Brussels, 13/09/2011 (Agence Europe) - A report from the EU Court of Auditors published on Tuesday 13 September shows that, generally speaking, tourism projects financed by the ERDF (European Regional Development Fund) have delivered positive results. According to the same report, 73% of projects assessed allowed the annual volume of tourism to be increased, 74% strengthened the capacity of a region to provide for tourists, and 58% to create or maintain 2,520 direct jobs (of which 23.5% held by women).
Tourism is the third largest economic sector globally and the most important services industry of the European Union. Tourism generates over 5% of the EU's Gross National Product (GNP) with some 1.8 million companies employing some 5.2% of total labour (i.e. 9.7 million jobs), if not more if one takes other related sectors into account.
During the period 2000-2006, EU funds of up to €4.6 billion were allocated within the ERDF framework to finance physical investment in the field of tourism, with projects being selected and managed by managing authorities in the member states.
The Court of Auditors' report also shows that the sustainability of project results was largely assured, with 98% of projects continuing to be operational at the time of the audit, and 94% of all created or maintained jobs still existing at the end of the audits. Furthermore, results of the survey show that EU support was instrumental in the projects being undertaken in 74% of the cases, and caused them to be modified in a further 20% of cases. Six percent of the projects would have gone ahead without EU funding.
A few examples showing the positive results of EU-funded projects follow. In Germany, a project aimed at fitting out a sea water bathing establishment has allowed a fitness centre to be added with additional saunas, an outside swimming pool and other installations. The total cost of the project was €16.9 million, of which 41% is financed by the ERDF. Once the project was completed, the number of visitors annually rose from 92,000 to 129,000.
In France, a public project consisted of modifying a former disused railway track to create 26 km of track for the use of walkers and cyclists. The number of users went from zero in 2003 to 23,000 in 2008. The total cost of the project was €1.6 million, of which 39% was funded by the ERDF. In Spain, a project was aimed at creating 30 double rooms in a former monastery transformed into a hotel. (L.C./transl.jl)