Five projects of Spanish hoteliers to boost the lodging industry

Spanish hoteliers see a unique opportunity to reactivate the sector in the European Recovery Plan. CEHAT has asked the government for guarantees for access to the Next Generation EU funds, a way to reinforce the sector's strategic offer. Specifically, it proposes 5 projects related to smart hotels, mobility, efficiency and sustainability.

The Confederación Española de Hoteles y Alojamientos Turísticos (CEHAT) señala that tourism is in dire need of concrete measures and aid for recovery; and sees an irreplaceable opportunity to reactivate the sector in the funds allocated to the European Recovery Plan, also known as Next Generation EU aid.

These funds are part of the package of more than 140 billion euros that the European Union has earmarked to repair the damage caused by the crisis, of which Next Generation in Spain will receive 2 billion euros in loans and grants.

The hotel employers' association stresses that “European aid should be seen as an opportunity to redesign the sector's strategy and lay the foundations for creating a more sustainable ecosystem, offering higher-quality, innovative experiences that enrich the local community and its environment”.

Through the ‘Report on the future of the tourism sector facing the Next Generation EU’ funds, prepared by CEHAT, the Instituto Tecnológico Hotelero (ITH) y PwC, five specific and detailed projects are proposed:

1. Smart hotels. It aims to offer a package of products and services for the accommodation sector that improve its competitiveness under the pillars of the digital transformation of the business and the sustainability and energy efficiency of the establishment. 

2. Platform for the development of the tourism intelligence ecosystem and acceleration of e-commerce solutions.

Observes the need to develop a digital space at national and regional level, where destinations can support the development of technological systems and new infrastructures to take advantage of the data economy and the exchange of information between the agents of the value chain.

3. Sustainable and efficient destination. It is based on developing a center of expertise, focused on energy efficiency and sustainability of the tourism sector in Spain, based on renewable energies, for the different actors that make up the ecosystem of the tourism sector. 

4. Sustainable urban tourism mobility. 

Proposes to create a hub of excellence in mobility to be applied in tourist areas, developing sustainable mobility solutions in all destinations.

5. Center of excellence for advice, development, support and response to cybersecurity threats and incidents for the hotel sector. It proposes the development of security mechanisms for critical hotel applications in order to respond to potential threats and technological incidents that may affect the hotel sector in its international operations.

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