The call will be published in the first quarter of 2024.

The Government of the Balearic Islands will allocate 22.6 million euros to improve the private tourism sector to promote sustainable growth and its social, environmental and economic value. This amount is divided into two items: one aimed at R+D+i, worth 13.6 million euros, and another to improve the energy efficiency of the establishments, with an endowment of 9 million euros.

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FITUR

This was announced today by the President of the Government, Marga Prohens, during her appearance before the media at the FITUR Tourism Fair. The president said that the Government’s strategic line is based on three main areas: innovation, training and sustainability. “The success of our tourism sector,” said Prohens, “has been a lever for the birth of numerous technology companies focused on the tourism sector, which have contributed to increasing its competitiveness, and have quietly turned our islands into a Silicon Valley, a benchmark in tourism innovation, an exporter of innovation and technological know-how applied to the tourism industry.

To continue strengthening this business effort, the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sports will publish two pioneering calls for grants to finance innovative projects through cooperation, to seek, implement and digitizing sustainable innovative solutions for tourist establishments in the Balearic Islands, within the framework of the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan financed by the European Union through the Next Generation EU funds.

Research, development and innovation

The first call, with an amount of 13.6 million euros, will be destined for R+D+i. It will consist of two action programs, to promote sustainability in tourism in our territory through the competitive level of research, development and innovation. The first program, called “Investiga”, will have a budget of 8.2 million euros and will be destined for research, development and technology transfer projects. Any legal entity, public or private, that carries out research, development or innovation activities will be eligible. The second program, called “Innova”, will be endowed with 5.4 million euros, which will be used to finance innovation projects to implement and digitize sustainable innovative solutions in tourist establishments in the Balearic Islands.

This is a pioneering and innovative call for proposals since both programs are aimed at promoting projects for the transition to a circular and sustainable economy, providing solutions to climate change, as well as projects for the elimination of environmentally harmful products and the improvement of water management. There is also room for action for the regeneration of natural capital.

Energy efficiency

On the other hand, 9 million euros will be allocated from the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan to finance projects to improve the energy efficiency of tourist accommodations, and the use of renewable energies in thermal installations for heating, air conditioning, cooling, ventilation and sanitary hot water, as well as in lighting installations. Prohens stressed that “our environment is our main attraction and, therefore, we must conserve and preserve it by focusing on sustainability, an aspect in which the Balearic tourism sector is a pioneer and a benchmark, for example, with the application of circularity formulas”.

In this sense, the amount may be used for projects to improve energy efficiencies, such as the implementation of sensors to monitor consumption and optimize energy, food and water savings; the introduction of energy management systems; the use of materials that favor thermal insulation and more energy-efficient technologies, or, for example, the installation, for this purpose, of gardens or other exterior elements to provide shade. As regards waste management measures, plans for the sorting of waste at the source and its subsequent separate collection will be financed.

Actions to promote the production and procurement of proximity supplies (kilometre zero) also have a place in this call, as well as improvements in facilities and equipment, digitization, automation and control and building management systems, awareness and training of the workforce. This last objective also includes actions aimed at raising awareness among customers so that they make reasonable use of temperatures, close the windows of air-conditioned spaces and lower the blinds, turn off unneeded lights or become aware of the effect of the daily replacement of towels and sheets.

The calls will be published in the first quarter of 2024. All information, once officially published, can be found on the website mrrturisme.caib.es.