Coronavirus: Tourism Industry Update
The situation is developing quickly. Please follow the news reports and for latest advice regularly visit the Public Health Wales website and the Business Wales website
BULLETIN CONTENTS - Stay local to be lifted in Wales; Wales' hospitality sector will prepare to re-open outdoors; Guidance for tourism and hospitality business for a phased and safe re-opening; Economic Resilience Fund Phase 2 – now open for applications; Providing safer toilets for public use; Consumer Survey; We're Good to Go self-assessment scheme; Test, Trace, Protect: guidance for employers; COVID-19 Safety training; Superfast Business Wales free webinars; Apprenticeships; Free Welsh translation service - Helo Blod; Flexible furlough scheme; Measures to protect businesses impacted by coronavirus from eviction; The 2020 Royal Welsh show goes online.
The requirement to stay local will be lifted from 6 July. The First Minister today confirmed the conditions in Wales allow the requirement to stay local to be removed from Monday. But the Welsh Government is reminding everyone about the importance of social distancing, good hand hygiene and the need to respect the places and communities they visit.
This includes checking local information about the place they want to visit, going somewhere else if a place is already busy or car parks are full, making sure litter is not left behind, and showing respect for local residents.
Changes are also being made to the coronavirus regulations to allow families to be reunited from Monday as the concept of extended households is introduced. This will enable people in two separate households to join together to form one exclusive extended household.
You can read the full press release at Gov.Wales.
The Welsh Government has announced the first phase of a planned reopening for bars, restaurants and cafes with outdoor spaces following a rapid review of the sector. For further information please visit the Business Wales website.
You can find guidance to help tourism and hospitality businesses safely re-open during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic at Gov.Wales.
A list of Frequently Asked Questions in relation to Coronavirus is also updated regularly on Gov.Wales. Please note, these don’t yet include the most recent planned changes to restrictions announced this week - check back regularly.
Economic Resilience Fund Phase 2 – now open for applications
Welsh Government’s Economic Resilience Fund (ERF) Phase 2 is now open for applications. Eligible businesses are encouraged to apply today - the Fund is open to applications until 10 July 2020 (or until the fund is fully committed).
Further details are available on the Business Wales website.
Guidance for the safe management of toilets used by the public during the coronavirus pandemic has been published and can be viewed on the Welsh Government website.
The latest weekly report from our UK Consumer Tracker survey is now available on the Visit Britain website. This provides the latest results of attitudes and intentions to take holidays in the UK and Wales this year. A detailed report of the profile of visitors across GB is due to be published on the site today this is based the 4 weekly fieldwork period from 18 May to 12 June.
A detailed report, covering the same period, on those intending to visit Wales and the types of trips they are planning to take will be published on the Welsh Government website next week and further information of the findings will be available in our newsletter next week.
The “We’re Good To Go” industry standard mark is a self-assessment scheme that has been designed in partnership with the national organisations (Visit Wales, Tourism Northern Ireland, Visit Scotland and Visit England) to provide reassurance for all sectors of the tourism industry, as well as reassurance to visitors, that businesses have clear processes in place and are following industry and Government COVID-19 guidance on cleanliness and social distancing.
It means that businesses can demonstrate that they are adhering to the respective Government and public health guidance. The scheme is free to join and open to all businesses across the industry.
It will be a core part of Visit Wales messaging to consumers over coming weeks. So far 1,416 Welsh businesses have completed the self-assessment to confirm that they are adhering to Government and public health guidance, have carried out a COVID-19 risk assessment and checked that they have the required processes in place as they get ready to re-open.
More information is available through the Business Wales website.
Test, Trace, Protect: guidance for employers
Test, Trace, Protect is the Welsh Government’s approach to testing and contact tracing which will help citizens of Wales to resume their normal lives gradually and safely.
Test, Trace, Protect will be delivered through the NHS Wales Test, Trace, Protect service which includes a number of public sector partners working together to help contain the spread of the virus.
The guidance explains how employers in Wales can play their part in helping to deliver Wales’ Test, Trace, Protect strategy to slow the spread of the virus, protect health and care systems and save lives. This covers their responsibilities to employees and contractors associated with the operation of their business and includes relevant information for the self-employed.
For further information on guidance for employers, please visit the GOV.Wales website.
You can also read the Welsh Government’s Test, Trace, Protect strategy for testing the general public and tracing the spread of coronavirus in Wales in full, which includes Frequently Asked Questions.
Following the release of guidance for the Visitor Economy, hospitality businesses might wish to identify training for staff:
The Health and Safety Executive(HSE) has published a range of free guidance, including practical measures on cleaning, hygiene and hand sanitiser, which you may find useful for your business.
The Food Standards Agency offers free guidance on how to clean equipment and surfaces to prevent harmful bacteria from spreading onto food. Includes:
- Steps for cleaning effectively
- Disinfecting products
- Food safety coaching video – cleaning effectively
Other examples of online training available for the hospitality sector that might be helpful for you and your staff:
Whether you’re new to digital or looking for a competitive edge now everyone’s online, these webinars will help you put digital at the heart of your business to make sure your customers find you and commit, as well as help you improve performance.
Find out more information and how to book your place via the Business Wales website.
Apprenticeships are a ‘Genius Decision’ designed around the needs of the employer and can help transform your business by offering a route to find fresh new, sector-skilled, talent.
Funding is available in Wales to support all businesses, regardless of size. Employers will pay the apprentices wages, as with any employee, and Welsh Government will offer support with some of the training costs. Visit the Business Wales website for more details.
Helo Blod is a fast and friendly Welsh translation and advice service to help you use more Welsh in your business. Helo Blod’s services include:
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Free translation – Helo Blod can translate up to 500 words per month for you, completely free of charge.
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Text checking – Helo Blod can check 1,000 words per year for free, so you have the peace of mind that the materials you’re producing in Welsh are correct.
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Other services – Helo Blod can offer practical advice, guidance and support to help your business use a little (or a lot) of Welsh. We send out Working Welsh (Iaith Gwaith) merchandise, like lanyards and badges, for your staff to wear.
And if you need anything extra, Helo Blod will put you in touch with someone who can help.
Pop on over to the Helo Blod website to submit your first request!
Businesses will have the flexibility to bring furloughed employees back to work part time from 1 July as part of the UK government’s plan to re-open the UK and kick-start our economy. You can read more details at Gov.UK.
The Welsh Government is extending measures to protect businesses affected by coronavirus from eviction during the summer. You can find more details on the Business Wales website.
The virtual show will not only offer a platform for partners to host seminars and live question and answer sessions, but will also concentrate on educating the general public about agriculture, Welsh produce and the environment.
Visit the Business Wales website for more details.
Stay up to date with tourism industry news
We are committed to providing the support and assurance the business community needs during these unprecedented difficult times and have issued several Coronavirus (COVID-19) related bulletins which can be found on the Tourism Industry Coronavirus (COVID-19) Bulletins page. The most recent bulletins are below:
- 02 July: Bulletin - Timetable for phased reopening of tourism sector
- 29 June: Bulletin - Visitor Economy Guidance
- 26 June: Coronavirus: Tourism Industry Update
- 19 June: Coronavirus: Tourism Industry Update
- 11 June: Coronavirus: Tourism Industry Update
- 09 June: Economic Resilience Fund; First Minister statement on tourism
- 05 June: Coronavirus (COVID-19): Tourism Industry Update
- 03 June: Bulletin - Self-Employment Support Scheme and furlough next steps; Economic Resilience Fund; COVID-19 Consumer Sentiment Tracker; Business Interruption Insurance; Test, Trace, Protect: employer guidance; Best Practice Guidance on working safely
Make sure you stay up to date with tourism industry news by following us on Twitter @VisitWalesBiz and also encourage others who may benefit, to stay up to date by subscribing to our newsletter.
Business Wales is providing businesses with tailored support and advice about dealing with coronavirus, from financial and supply chain planning to advice on staffing issues. We would advise Tourism businesses and stakeholders in Wales wanting specific guidance to visit the Business Wales website or call Business Wales helpline on 03000 6 03000, and to regularly visit the Public Health Wales website for up-to-date public health information for you, your staff and your visitors.
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