The Sustainable Tourism Tax (STT) Commission has approved a total of 376,988,790.52 euros to be distributed among 79 projects.
More than 247 million euros will be invested in improvements in sustainability and the management and reuse of water resources.
The Sustainable Tourism Tax Committee has approved the allocation of €376,988,790.52 from the 2024 and 2025 annual budgets to develop a total of 79 projects. 65% of this amount, more than 247 million euros, will be invested in projects related to the environment and the water cycle.
The councillor for Tourism, Culture and Sport, Jaume Bauzà, stressed that ‘the ITS will be used for projects to improve our environment, with special emphasis on sustainability’. Bauzà also thanked both the ministries of the Government of the Balearic Islands and the island councils and town councils for the high standard of the projects presented.
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Two out of every three euros of the Sustainable Tourism Tax will go to environmental and water cycle projects
Mallorca will receive an investment of more than 229 million euros (63.35% of the total), followed by Ibiza with more than 67.5 million euros in investment (18.66%). For its part, Menorca will receive 53.7 million euros (14.85%) and Formentera will develop projects for more than 11.3 million euros (3.14%).
The Government of the Balearic Islands, through its ministries, will implement 28 projects with a budget of 235,177,120.87 euros. The Regional Ministry of the Sea and Water Cycle will manage seven projects worth more than 141.7 million euros. The Regional Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and the Natural Environment will carry out 9 projects with a total budget of 37.6 million euros and the Regional Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sports will manage 36.7 million euros divided between 5 projects. The Regional Ministry of Enterprise, Employment and Energy will receive 10.5 million euros for the development of four projects. A project of the Regional Ministry of Housing, Territory and Mobility has also been approved for 6 million euros, another of the Regional Ministry of Education and University with a grant of 1.4 million euros, and one of the Regional Ministry of Economy, Finance and Innovation with a budget of 1,050,000 euros.
In general, environmental and water cycle projects are the most noteworthy, followed by those for deseasonalisation, historical and cultural heritage, responsible tourism, research and development, and finally training and quality of employment in the tourism sector.
Environment and water cycle
The protection, preservation, modernisation and recovery of the natural, rural, agricultural and marine environment, and the water cycle stand out in this call with a total of 34 projects approved, totalling 247,239,437.72 euros, which represents 65.58% of the total. These projects will focus on improvements in terms of sustainability as well as the management of water supply for human consumption and the improvement of energy efficiency in supply and sanitation infrastructures. Intelligent network management projects will also be developed, including improvements in waste management and irrigation with treated water, to reduce the overall impacts associated with the entire life cycle of products.
In view of the great demand for water management projects presented by local councils, it has been established that these will be managed by the Department of the Sea and Water Cycle.
De-seasonalisation
Another of the main objectives of the ITS is to promote depersonalisation and increase control of illegal supply. In this respect, 23 projects have been approved for an amount of more than 67 million euros. To move towards depersonalisation, tourism products that can be practised in the low season will be created and activated, with special emphasis on projects linked to culture and sport. Likewise, the projects aimed at promoting tourism quality have been evaluated, from the perspective of the offer and the destination as a whole, to provide the necessary resources to the Island Councils to fight against illegal offers and, from the perspective of the quality of the destination, the promotion of quality plans and systems for the specialisation of the destination.
Historical and cultural heritage
Culture, history and heritage are also fundamental axes within the strategy of transforming the tourism model towards one of higher quality and more respect of the environment. For this reason, 12 projects have been approved for the recovery, conservation or dissemination of the historical and cultural heritage of the Balearic Islands, with a budget of 29,826,236.19 euros.
Responsible Tourism
With the amendment of the Decree Law on Responsible Tourism, a reserve of up to 16 million euros per year was set aside so that the local councils affected by this regulation could develop projects to improve inspection, safety and awareness. To this end, a total of 7 projects have been approved for more than 25 million euros.
Research and development
This ITS call for proposals will also serve to boost scientific research, development and technological innovation (R&D&I) projects that contribute to economic diversification and the fight against climate change, or that are related to the tourism sector, in order to promote smart growth and the incorporation of new technologies. Specifically, two projects will be developed with a total amount of more than 6 million euros.
Training and quality
A project has been approved relating to the Plan for professional excellence in the tourism sector of the Balearic Islands, which will receive aid of 1,462,645.45 euros.