Portugal : Growing with Tourism Support Program

The application period is open continuously until December 31, 2026, or until the respective budget is exhausted.

Relevant for tourism modernisation, competitiveness and projects with innovation, sustainability or digitalisation components.

Beneficiary entities :
– Public entities , including those in whose management the entities of the central state, regional and local administration have a dominant position;
– Private non-profit entities whose mission is the development of territories and local communities, as well as, within the scope of developing social innovation projects with value for tourism, national social economy entities that are private social solidarity institutions or equivalent non-profit entities, operating for more than three years;
– Micro , small , or medium – sized enterprises (SMEs) will only be eligible to apply with social innovation projects that add value to tourism, promote social development models, or projects integrated into collective efficiency strategies, within the scope of PROVERE – the Economic Valorization of Endogenous Resources Program, in the context of Portugal 2030.

Geographic scope :
The national territory, including the autonomous regions of Madeira and the Azores.

Eligible Projects ;
The operations to be supported must contribute to:
_ To strengthen the tourism competitiveness of territories and add value to them through the enhancement and regeneration of their resources, the qualification of their assets and agents, the reduction of their vulnerability to the effects of climate change, the improvement of physical and communicational accessibility of the offer, as well as through the development of integrated networks of tourism offers and products that demonstrate high potential for value creation;
_ To promote the intelligent management of cities and territories , ensuring, in particular, knowledge of the territory, management of its flows, increased connectivity levels to ensure integrated management of existing assets and resources in the territory, and the promotion of intelligent and sustainable mobility;
_ To foster the development of social innovation projects , with value for tourism, that promote increasingly sustainable social development models in tourist destinations, with a positive impact on territories and local communities, and with the potential to continuously promote tourism as a factor of inclusion and social cohesion.

Project funding rate :
The project funding rate is 60% , plus an additional 20% for projects located in low-density areas and 10% for projects integrated into a Collective Efficiency Strategy approved within the context of Portugal 2030 development.

The support granted is non-refundable, with a maximum limit of 400,000 euros per project or per beneficiary in the case of joint applications, promoted by public entities or non-profit entities .

For support aimed at businesses, the non-refundable component has a maximum value of 200,000 euros.

In addition to the stated limits for the non-refundable component , a refundable component of up to €1 million may be added, upon request from the beneficiary entity .

Reimbursement Conditions and Guarantees
– Reimbursement period of 7 years including a 2-year grace period