Next Generation funds for digital tourism training: how to access

Key data

Tourism and hospitality businesses have a concrete route to finance the digital training of their teams at no direct cost. The Resolución de 9 de marzo de 2026 of the Secretaría de Estado de Turismo formalizes the territorial distribution of the funds from the Plan de Competencias Digitales en Turismo, financed with Next Generation EU through component 19, investment 3 of the Plan de Recuperación, Transformación y Resiliencia (PRTR).

The money does not reach businesses directly. The autonomous communities are the recipients and managers of these funds, and it is they who design and implement the training programmes in their territories. For a hotel, a restaurant or a tour operator, this means that access depends on what their autonomous community has put in place.

What does this regulation establish?

The resolution officially publishes two agreements of the Conferencia Sectorial de Turismo:

• The original agreement of 29 December 2023, which approved the initial territorial distribution of the credit charged to the 2023 budget.
• The amending agreement of 10 February 2026, which adjusted the distribution among territories.

The objective of the Plan de Competencias Digitales en Turismo is to improve the digitalization of the Spanish tourism sector through training aimed at both workers and business owners in the sector. The financing framework is component 19, investment 3 of the PRTR, which channels Next Generation EU European funds towards the digital transformation of strategic sectors.

Economic and operational impact

For a tourism business, the main impact is an opportunity to reduce the cost of digital training for its employees and managers. The funds cover training programmes that would otherwise have to be financed from the company's own budget.

The operational impact depends on the autonomous community in which the business operates. Since each territory manages its own programme, the training offer, enrolment deadlines and requirements vary by region. Businesses with establishments in several autonomous communities must monitor each territory independently.

The fact that the credit corresponds to the 2023 budget and the distribution amendment was made in February 2026 indicates that the execution of these funds may be underway or about to begin in many communities. Acting quickly to identify the programmes available in your territory is key to not missing out on access.

Who is affected?

• Hotels, hostels and tourist accommodation wishing to train their staff in digital tools.
• Restaurants and catering businesses linked to the tourism sector.
• Travel agencies and tour operators that need to update digital skills.
• Active tourism companies, guides and complementary tourism services.
• Tourism sector workers who want to improve their digital employability.
• Business owners and managers in the sector who want to access digital management training.
• Autonomous communities, as direct managers of the funds and responsible for designing the programmes.

Practical example

A medium-sized hotel in Andalusia wants to train its reception and reservations team in the use of digital management tools and online sales channels. Without this support, the cost of a specialized training programme for 10 employees could exceed several thousand euros.

With the funds from the Plan de Competencias Digitales en Turismo, the Junta de Andalucía may have designed a 100% subsidized training programme for businesses in the sector. The hotel only needs to identify that programme, verify that it meets the participation requirements (typically: being registered in the tourism sector and having active employees) and enrol its team.

The same process applies in any other autonomous community: the channel is always the regional tourism or employment body, not the Secretaría de Estado de Turismo directly.

What should businesses do now?

1. Identify the responsible regional body in your autonomous community: the tourism department, regional tourism agency or regional public employment service. They are the ones who manage the funds and publish the calls for applications.
2. Check whether an active call for the Plan de Competencias Digitales en Turismo already exists in your territory. Since the distribution has already been formalized, many communities may have programmes underway or about to open.
3. Prepare your company's basic documentation: registration in the tourism sector, number of employees, main activity. This is usually the minimum documentation required to participate in subsidized training programmes.
4. Identify the specific training needs of your team in digital matters: online booking management, digital marketing, hotel management tools, digital customer service. The more clearly defined your needs are, the easier it will be to match them to the available training offer.
5. Subscribe to alerts from your autonomous community so you do not miss the enrolment deadline when the call is published. Next Generation funds have strict execution deadlines and places on subsidized programmes tend to fill up quickly.

Official source

Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. For specific decisions, please consult a qualified professional. Source: https://www.boe.es/diario_boe/txt.php?id=BOE-A-2026-6738