The AER Breakfast briefing took place on 5th February 2009 at 9.00am at the Abruzzo regional office and dealt with the funding opportunities for tourism projects.

Tourism : priority for the EU as a territorial development factor

Tourism is a cross-cutting sector, involving a big diversity of services and professions, linked to many other economic activities and policy areas.

Besides growth and jobs creation, tourism plays an important role in the development of the vast majority of European regions. Infrastructure created for tourism purposes contributes to local development, and jobs are created or maintained even in areas in industrial or rural decline, or undergoing urban regeneration.

Sustainable tourism also plays a major role in the preservation and enhancement of the cultural and natural heritage in an ever expanding number of areas, ranging from arts to local gastronomy, crafts or the preservation of biodiversity.

No European funds for tourism but many opportunities to finance projects in this field through transversal programmes

Although the Community has no direct tourism competence, European policies in a number of areas have a considerable and even growing impact on tourism. EU financial instruments managed centrally by the European Commission offer more and more opportunities to fund sustainable tourism-related projects.

The Competitiveness and Innovation Framework Programme

We focused on this programme and its funding opportunities. Its aim is to provide added value in improving the sustainability performance of European tourism, through the creation of an environment favourable to tourism small and micro enterprises and to their cooperation on sustainability issues.