By sector · Tourism and hospitality
Tourism funding in Portugal: what is a grant and what is a loan
For a tourism company, the direct grant is Portugal 2030 Productive Innovation, which pays up to 60% of eligible costs for innovative investment and is awarded through competitive calls. The national tourism lines that are advertised in English as grants are loans: LAQO, from Turismo de Portugal, and Turismo +Sustentável, from Banco Português de Fomento. Part of each may not have to be repaid.
The programme with the most attractive name, Crescer com o Turismo, is for public bodies and non-profit entities. A company only qualifies with a social innovation project. And no programme pays for buying the property.
Figures checked against the official sources between 10 and 18 September 2026. We never promise approvals.
Grant or loan: the instruments side by side
| Instrument | Nature | For whom | Support |
|---|---|---|---|
| Portugal 2030, Productive Innovation (SICE) | Grant | SMEs with an innovative productive investment. Accommodation, restaurants and bars are covered, and tourism projects are handled with Turismo de Portugal | Up to 60% of eligible costs. Status on the open calls page |
| Crescer com o Turismo | Grant | Public bodies and non-profit entities. Companies only with a social innovation project of value to tourism | Base rate of 60%. For companies, non-repayable support up to EUR 200,000 |
| LAQO, Tourism Offer Qualification line | Loan | Tourism companies of any size | Loan of up to 80% of the eligible investment, part from Turismo de Portugal and part from a bank. If targets are met, 25% of the Turismo de Portugal part does not have to be repaid (5% for companies that are not SMEs) |
| Turismo +Sustentável (Banco Português de Fomento) | Loan | Tourism companies investing in energy, water, waste or biodiversity | Bank credit with a mutual guarantee. Up to 20% can convert into a non-repayable amount |
| Local action group calls (PEPAC) | Depends on the call | Projects in rural territories, including diversification into rural tourism | Set by each local action group |
| RFAI | Tax credit | Companies that pay corporate tax, in accommodation and restaurants | 30% of qualifying investment in most regions, off the corporate tax bill |
A loan is not a worse instrument. For a hotel refurbishment with no innovative angle, LAQO is often the only public money available, and a loan that is partly interest free, with a premium on top, is worth having. The point is to know which one you are being offered, because a loan goes on the balance sheet and has to be repaid from the business.
Who this is for, and the cases that fall outside
This page is for companies that will invest in tourism: hotels, local accommodation, rural tourism, campsites and glamping, tourist entertainment, restaurants. These are the situations that usually fall outside the grants:
- An investment that has already started. As a rule, costs committed before the application are not eligible.
- Buying the building or the business. The programmes fund what you build, install and change, not the purchase.
- Replacing what is there with the same. Productive Innovation supports initial investment: creating, expanding or diversifying an establishment. New beds, a new category, a new service count. New mattresses do not.
- A project with nothing new in it. The grant is competitive and scored on innovation. A good, ordinary guesthouse is a candidate for a loan and for RFAI, not for this grant.
An example with numbers
A tourism company invests EUR 200,000 in a project that qualifies as productive innovation. The grant can reach EUR 120,000, which is 60%. The final rate depends on the size of the company, the territory and the merit of the project.
With LAQO, the same project could be financed by a loan of up to 80% of its eligible investment: EUR 160,000 if the whole amount is eligible, and less if it is not. Part of the Turismo de Portugal share of that loan can turn into a non-repayable performance premium if the project meets its targets.
Illustrative figures, calculated with the maximum published rates. They are not a forecast of the support your company will get.
Costs that usually count
The exact rules are in each call. Typical eligible costs in tourism projects are building works tied to the activity, equipment, technology, accessibility, energy efficiency, studies and technical assistance within a ceiling, certification and marketing. Typical exclusions are land and buildings bought, second-hand equipment, vehicles, working capital and VAT the company can recover.
Rural tourism, glamping and farms
In rural territories, the local action groups fund small diversification projects, and rural tourism is one of the types they cover. The amounts are smaller than in Portugal 2030 and so is the paperwork. Which group applies depends on the parish. If the project sits on a working farm, see also farm grants.
In the interior, rates and budgets tend to be better. See investing in the interior.
Before you sign for the property
- Separate the purchase from the project. The purchase will not be funded. The works, the equipment and the new capacity might be.
- Do not sign with the builder or order equipment. Quotes, plans and licences are fine.
- Check the licensing route for the type of accommodation you want. A project that cannot be licensed cannot be funded.
- Write down what is new. A new product for the region, a technology, an environmental standard, a market you will reach. That is what a grant application is scored on.
- Decide what you would do with a loan instead. If the answer is nothing, the project depends on a competitive grant, and that is a risk to price in.
Frequently asked questions
Are there grants to buy a guesthouse or a hotel in Portugal?
No. The purchase is not funded by any of these instruments. What can be funded is the investment you make afterwards: works, equipment, new capacity, energy and water efficiency.
Is LAQO a grant?
No. It is a loan of up to 80% of the eligible investment, part from Turismo de Portugal and part from a bank. If the project meets its targets, 25% of the Turismo de Portugal part turns into money an SME keeps.
Can a foreign-owned company apply?
Yes. The applicant is the company established in Portugal, and the nationality of its owners is not a criterion. The size of the group behind it counts for SME status.
Does local accommodation (alojamento local) qualify?
It depends on the instrument and on how the business is set up. Grants and RFAI require a company with organised accounts and a real investment project. A single flat let to tourists by an individual is outside their scope.
What about restaurants and bars?
They are covered by the tourism scope of Productive Innovation and by RFAI. For a restaurant that is already open, the most realistic support is usually the hiring incentives.
Official sources
The official texts are in Portuguese. The figures on this page were checked against them.
- IAPMEI: open calls (call MPr-2026-6, SICE Productive Innovation) (checked 10 September 2026)
- Turismo de Portugal: Crescer com o Turismo programme (checked 10 September 2026)
- Turismo de Portugal: Tourism Offer Qualification line (LAQO) (checked 10 September 2026)
- Banco Português de Fomento: Turismo +Sustentável line (checked 15 September 2026)
- Investment Tax Code (CFI), article 23 (RFAI: tax benefits) (checked 18 September 2026)
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