Catania to allocate €250,000 from tourist tax to boost sports tourism

Catania allocates €250,000 of tourist tax revenue to sports tourism

The municipal council of Catania has approved an experimental measure for 2026 using revenue from the tourist tax to support sporting events and promote the city as a destination for sports-related tourism.

• Total allocated: €250,000 for 2026.
• Grants to organizers: €230,000, awarded based on the number of overnight stays generated by the event and the event's communication plan.
• Administrative support: €20,000 for promotion, branded items and multimedia equipment managed by the Municipality.
• Contribution bands (by overnight stays): no grant up to 149 overnight stays; 150–299 → €5,000; 300–599 → €9,000; 600–899 → €13,000; over 900 → €16,000.
• Exceptions: minimum stay thresholds may be halved for CIP-recognized events or national team training camps; a 20% reduction applies to reimbursements for July and August.
• Communication plan: up to €3,000 available to support promotional activities.

The measure, proposed by the Project Implementation Service (acting director Paolo Di Caro), aims to capture growing sports-tourism flows and increase local overnight stays through targeted incentives. Eligible proposers include national sports federations recognized by CONI and CIP, affiliated sports clubs and national promotion bodies.