Wales ready to welcome visitors again
The First Minister Mark Drakeford has seen how tourism businesses are preparing to welcome back visitors to Wales as the sector prepares to open for the first time since the since the start of the coronavirus pandemic.
On Saturday (11 July) he visited The Hide in St Donats, in the Vale of Glamorgan, to see the measures self-contained accommodation is putting in place, as the first visitors arrive in Wales.
The visit comes after the First Minister announced a new – and extensive – package of measures to further lift Wales’ coronavirus restrictions, which will see large parts of Wales’ visitor, hospitality, leisure and tourism industries re-open over the next three weeks.
As of today (Monday 13 July), pubs, bars and restaurants will be able to open outdoors, as well as most indoor attractions. The First Minister has also signalled tourist accommodation with shared facilities, such as camping sites, can prepare to open from 25 July.
Detailed discussions about how hospitality businesses can operate in a coronavirus-safe way indoors are ongoing, with plans for reopening from 3 August, if conditions allow.
As people prepare to start exploring Wales again, Visit Wales has introduced a pledge to encourage everyone who visits Wales to care for each other, for the land and for our communities. The pledge, which encourages everyone to do the little things that make a big difference can be signed at https://www.visitwales.com/promise.
Visitors are also being asked to plan ahead as much as possible and to book their stay in Wales. The Welsh Government has published guidance about what people will need to do if they experience coronavirus symptoms during their stay in Wales. The guidance also includes advice for businesses to help the NHS Wales Test, Trace, Protect service identify and control any future outbreaks.
Tourism businesses are working hard to keep visitors safe. The Barod Amdani/We’re Good To Go industry standard and supporting mark is a UK-wide initiative, which allows businesses across the sector to demonstrate they are following government and public health guidance, have carried out a coronavirus risk assessment and can check they have the required processes in place. Read in full on the Welsh Government website.
We’re Good to Go – free scheme for tourism and hospitality businesses
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.
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 3,500 Welsh businesses have now 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.
Register your establishment for the Eat Out to Help Out Scheme
Businesses can use the Eat Out to Help Out Scheme to offer a discount to diners and encourage them to eat at your restaurant. Details about the scheme and eligibility can be found on the Business Wales website.
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.
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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