The Ministry of Economy, Digitization, Entrepreneurship and Tourism (MEDAT) opens on Monday, March 16 this year, the call for projects worth 10 million euro to support the operationalization of Destination Management Organizations (DMOs). The program, funded by the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP), is addressed to local public authorities members of such structures.
The funding will support small-scale investment projects that aim to improve the accessibility, sustainability and development of tourist destinations, as well as to strengthen the operational capacity of the DMOs.
„I am pleased to announce that, in a short time, we have been able to start funding Destination Management Organizations (DMOs) with funds from the NRRP. A budget of €10 million will be made available to the country's DMOs, with a clear purpose: to be able to operate efficiently and contribute to the promotion of the tourist destinations they represent.
The DMOs must be the engines of local tourism: building the tourism development strategy, defining the destination brand, coordinating the information centers and contributing to the professionalization of visitor services”, said Irineu Darău, Minister of Economy, Digitalization, Entrepreneurship and Tourism.
The maximum amount of the grant is:
- 300.000 euro (excluding VAT) for municipalities;
- 125.000 euro (excluding VAT) for cities and municipalities (excluding county seats);
- 100.000 euro (excluding VAT) for municipalities and county municipalities.
In order to apply for funding, the local public authority must conclude a partnership agreement with the MDG of which it is a member, prior to submitting the grant application. This agreement must be approved by decision of the Local Council or County Council and submitted together with the grant application. The document will be checked also from the point of view of compliance with the obligation to allocate a minimum of 201TPTP3T of the total amount of funding requested for the implementation of actions that effectively contribute to the operationalization of the MDG.
The submitted projects must be aligned with Romania's National Strategy for Tourism Development 2023-2035 and the Action Plan for the Valorization of Cultural Heritage to Enhance the Competitiveness of the Tourism Sector, as well as be included in the tourism development and marketing strategies and action plans of the MDGs.
The call is competitive, with submission on a first-come-first-served basis, until the allocated budget is exhausted.
Projects can be submitted online until April 15 this year, through the dedicated PNRR platform, available at: https://proiecte.pnrr.gov.ro.
The evaluation of applications will be carried out on a rolling basis, until April 30 this year, subject to the available budget.
The Applicant's Guide - Destination Tourism Infrastructure Investment Program and other relevant documents can be consulted here: https://economie.gov.ro/structura-organizatorica/directia-generala-gestiune-si-coordonare-pnrr/componenta-11-turism-si-cultura/.