Transformation of Tourism Regions

The funding program "Transformation of Tourism Regions" in Rhineland-Palatinate is aimed at the ten regional tourism organizations (including Ahrtal-Tourismus e. V., Eifel Tourismus GmbH, Hunsrück-Touristik GmbH) that wish to strategically, digitally, sustainably, and innovatively further develop their marketing and organizational structures. The goal is to strengthen the competitiveness and resilience of the tourist regions through tailored measures in line with the Rhineland-Palatinate tourism strategy. Eligible for funding are interest groups, associations, and companies with headquarters and project implementation in Rhineland-Palatinate; a prerequisite is an existing regional tourism strategy as well as a minimum own contribution of 15% of the eligible costs. The proposed projects must make a significant contribution to digital transformation, sustainability performance, or the development of new marketing methods and provide impulses for regional tourism development.

Up to 85% of eligible expenses are funded, with a maximum of €50,000 per project. Eligible costs include, among others, the production of tourism content (photos, videos, texts), media budgets for online advertising, search engine optimization, as well as the optimization of digital marketing applications. Also supported are workshops and information campaigns for digital knowledge acquisition, measures to strengthen digital communication, regional marketing strategies, information campaigns for guests, awareness and motivation campaigns for service providers, as well as innovative marketing approaches and sustainability measures. Excluded are personnel costs, investments in tourism infrastructure, license or recurring fees, as well as participation in marketing measures of Rheinland-Pfalz Tourismus GmbH. Applications can be submitted within the framework of the annually announced funding calls, whereby approval must be granted before the start of the measures.