Through a Government Agreement of the Parliament of Catalonia, the Government of Catalonia has agreed to recognise the Operational Plan for the Tourism Restructuring of Lloret de Mar as an instrument for the territorial roll-out and implementation of the Strategic Tourism Plan of Catalonia 2013-2016
In this respect, it has been agreed to initiate the measures corresponding to the Government of Catalonia through a committee made up of representatives of the following ministries: Business and Employment; Territory and Sustainability; Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries, Food and Environment; Home Affairs; and Governance and Institutional Relations. The goal is to integrate them and specify the execution of the actions in accordance with the programme and objectives of the operational plan.
On 31 March 2014 a collaboration agreement was signed between the Ministry of Business and Employment of the Government of Catalonia, Lloret de Mar Town Council and the Tourism Business Round Table of Lloret de Mar for the implementation of the Strategic Tourism Plan of Catalonia 2013-2016 and the Strategic Tourism Plan of Lloret de Mar 2010-2014, through which the signatories agreed to work together for the renewal and improvement of Lloret de Mar as a tourist destination.
The operational plan includes around 30 planned actions and projects, and identifies the appropriate legal, administrative and planning procedures and formalities for its possible approval and start-up. It also identifies some of the economic inputs essential for the implementation of the aforementioned projects and the procedures for raising the said funds, in full accordance with the powers and the legal and procedural framework corresponding to the institutions involved.
This restructuring plan is an innovative and pioneering initiative in Catalonia, characterised by the co-responsibility of the public sector (on a regional and local level) and the private sector for the renewal and improvement of a mature tourist destination (Lloret de Mar), implementing a tourism model governed by the criterion of sustainable competitiveness championed by the Strategic Tourism Plan of Catalonia 2013-2016 and the Strategic Tourism Plan of Lloret de Mar 2010-2014. As a pilot scheme, it will enable the development of a methodology and planning strategy that may be rolled out in other Catalan tourist destinations which find themselves in similar circumstances.
The working group, made up of representatives of the parties involved in the project, is currently developing the actions and projects corresponding to the first execution stage of the Operational Plan (2015-2016). Specifically, the actions for the roll-out of the plan are focused on defining the transformational urban development solutions for the improvement of the destination, the adaptation and completion of the coastal footpath, the planning and implementation of telecommunications networks and energy-efficient infrastructures, and the use of renewable energies, which will pave the way for the transformation of Lloret de Mar into a smart tourist destination.
