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Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs

Support by the European Investment Bank (EIB)

This webpage covers the European Investment Bank (EIB) strictly as part of funding projects related to tourism.

What is the EIB?

The European Investment Bank is the lending arm of the European Union. The EIB offers loans, guarantees, equity investments and advisory services. It operates both in the EU and around the world. About 90% of its funding goes to EU countries to support continued development and integration. The EIB provides economic support to sectors that contribute significantly to growth, employment, regional cohesion and environmental sustainability in Europe and beyond.

In the EU, lending to the tourism sector is primarily done under the objectives of the EIB's corporate operational plan (COP) to promote regional development in  priority cohesion regions. This involves  developing infrastructure  and supporting small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The latter are particularly important for the tourism sector by passing on the economic and employment benefits of tourism to other sectors of the economy.

EIB lending in the tourism sector has also addressed market failures in all regions of the EU, with a focus on EIB priority cohesion regions and neighbouring countries. For example, in emerging tourism destinations that are not always marketed effectively. Longer-term planning and investment may also be hindered by the risk of changing public sector priorities in the short term.