Companies in the tourism sector operating on the national territory can request the non-repayable contribution provided for by the FRI-TUR 2024 call until September 12, 2024. With a notice, the Ministry of Tourism has extended the deadline for access to aid aimed at encouraging investments for the improvement of tourist services and facilities, intended for owners and managers of accommodation activities such as hotels, farmhouses, bathing and thermal establishments,
tourist ports and many others.
In this guide, we explain what the aid for tourism businesses provided for by the FRI-TUR 2024 call consists of, who it is due to and how to apply.
Table of Contents:
What is Fri-Tur 2024 for Tourism Companies
The FRI-tur 2024 (Tourism Business Revolving Fund) is an aid package intended for tourism, hotel and agritourism businesses that invest in the improvement of accommodation, implementing interventions in terms of energy efficiency, sustainability and modernization. The measure, governed by a special notice issued by the Ministry of Tourism, contributes to the implementation of the project line “Business Revolving Fund for Business Support and Development Investments”, provided for by the PNRR and aims to financially support at least 300 tourism companies by
31 December 2025.
In addition to non-repayable contributions, FRI-TUR 2024 grants for tourism businesses also include two different types of subsidized financing.
How the FRI-TUR 2024 Concessions for Tourism Companies Work
The concessions to support investment programs of tourism companies are granted in the form of a non-repayable contribution, in line with the limits set out in articles 14 and 17 of the GBER Regulation on State Aid, and are summarized as follows:
- Micro Enterprises: Non-repayable contribution equal to 30% of the investment in Zone A, 25% in Zone C and 15% in other Zones.
- Small Businesses: Non-repayable contribution equal to 23% of the investment in Zone A, 20% in Zone C and 15% in other Zones.
- Medium-sized Enterprises: Non-repayable contribution equal to 18% of investment in Zone A, 15% in Zone C and 5% in other Zones.
- Large Companies: Non-repayable contribution equal to 10% of the investment in Zone A and 5% in Zone C.
Areas of Intervention
- Zone A: Molise, Campania, Puglia, Basilicata, Calabria, Sicily and Sardinia.
- Zone C: Parts of regions in Northern or Central Italy identified by the European Commission.
- Other Zones: Regions that do not fall into categories A and C.
Subsidized Financing
This type of aid is accompanied by two other types of subsidized financing:
- Subsidized financing: Fixed rate of 0.50% with a minimum term of 48 months and a maximum of 180 months, including a maximum of 36 months of pre-amortization.
- Bank financing: Market rate, associated with subsidized financing and equal to it in amount and duration.
These two loans are alternative but compatible and can be combined with the non-repayable contribution provided that, overall, the amount of the loan (subsidized or bank) added to the non-repayable contribution does not exceed 100% of the eligible costs and expenses.
Beneficiaries
The beneficiaries of FRI-TUR 2024 are the managers and owners of businesses operating in the tourism sector, namely:
- Hotel businesses.
- Companies that carry out agritourism activities.
- Companies that manage outdoor accommodation facilities.
- Companies in the tourism, recreational, exhibition and conference sectors, including bathing establishments, thermal complexes, tourist harbours, theme parks (including water and wildlife parks).
Requirements
To obtain the benefits of FRI-TUR 2024, the requesting tourism companies must meet the following requirements:
- Be regularly constituted and registered in the Register of Companies and included in the lists, registers and registers provided for by the respective relevant legislation.
- Be in the full and free exercise of your rights and not be in a state of liquidation, even voluntary, or bankruptcy.
- Have a stable organization in the national territory.
- Be in compliance with current provisions on building and urban planning, labor, accident prevention and environmental protection and with contribution obligations.
- Be in the ordinary accounting system or, if operating in the agricultural or fishing sector, undertake to adopt a special separate accounting regime for the activity to be facilitated for the entire duration of the implementation and monitoring of the program.
What does FRI-tur 2024 finance for tourism companies
FRI-tur 2024 finances investment programs for expenses (net of VAT) of a minimum value of 500 thousand euros and a maximum of 10 million euros and related interventions of:
- Increase in energy efficiency of structures.
- Earthquake-resistant redevelopment.
- Elimination of architectural barriers.
- Construction for extraordinary maintenance, restoration and conservative rehabilitation, renovation or installation of light artifacts, including mobile housing units and their appliances and accessories placed in outdoor accommodation facilities for tourists to stop and stay, functional to carry out interventions for energy efficiency, anti-seismic redevelopment and the elimination of architectural barriers.
- Construction of thermal pools and acquisition of equipment and equipment for carrying out thermal activities.
- Digitalization.
- Purchase and/or renewal of furniture.
Extension and How to Apply
To send the application, you must have a digital identity (SPID, CNS, CIE), access the reserved area of the Invitalia portal and fill out the application online. The procedure opened on July 1 and there is time until September 12, 2024 (12:00 p.m.) to proceed. With a notice published on July 30, 2024, the Ministry of Tourism confirmed the extension of the deadline for accessing the benefit
.
The investigation of incentive applications will be carried out in chronological order in which the requests for funding and contribution are submitted. In the event of a positive outcome, Invitalia will send the requesting company a specific notice granting the recognized benefits
.
Financial Endowment and Managing Entity
FRI-TUR 2024 expects to allocate a total of 780 million until 2025. Of these, 180 million are allocated to the granting of contributions and 600 million to the disbursement of loans. The Ministry of Tourism has entrusted the management of the technical and administrative obligations related to the tender and the assignment of the resources allocated to the companies applying
to the company Invitalia.
