The Provincial Strategic Plan for European Funds will boost smart and sustainable tourism with a budget of 16 million euros
The Deputación de Pontevedra has presented its Provincial Strategic Plan for European Funds, whose main challenges are green transition, equality, territorial cohesion and digitalisation. The president, Carmela Silva, and the vice-president, César Mosquera, explained that the project is also strongly focused on smart and sustainable tourism and seeks to develop necessary cultural actions.
"We are the first public administration to develop a comprehensive project for European funds", Silva praised, and then explained that the proposal will be submitted next February 1st to the town councils. It consists of 10 programs including 54 actions and having an estimated budget of 300 million euros.
As regards tourism, the president confirmed that the province of Pontevedra is currently "the major benchmark for the sector in Galicia" and, thus, with a base budget of more than 16 million euros, we will develop a program for smart and sustainable tourism.
We will keep working on achieving a smart, sustainable, experience-based, competitive, digitalised tourism, and based on our culture and natural, architectural, archaeological, maritime and food heritage", Silva concluded, thus defining the priorities of the Deputación de Pontevedra and Turismo Rías Baixas for the sector.
With respect to the cultural actions, with more than 5 million euros, she explained that the provincial government plans to "develop a powerful strategy to boost the cultural sector and SMEs; bridge the cultural gap between rural and urban areas; position the audio-visual, musical, literary and stage production; support the creation of smart cultural facilities; promote talent" and, at the same time, use culture as a powerful tool to "attract tourists".
The aim of this strategic plan is to "encourage a deep economic, social, cultural and environmental transformation of the province". In addition, it is aligned with the four lines of action defined by the European Union; the ten policies included in the Transformation, Recovery and Resilience Plan of the Spanish National Government; the five goals of the European Cohesion Policy 2021-2027; and the 2030 Agenda.
Interesting calls for proposals
Besides the Strategic Plan for European Funds, the president of the Deputación de Pontevedra said that "we are submitting proposals to all the interesting calls that the Government is publishing on a regular basis". In that regard, Carmela Silva pointed out that the Deputación de Pontevedra has already submitted projects adapted and focused on municipalities with less than 5,000 inhabitants.
It is also developing other actions, such as the implementation of 5G, the creation of local energy communities and tourism plans based on sustainability, especially intended for the regions of Deza, Terra de Montes, O Condado and A Paradanta, "which are the areas that meet the criteria established by the Spanish Government".
