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 - Gyms and swimming pools to reopen; Enjoy Wales safely; Tourism research; Coronavirus (COVID-19) guidance for safely re-opening your business; Contact tracing; Almost 5,000 businesses in Wales have already signed up to “We’re Good to Go”; “Addo. My promise to Wales” – Industry toolkit now available; #LoveWalesLoveTaste Campaign; Further details of the Job Retention Bonus announced; Capital Gains Tax review call for evidence and survey.
Swimming pools, indoor fitness studios, gyms and leisure centres will be able to re-open from Monday, First Minister Mark Drakeford confirmed today (Friday 7 August).
Children’s indoor play areas will also be able to open their doors again as part of the latest changes to the coronavirus regulations in Wales. However, areas such as ball pits, which cannot be easily cleaned, should remain closed.
The First Minister is highlighting the importance of following the rules that apply in premises that have now re-opened and in workplaces.
Welsh law requires measures to be taken to minimise the risk of exposure to coronavirus on these premises. This includes ensuring that people maintain a two metre distance where possible and taking other measures to avoid close interaction; this includes screens, face coverings and improving hygiene. Information also has to be provided to customers and staff to help them understand what they need to do in order to stay safe on the premises.
The Welsh Government is strengthening the powers local authorities have to enforce these requirements. This enables enforcement officers to issue a Premises Improvement Notice to highlight breaches and specify measures that need be taken on premises to comply with the law. Where a Premises Improvement Notice is not complied with, or if there is a serious breach, premises can be closed by issuing a Premises Closure Notice. Where notices are issued signs will be displayed in a prominent place to inform people that improvement is needed or that a premises has had to close.
You can read the full press release at Gov.Wales.
NB you can view the updated table of reopening dates at the bottom of this newsletter.
Enjoy Wales Safely
As we approach the first weekend since indoor hospitality is open and with good weather forecast the Deputy Minister for Culture, Sport and Tourism Dafydd Elis-Thomas is reminding residents and visitors alike to enjoy what Wales has to offer safely.
You can read the full press release at Gov.Wales.
Tourism research
A summary of recent tourism research for Wales and the UK is now available. This includes details of COVID-19 related Welsh Government research, and links to further external sources.
Visitor Economy Guidance is available to help tourism and hospitality businesses safely re-open during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
Additional guidance has also been produced and updated in consultation with the Hospitality sector for Pubs, Bars, Cafes and Restaurants re-opening indoors and outdoors, which can be viewed on the UK Hospitality website.
As each premises is different, businesses should read all guidance to understand the measures to be considered to re-open the business safely. A list of Frequently Asked Questions in relation to Coronavirus (COVID19) is also updated regularly on Gov.Wales - please check back regularly. Guidance is also available to ensure social and physical distancing measures are observed at all times.
There are also examples and resources available as part of the “Keep Wales Safe at Work guidance: Restarting and re-opening business” that you can find on the Business Wales website.
The Welsh Government’s Test, Trace, Protect strategy will be key in controlling the spread of new outbreaks as lockdown restrictions ease. As people increasingly come into greater contact with others, there is a higher risk of transmitting COVID-19 in some sectors. This is because customers and visitors will spend a longer time on these premises than in other surroundings, and will potentially come into close contact with people outside of their household.
For businesses operating in these sectors, policy guidance from the Welsh Government is available and describes the important role that businesses play in supporting contact tracing and keeping Wales safe and includes information on what will happen if a visitor, customer or member of staff displays symptoms or tests positive for COVID-19.
For further information, visit Test, Trace, Protect: your questions.
Almost 5,000 businesses in Wales have already signed up to “We’re Good to Go”
The “We’re Good To Go” industry standard mark is a free self-assessment scheme that has been designed in partnership with the national organisations (Visit Wales, Tourism Northern Ireland, VisitScotland and VisitEngland) 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.
To date, there is representation across the board, from accommodation to tour guides, attractions, activity providers and hospitality businesses – if you haven’t signed up yet, please do – it’s a simple process and it will mean that your business can use the mark to give confidence to consumers. The scheme is being used across the UK and prospective visitors will increasingly be on the lookout for venues and services taking part, when planning their trip.
It will continue to be a core part of Visit Wales messaging to consumers and from this week, users on VisitWales.com can search all products via the new “Good to Go” filter option.
As Wales’ tourism industry starts to re-open, our key communication message is ‘Visit Wales. Safely’, which includes the pledge that we’re encouraging everyone travelling around Wales to get behind, to do the little things that make a big difference. To make a promise together, to ‘Addo’ as we prepare to start exploring again, to care for each other, our land and for our communities. The pledge can be signed virtually on www.visitwales.com/promise.
Our handy industry toolkit is now available to make it even easier for you to get involved and please continue to share your pledges with us on social using #Addo #VisitWalesSafely.
The #LoveWalesLoveTaste campaign is aimed at encouraging consumers to support the hospitality sector, Welsh producers and retailers through buying Welsh food and drink. Many businesses have shown incredible ingenuity and adaptability during the pandemic, and the campaign is designed to thank everyone who has been involved, as well as urging consumers to now support the hospitality sector as further restrictions are lifted.
The campaign was launched on 3 July 2020 with a ‘Welsh Food & Drink Celebration Day’ involving all parts of the supply chain, providing people with an opportunity to thank those who have been working to feed the nation during the coronavirus pandemic.
The second celebration day is Friday 7 August and will be celebrating both the hospitality and food and drink sectors in Wales. The campaign is entirely digitally focussed and aims to flood social media with the #CaruCymruCaruBlas #LoveWalesLoveTaste hashtag.
To help you get fully involved in the Celebration Day, there are a series of campaign digital heart frames for your photos to add to your social media posts. The digital pack can be downloaded from the Business Wales website.
Further details of the Job Retention Bonus announced
Employers can claim the Job Retention Bonus (JRB) for all eligible employees who have been furloughed. Visit the Business Wales website for more details.
The Office of Tax Simplification (OTS) has published an online survey and a call for evidence to seek views about Capital Gains Tax (CGT). Visit the Business Wales website for more details.
Updated table of re-opening:
|
6 July 2020
|
Outdoor visitor attractions re-opened
On 6 July the Welsh Government lifted the requirement to stay local allowing people to travel around Wales and to visit outdoor visitor attractions, subject to strict social distancing and hand hygiene guidelines.
|
|
11 July 2020
|
Self-contained holiday accommodation re-opened
Self-catering accommodation can only be let to members of the same or extended household. This also includes serviced accommodation where bedroom occupancy can only be let to the same or extended household and not, for example, friends booking a twin bedroom or a family bedroom, etc.
This includes any accommodation that is entirely self-contained, e.g. holiday cottages, holiday caravans including touring caravans, motorhomes, boats and some glamping accommodation with their own kitchens and bathrooms that no other guests use.
Also in this category:
- Hotels and other serviced accommodation (e.g. B&Bs, hostels, etc.) that do provide en-suite rooms and can provide room service meals.
- Caravan parks where accommodation is entirely self-contained – but shared facilities on the premises will remain closed, such as swimming pools, leisure facilities, shared shower and toilets blocks, shared laundry, etc., and public areas in other accommodation types. This means any caravan or touring site where individual accommodation has its own supply of water for on board shower, WC and cooking with strict application of guidance on shared waste disposal and water points.
All shared facilities, aside from water and disposal points, should remain closed including toilets, shower blocks, laundry, restaurants, nightclubs, bars, cafes, etc.
|
|
13 July 2020
|
Pubs, bars, cafes and restaurants re-opened outdoors
Indoor visitor attractions
|
|
25 July 2020
|
Camping and caravanning and other accommodation types (e.g. hostels) with shared facilities (e.g. shared toilets, bathrooms, shower blocks, pot washing, and laundry facilities) re-opening.
*Shared kitchens - until further guidance has been produced, our advice is to operators with shared kitchen spaces is to close these spaces to groups unless the accommodation is occupied solely by the same or agreed extended household.
|
|
3 August 2020
|
Indoor hospitality (pubs, bars, cafes and restaurants) re-opening
Bowling alleys, bingo halls and auction houses open.
|
|
10 August 2020
|
Indoor play areas, swimming pools, leisure centres, indoor fitness centres and gyms re-opening
|
|
TBC
|
Events under consideration
Check back later for more information.
|
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.
|
