Between 2019 and 2022, EU funding reached tourism through two complementary but very different channels. Under direct management, tourism-related projects financed through the five main centrally managed programmes accounted for just 480 of 52,313 projects (0.9%) and €275.7 million in funding, with the strongest alignment found in Creative Europe (6.77% of projects, 3.49% of funding). Under shared management, around €10.8 billion was programmed for explicitly tourism-related measures during the 2014–2020 period, almost entirely through the ERDF, where tourism represented 5.5% of total allocation — though with striking variation across Member States, from 16.4% in Malta down to far more marginal shares elsewhere.

Looking at what this funding actually supported, resilience emerged as the dominant priority: 76% of direct-management tourism projects were resilience-oriented, reflecting the pandemic context, while green and digital transition were present but typically delivered through fewer, larger projects rather than widespread uptake. The report also found that benefits were unevenly distributed — destination-facing assets like attractions and cultural sites absorbed roughly 77% of funding reaching tourism stakeholders, while accommodation, food services and other firm-intensive segments of the value chain remained comparatively underrepresented. Critically, only 13% of direct-management beneficiaries were SMEs, despite SMEs forming the backbone of the sector, underscoring a persistent accessibility gap driven by administrative complexity and capacity asymmetries rather than lack of eligibility.

Looking ahead, the report argues that the solution is not simply more funding, but a smarter, more legible funding architecture. Recommendations include building clearer "tourism pathways" into non-tourism-specific calls, expanding layered and cascade-funding models to help innovation reach SMEs, encouraging integrated territorial funding packages that combine infrastructure, skills and digital support, and creating graduated support ladders that help small businesses progress from pilot projects to larger funding opportunities. Ultimately, the success of future EU tourism funding should be measured not by the volume of resources mobilised, but by how effectively that funding converts into accessible, strategic support across the entire tourism value chain.

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