Vera Approves the “Municipal Plan of Tourist Quality and Sustainable and Digital Tourism”

The City Council of Vera’s Plenary has approved the ‘Plan of Tourist Quality and Sustainable and Digital Tourism’ on Tuesday, a crucial step to request the designation of the city as a ‘Tourist Municipality of Andalusia’, as announced by Mayor Alfonso García Ramos. “With this plan, we are taking another stride towards positioning our municipality as a leading tourist destination in the province of Almeria, while expanding our resources to promote our city on all fronts,” stated the mayor, emphasizing the plan’s significance in obtaining Andalusian designation.

The Sustainable and Digital Tourism Plan serves as a strategic framework to organize priority actions aimed at meeting the needs of Vera as a quality tourist destination. It also serves as a basis for applying for potential funding opportunities and acts as a four-year roadmap to promote Vera’s tourism and solidify its status as a quality destination. The plan includes a diagnosis of the municipality’s tourist activity, as well as objectives and performance improvement measures for the next four years, including budget allocation and execution timelines.

Municipal spokesperson and City Promotion Councillor, Carolina Pérez, explained, “This plan outlines the fundamental strategies to optimize our destination’s potential in the short, medium, and long term,” aiming for a sustainable and intelligent model supported by digitization to mitigate demand seasonality and promote complementarity between coastal and urban areas, highlighting Vera’s diverse tourist segments and resources.

Moreover, Mayor García Ramos highlighted that the designation as a ‘Tourist Municipality of Andalusia’ would grant Vera access to increased promotion and tourism subsidies currently unavailable.

Presently, there are 46 Andalusian municipalities designated as tourist municipalities, including two in Almeria: Nijar and Mojácar. Municipalities with populations not exceeding 100,000 inhabitants and meeting certain requirements regarding overnight stays and visitor numbers are eligible for the designation.

The primary objective of being designated as a Tourist Municipality of Andalusia is to enhance the quality of municipal services for the tourist population. This recognition enables access to subsidies for expenses and investments, including improvements to public spaces of tourist-cultural interest, reflecting the municipality’s prominence as an outstanding destination.

This designation proves particularly beneficial for municipalities like Vera, experiencing increased population and service demands due to visitor influxes during certain times of the year. Vera’s destination is progressively gaining recognition beyond sun and beach tourism, showcasing its gastronomic, heritage, natural, and sports offerings.

Additionally, the Plenary approved the city council’s participation in the central contracting of the FEMP to manage fines for non-resident citizens in Spain. It also sanctioned specific amendments to the public employees’ agreement and an update to the City Council’s Job List.

Other significant matters approved during the Plenary session include the endorsement of the City Council’s Strategic Subsidies Plan and the tender for the “supply of electricity for buildings and facilities of the City Council of Vera.” Vera, April 23, 2024.

The new document will allow the city to apply for the cataloging as “Tourist Municipality of Andalusia”. In addition, in the plenary session held this morning, have been approved, among others, the following points:

o The adhesion of the city council to the central contracting of the FEMP to be able to manage the fines of non-resident citizens in Spain.

o The timely modification of the Agreement of public employees and the update of the City Council’s Employment Relationship.

o Approval of the Strategic Plan of Subsidies of the City Council.

o The bidding of the tender for the “supply of electricity for buildings and facilities of the City Council of Vera”.