answer questions: consultations.ayudas@segittur.es



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Tourism launches the first call for the Spain Experiences program endowed with 26 million


The Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Tourism has launched the first call for the Spain Tourism Experiences Program endowed with 26 million euros that will be financed with Next Generation EU funds, the objective of which is to increase and improve the experiences that make up the tourism offer in Spain. It seeks to promote innovative and transformative initiatives of experiences at the national level or in at least three Autonomous Communities, in order to facilitate their promotion in international markets.

“With the Spain Tourism Experiences Program we aspire to modernize and adapt the catalog of tourist experiences that we offer to our national and international visitors throughout our territory, so that it is more diverse and attractive during the twelve months of the year, thereby contributing to the seasonal adjustment tourism ”, explained the Minister of Industry, Commerce and Tourism, Reyes Maroto.

“The Program is part of the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan and has a budget of 100 million euros for the next three years, of which 26 million correspond to this first call. The objective of this new program is to finance 45 new tourism products before the second half of 2025, a challenge with which we will contribute to making our tourism model more competitive and resilient in the face of future demand crises ”, added Maroto.

The deadline for submitting applications will open on February 15

As of next February 15, 2022 and until March 15, 2022, the period to attend this first call for aid will remain open and whose regulatory bases have been published today by the Official State Gazette: https: //www.boe .es / boe / dias / 2022/01/11 / pdfs / BOE-A-2022-417.pdf.



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Convened aid for the generation of scientific knowledge applied to tourism


The Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Tourism launches a new aid program aimed at promoting the generation of scientific knowledge applied to tourism and, especially, at the search for solutions to the main environmental, economic and technological challenges faced by the tourist destinations in Spain, in order to improve their competitive capacity and long-term resilience.

"The tourism sector is immersed in a profound transformation process that is developing at high speed and on a global scale, marked by two clear trends: digitization and ecological transition. To continue offering a proposal that distinguishes us from our competitors, Spain must have the best research that allows the development of new capacities aimed at the great present and future challenges ”, has valued the Secretary of State for Tourism, Fernando Valdés.

As part of the modernization and competitiveness plan for the tourism sector that incorporates the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan of the Government of Spain, an aid program has been included for non-profit research and knowledge dissemination organizations. have tax residence or have a permanent establishment in Spain.

Aid between 20,000 and 150,000 euros

The Official State Gazette today published the order of bases that regulates this call. The grants will be awarded to the knowledge center, with a maximum intensity of 100% of the fundable budget. The grants will be of a minimum of 20,000 euros and a maximum of 150,000 euros, provided that the projects are in the field of R&D and their destination does not directly imply an economic activity.

The proposals that are submitted to the call must pursue as their ultimate goal the digitization of tourist destinations and address some of the following challenges:

a] Recovery and resilience of the destination: crisis management, scenario simulation, early response strategies, regulation, regulations, protocols, labor market and working conditions, tourism company and competitive capacity, etc.

b] Sustainable, smart, connected and integrated mobility at the destination.

c] Climate change, adaptation and mitigation strategies and measures in the destination; carbon footprint, impact modeling, public and private strategies, etc.

d] Sustainability, ecological transition and circular economy in the destination.

e] Measurement, modeling and analysis of tourist activity in the destination: management of tourist flows, carrying capacity, overcrowding, economic impacts, development of indicators, predictive analysis, etc.

f] Product or process innovation in the destination: tourism innovation, new products and differential tourism experiences, new market segments, new business processes, etc.

g] Digitization: infrastructures and platforms, promotion and commercialization, interaction with the tourist in the destination, tourism without “friction”, information management, tourist intelligence and Big Data, Artificial Intelligence, digital twin, etc.

The term for the presentation of applications will be open one month from the publication of the extract of the summons order in the BOE. The Ministry makes the following mailbox available to interested parties to answer questions: consultations.ayudas@segittur.es.

The order of bases corresponding to this call can be consulted in its entirety at the following link: https://www.boe.es/boe/dias/2022/01/10/pdfs/BOE-A-2022-383.pdf.



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Tourism allocates 25 million to digitize companies in the sector


The Official State Gazette (BOE) has published the order of bases that will regulate the granting of a first call for aid to intensify the digitization of companies in the tourism sector, with a budget of 25 million euros aimed at the development and implementation of projects unique and transformative technologies. This line of aid from the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Tourism is part of the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan financed with European funds.

“The digitization of the tourism sector is key to continue attracting increasingly hyper-connected tourists with stays with greater added value. It is also one of the areas where Spain has a wider margin for improvement, according to the tourism competitiveness indicators measured by the World Economic Forum. And today competitiveness has a lot to do with developing new digital capabilities that help us attract customers and improve their experience. For this reason, the modernization and competitiveness plan for the tourism sector that we are financing with Next Generation EU funds devotes preferential attention to the digitization of tourism companies and destinations ”, explained the Secretary of State for Tourism, Fernando Valdés.

Grants of 300,000 to 5 million euros

The Official State Gazette (BOE) has published the order on the basis of the aid, in a competitive competition regime, for digitization projects of the "last mile" in companies in the tourism sector, which may opt in the form of groupings of companies to subsidies from the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan 'Spain Can' and ranging between 300,000 and 5,000,000 euros.

This program is part of the Modernization and Competitiveness Plan for the tourism sector (component 14) that incorporates the Recovery Plan and is structured around two lines of action:

– Line 1: For innovative technological development projects that incorporate emerging or newly developed technologies with medium / low technological risk and that allow improving the competitiveness of the tourism sector through the incorporation of emerging or newly developed technologies in the field of Internet of the things, 5G, big data, cybersecurity or mobile applications, without limitation.
This line is endowed with 20 million euros and will be able to finance projects with a minimum budget of 500,000 euros and a maximum of 5 million euros.

– Line 2: For projects for the implementation and adoption of new technologies that incorporate technologies previously tested in the market with low technological risk. This line is endowed with 5 million euros and will be able to finance projects with a minimum budget of 300,000 euros and a maximum of 750,000 euros.

The deadline to apply for these grants will be open for one month from the publication of the extract of the call in the Official State Gazette.

The Ministry has enabled the following mailbox to answer questions: consultations.ayudas@segittur.es.

The order of bases corresponding to this call can be consulted in its entirety at the following link: https://www.boe.es/boe/dias/2022/01/08/pdfs/BOE-A-2022-331.pdf



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Spain recovers in November 72% of the international tourists of 2019.


Spain recovered in November 72% of the international tourists who arrived in the same month of 2019, according to the data published today by the National Institute of Statistics (INE). The more than 3.3 million tourists who visited Spain in November represent an increase of 54% compared to 2020 and bring to 28.2 million the accumulated figure in the first 11 months of the year. Spending in November increased at a higher rate, 63.8%, reaching 31,274 million euros between January and November.

For the Minister of Industry, Commerce and Tourism, Reyes MarotoThese data “confirm that the recovery of international tourism continued its gradual advance in November, despite the increase in infections in our main European markets. Month after month, we see how Spain is getting closer to the volumes of tourists and spending it had in 2019, although the uncertainty associated with the new wave could delay the recovery of the prepandemic levels in international tourism, which will depend on its duration, as we have seen. in previous waves. However, confidence in travel to Spain is greater due to the high levels of vaccination in our country, which makes us predict a total of international tourist arrivals in the fourth quarter of 2021 between 10.2 and 10.6 million , which represents between 62% and 64% of those received in the same period of 2019 ”.

Seven times more tourists than last year

Seven times more tourists arrived in Spain in November than a year ago. The United Kingdom was the main source market, with 597,458 tourists, (17.8% of the total), followed by France, with 496,579 tourists, and Germany, with 479,403 tourists.

The main destination for foreign visitors was the Canary Islands (it received one million foreign visitors), where three out of ten tourists went, mainly British and German. Catalonia was the second main destination Autonomous Community, with 604,925 tourists coming mostly from France and other European countries; and Andalusia, with 485,504, coming mainly from the United Kingdom and the Nordic countries.

Longer and more expensive stays than in 2019

Tourist spending in November already represented three-quarters of the values ​​of the same month of 2019. Tourists who visited Spain in November stayed on average one day longer than in 2019. Specifically, the average duration of trips has risen from 6 , 8 days in November 2019 to 7.9 days this year.

As a consequence, the average expenditure per tourist also increases to 1,119 euros compared to 1,086 euros in November 2019.



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