The Ministry of National Economy and Finance is proceeding with the final approval of 3,213 funding applications for new small and medium-sized tourism enterprises, following the completion of the examination of appeals under the Action Support for the Establishment and Operation of New Small and Medium-Sized Tourism Enterprises of the Competitiveness Programme, NSRF 20212027. The final financial footprint of the action amounts to a subsidized budget of 1.09 billion and total public expenditure of 600.17 million.
The decision ratifies the results of the examination of 2,194 appeals in the less developed regions, out of a total of 2,201 that had been submitted. Of these, 1,096 appeals were accepted, 568 partially accepted, and 530 rejected, while seven were not examined following withdrawal requests by the applicants. As evidenced by the data, the process was substantive rather than procedural, as it led to a change in the status of hundreds of investment plans.
Meanwhile, among the appeals concerning approved but unfunded applications due to exhaustion of resources, hundreds were re-evaluated positively. Specifically, out of 1,002 appeals in this category, 502 were accepted and 186 partially accepted, resulting in dozens of investment projects now moving to the funding stage. At the same time, a significant number of applications remained approved but unfunded, highlighting the strong overcoverage of demand.
Similarly, out of 1,177 appeals concerning rejected applications, 586 were accepted and 381 partially accepted, leading to the approval of hundreds of new investment plans. At this point, it should be noted that the appeals process functioned as a second-chance mechanism for mature proposals that had been excluded during the initial evaluation.
Thus, the decision provides for the second amendment of the evaluation tables in the less developed regions, with the approval of 858 additional funding applications following the acceptance of appeals. The subsidized budget of these new projects amounts to 288.99 million, with public expenditure of 159.58 million. At the same time, the budgets of nine already approved projects are amended, with additional public expenditure of 184,178.60, following the completion of pre-inclusion checks and accumulation controls.
At the same time, in the transition regions of Attica and the South Aegean, the examination of two special appeals outside the OPSKE system was completed, resulting in the approval of one additional funding application. As a result, the total number of approved projects in the transition regions amounts to 781, with a subsidized budget of 256.37 million and public expenditure of 144.45 million.
In conclusion, the final balance of the action reflects an unprecedented wave of investment in next-generation Greek tourism, with particular emphasis on regions outside metropolitan centers. On the other hand, the volume of appeals and the number of approved but unfunded projects bring back to the forefront the discussion on adequate allocation of resources and the potential need for new calls.
