Funding Policies, Tourism Entrepreneurship and Innovation in the Territory: Emprendetur (Spain)

Innovation is a vehicle for modernization and competitiveness in tourism and, even so, the report on Tourism Innovation and Smart Specialization of SEGITTUR and COTEC (2021) confirms that the tourism sector does not innovate enough. This article evaluates the call for funding for tourism entrepreneurship Emprendetur, developed by SEGITTUR (2012–2016). Through an exploratory analysis, the objective is to examine the geographical distribution of tourism entrepreneurship and innovation, as well as the type of innovation developed in each territory and the success in obtaining funding for these innovations. The main conclusion of the study is that there is a geographical inequality in the distribution of entrepreneurship and innovation in tourism in Spain. There is a concentration of applications from entrepreneurs in urban areas such as Madrid and Catalonia, as well as greater success of these applications, due to a greater emphasis on entrepreneurship and innovation focused on Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs). These results show how the design of policies to support innovation in tourism must consider regional disparities, to close the gaps generated and promote sustainable and egalitarian development.