Published
Sat, Mar 26, 2022, 10:00
- Available for anyone coming of age in 2022, the Youth Cultural Bonus is an attempt to stimulate the lagging sector post pandemic.
Spanish citizens turning 18 this year will receive a €400 voucher to spend on live art and cultural products, such as vinyl, audiobooks and digital music.
The Youth Cultural Bonus was approved by Spain's council of ministers this week in an effort to rebuild the country's cultural and creative industries, which saw a 15.8 percent decline in spending in 2020. The scheme should impact roughly 500,000 teens.
Recipients will have one year to spend the money, which will be loaded onto a virtual card and spent via smartphone. A maximum of €200 can go on live experiences, including concerts and festivals, and another €100 is available for physical products, like vinyl. A further €100 is for digital products, such as mp3 albums. Items not permitted include food, text books and musical instruments.
Published yesterday, March 23rd, the official government decree said the scheme is to "promote loyalty that generates the habit of consuming cultural products in young people so that, as adults, they continue to consume cultural products regularly."
As well as spending, employment in Spain's culture sector took a massive hit during the pandemic, with a 5.1-percent decrease in 2020/2021 compared to 2019. Similar schemes for young adults have already been rolled out in France (2021, €300) and Italy (2016, €500).
Photo: Vishnu R Nair