The Council of Ministers has approved the Accelerating the Economy – Growth, Competitiveness, Internationalisation, Innovation and Sustainability programme, with 60 fiscal and economic measures designed to respond to challenges to accelerate economic growth.

Of the 60 measures, the 25 most significant stand out, spread across 5 vectors – scale, consolidation and capitalisation; financing; entrepreneurship, innovation and talent; sustainability; clusterisation.

As far as tourism is concerned, the following actions stand out:

– Brand Portugal

An action plan will be developed to affirm ‘Brand Portugal’ in the global context, valorising its products and services in global chains. This plan covers areas such as knowledge, innovation, safety, creativity, quality and sustainability.

– Reinforcement of tourism support lines

/ Line + Interior Tourism: Reinforced with a credit line of 10 million euros to support sustainable tourism development in interior territories, enhancing their resources and promoting tourist attraction and socio-economic dynamisation.
/ Tourism + Sustainable Line: Reinforced with an allocation of 50 million euros, this line aims to encourage companies in the tourism sector to adopt an ESG (Environmental, Social and Corporate Governance) agenda, assessing the impacts of their activities on the environment and communities.

– Tourism + Nearby and Promoting Proximity Trade Programme

The Tourism + Nearby and Promoting Proximity Trade Programme will be launched, supporting tourism projects that generate a positive impact on local communities and promote social inclusion and cohesion. It has an allocation of 10 million euros and includes support for the development of campaigns to promote local commerce.

– Support Line for Qualifying the Offer

Reinforcement and extension of the Supply Qualification Support Line by more than 300 million euros, in partnership with the banking system, to support companies in the tourism sector with medium and long-term investments.

– Tourism Bonds 2024

The Tourism Bonds 2024 will be launched, which will be issued in the amount of 128 million euros to diversify the sources of financing for tourism companies, mainly SMEs and MidCaps, through the capital market.

– Tourism Strategy 2035

The 2035 Tourism Strategy will be launched, a new strategic benchmark for tourism in Portugal, succeeding the 2027 Tourism Strategy, facing new challenges such as the shortage of human resources, disruptive technologies and the importance of sustainability.

– Strengthening the digitalisation of the tourism sector

The digitalisation of the tourism sector will be strengthened – based on new technologies and innovation accelerators – with programmes such as ‘Territories and Intelligent Mobility in Tourism’ and ‘Tourism + Digital’, each with a credit line of 10 million euros.

– International Tourism Campaign

A six million euro International Tourism Campaign will be launched to raise Portugal’s profile as a tourist destination in international markets, with the aim of converting potential tourists into visitors.

– Portugal Events revised and strengthened

The Portugal Events programme will be revised and strengthened, increasing the overall allocation from five to eight million euros in 2024 and extending the term to 2026, with greater integration of regional tourism bodies in the decision-making process.

– Programme for the Internationalisation of National Companies and Brands

The Internationalisation Programme for Companies and National Brands aims to promote and stimulate the internationalisation of Portuguese tourism, with an allocation of 5 million euros to help companies penetrate and grow globally.

– Expansion of Turismo de Portugal Teams in Foreign Markets

The network of Turismo de Portugal teams in foreign markets will be expanded to increase Portugal’s international presence in high-potential markets such as South Korea, Mexico, Australia and the United States (San Francisco).

– Restructuring the Regional Tourism Entities

Regional tourism organisations will be restructured to bring them closer to their territories and populations. Changes will be made to legislation to increase the efficiency and administrative autonomy of regional tourism organisations, simplifying procedures and increasing the involvement of scientific and technological entities.

– REVIVE Heritage Programme

The REVIVE Heritage Programme will be formalised for the recovery and promotion of public heritage sites of cultural, historical or architectural interest for tourism purposes, establishing legal bases and management procedures.

– Sustainability Plan, Circular Economy and Climate Agenda for Tourism (2024-2030)

Launch of a Sustainability Plan, Circular Economy and Climate Agenda for Tourism for the period 2024-2030, strengthening Portugal’s competitiveness as a sustainable tourist destination, with a focus on the circular economy and environmental sustainability, as well as creating a National Network of Regional Sustainable Tourism Observatories.

– Restructuring and expanding the tourism training model

Restructuring and expansion of the tourism training model, where strategic measures will be implemented to strengthen training and enhance the tourism professions, consolidating the National Tourism Training Network and repositioning the Hotel and Tourism Schools, with a focus on internationalisation and excellence.

– Integration and Training of Migrants and Refugees in the Tourism Sector

Implementation of the Programme for the Integration and Training of Migrants and Refugees in the Tourism Sector, which aims to improve the integration of migrants and refugees in Portugal through training and integration in the tourism sector, with an allocation of 2.5 million euros.

– International Tourism Academy

Creation of the International Tourism Academy, which will aim to develop a world-class tourism training campus, positioning Portugal as a leader in training and best practices in the tourism sector through strategic partnerships.

– Strategic Partnerships for Hospitality and Tourism Schools in the CPLP Context

Launch of the Strategic Partnerships Programme for Hospitality and Tourism Schools in the CPLP Context (Community of Portuguese Speaking Countries) which will establish strategic partnerships for the qualification and integration of young people in CPLP countries, ensuring an international reach for the brand of Portugal’s hospitality and tourism schools.