Coronavirus: Tourism Industry Update

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News for the Tourism Industry in Wales

23 July 2020


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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 - Guidance for reopening children's playgrounds and outdoor play areas; Guidance and regulations for tour/coach operators;  Cadw sites – phased reopening; COVID-19 UK Tourism Consumer Tracker Survey; HMRC webinars: Extension to the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme and flexible furloughing / payroll tasks; The UK Transition – Check, Change, Go; Extension for superfast fibre rollout.


Guidance for reopening children's playgrounds and outdoor play areas

Owners and operators of outdoor children’s playgrounds or outdoor play areas, should read the latest Welsh Government’s guidance on reopening children’s playgrounds and outdoor play areas.


Guidance and regulations for tour/coach operators

Anyone operating tours or visits around Wales will need to ensure that they and their clients comply with the latest* Health Protection (Coronavirus Restrictions) (No. 2) (Wales) Regulations 2020 and guidance for tourism and hospitality businesses for a phased and safe re-opening.  This must include a full risk assessment and consideration of all requirements including (but not limited to) social/physical distancing and our Test, Trace, Protect approach.  In respect of transport, coach operators should follow the guidance that applies to public transport operators and ensure that they have undertaken a full risk assessment.  Note that from 27 July three-layer face coverings will become compulsory on the public transport in Wales.

In terms of group sizes, the new regulations for Wales limit any organised group outdoors to 30 people in total (including organiser/driver/guide etc) provided certain measures are in place; this can include a mix of households (not limited to the same/extended household) as long as social distancing/other mitigations are put in place.

*subject to change


Cadw sites – phased reopening 

Cadw began to reopen unstaffed, outdoor monuments at the beginning of this month. In August, ticketed entry at selected castles, abbeys and ironworks will begin, using a phased approach. To do this safely, Cadw has introduced a number of essential social distancing and hygiene measures including the creation of a compulsory online booking system. The latter will go live as the sites open – for further information on the measures in place and an up to date list of which sites are planning to reopen and when, please view the Cadw staffed site reopenings web page

Organisations and individuals in Wales who manage culture and heritage destinations and venues that are open to the public area should also read the Welsh Government’s Culture and heritage destinations and venues: guidance for a phased return.


COVID-19 UK Tourism Consumer Tracker Survey

The latest weekly report from our UK Consumer Tracker survey is now available on the Visit Britain website  showing week 9 findings covering 13-17 July. 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 has also been published based on the 4 weekly fieldwork period from 15 June to 10 July.


HMRC webinars:

  • Eat Out to Help Out Scheme – This webinar provides an overview of the scheme including how the scheme works, eligible establishments, registering and making a claim and what happens after you’ve claimed. Find out more and register for the webinar.
  • Extension to the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme and flexible furloughing - Do you want to find out more about changes to the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme and how flexible furloughing can support your business?  Visit the Business Wales website for more details.
  • Payroll tasks -  HMRC have a recorded webinar available for you to watch at a time to suit you, to help you with payroll tasks and completing the annual expenses and benefits form P11D.  More details available on the Business Wales website

The UK Transition – Check, Change, Go

The UK has left the EU, and the transition period after Brexit comes to an end this year.  The UK Government has launched a new campaign ‘Check, Change, Go’ to help businesses and individuals prepare for the end of the transition period.  Visit the Business Wales website for more information. 


Extension for superfast fibre rollout

More homes and businesses are set to benefit from the Welsh Government’s rollout of fast fibre broadband in partnership with Openreach, Deputy Minister for Economy and Transport, Lee Waters, announced 20 July 2020. Read the full press release on Gov.Wales


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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