Why is it relevant to tourism?
The Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF) is the centrepiece of Europe’s recovery plan, NextGenerationEU. It finances reforms and investments in EU countries from the start of the pandemic in February 2020 until 31 December 2026. Its aim is to mitigate the economic and social impact of the COVID-19 crisis and make European economies and societies more sustainable, resilient and better prepared for the challenges and opportunities of the green and digital transitions. It is relevant for all industrial ecosystems, including tourism. EU countries are responsible for developing national recovery and resilience plans, containing investments and reforms to address the key challenges identified in the European Semester framework, and to support the green and digital transition.
Overview of tourism-related components
The national recovery and resilience plans determine how the funds are allocated. Depending on the EU country, tourism is covered either by tourism-specific measures that modernise the sector or horizontal measures that are relevant to all sectors. The European Commission has defined seven flagship initiatives, for which it encourages EU countries to put forward investments and reforms. Several of these flagships may lend themselves to tourism investments, such as
- renovate: renovating tourism infrastructure to improve its energy performance (‘Nearly Zero Energy Building’), accessibility and resource management, and to develop circular business models (example: for food & waste management)
- reskill and upskill: providing trainings to tourism entrepreneurs, workers and destination managers in support of the green and digital transitions
- modernise: supporting the digitalisation of public administrations responsible for tourism policy and promoting data sharing between public administrations, destination managers and businesses
- recharge and refuel: investing in clean mobility and improving connectivity to tourism destinations, especially tourism hotspots (examples: waterborne, buses, public transport)
Details of the programme
Recovery and Resilience Facility | European Commission (europa.eu)
Recovery and Resilience Scoreboard (europa.eu)
Example(s) of supported projects
Not (yet) available
Database of examples
Not (yet) available