Benidorm attends the call for Tourism Sustainability Plans with a project of 4 million euros

Benidorm City Council will attend the call for the Sustainable Tourism Plans in Destinations program, proposed by the Secretary of State for Tourism, with a project of 4 million euros. This has been announced today by the mayor, Toni Pérez, who has specified that the proposal includes the development and execution of "19 actions provided for in Benidorm DTI + Seguro Plan."

The mayor explained that this program is aimed at "contributing effectively to the sustainability and recovery of the tourism sector after the crisis caused by the Covid-19 pandemic." A program that involves the financing of the State Administration, the Autonomous Communities and local entities, and in which “Benidorm has been present since its presentation, in its capacity as Vice-Presidency of the Tourism Commission of the Spanish Federation of Municipalities and Provinces ”.

As Toni Pérez has advanced, the 19 actions included in the project "are aligned with the axes of the DTI and the 2030 agenda", and linked to the "improvement and adaptation of the destination, urban reconversion, environmental and patrimonial recovery, technological improvement , its accessibility, hygienic-sanitary security, sustainability, governance capacity and, above all, the recovery of tourist confidence and the involvement of residents ”.

The bases of the call establish that the program has a duration of 3 years and will be funded at 33% by the three administrations involved. Thus, if the Benidorm project is selected, the City Council must contribute a total of 1,335,000 euros throughout the period, at a rate of 445,000 euros per year. With this same amount, the Central Government and the Generalitat Valenciana would also participate until reaching 4 million euros.

The mayor has detailed that 40% of the project's budget is directed to infrastructures, signage and implementation of new more accessible and sustainable tourist resources. The most outstanding actions in this section are: a new phase -the 4th- of the musealization of the Castellum del Tossal de La Cala; the construction of Aula del Mar and creation of a public garden in front of the Levante seafront; incorporation of cycle paths in green infrastructures; and renovation of the ornamental lighting of the Paseo de Levante together with the incorporation of intelligent signage.

30% are actions aimed at improving the environmental impact, including the implementation of the Plan for Adaptation to Climate Change and Circular Economy; implementation of environmental sensors and entry filters to low emission areas; promoting the improvement and implementation of environmental certificates in the destination and companies; with the implementation of a sustainability observatory.

Another 20% of the actions are related to the management, intelligent planning and creation and diversification of tourism products, including in them the operation of the managing body of the DTI, the improvement of the implementation of quality in destination and companies, tools of 'Big Tourist data and intelligence, and monitoring and interaction with tourists due to the crisis in tourism demand.

The remaining 10% focuses on actions in hygiene-sanitary safety with the incorporation of risk management programs and safety and hygiene protocols, and with the training of both managers and organizations for the creation and management of safer tourist experiences.

Toni Pérez has pointed out that all these actions revolve around “the work axes of the last five years”, and has reported that the City Council will present its project to the corresponding Administration “in mid-September”. The call is expected to be resolved in November.

For now, the local government team will raise a motion to the plenary session to "reserve the funds that the City Council must contribute so that, in case of being elected, they will be able to face the corresponding investment."