Coronavirus: Tourism Industry Update
Please follow the news reports and for latest advice regularly visit the Public Health Wales website and the Business Wales website
BULLETIN CONTENTS - Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) new guidance; Freelancer Fund Phase 3; Merthyr Tydfil County Borough to be first whole area testing pilot in Wales; Housing vulnerable people; Letter to the sector on preparing for new relationship with EU; Post-EU funding; incentives to recruit apprentices and new Apprenticeship Vacancy Service; Kickstart Scheme; Attracting future leisure visitors; COVID-19 Health and Safety News
Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) new guidance
The new Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) guidance is now available.
You can now apply for CJRS online for periods from 1 November 2020 and you will need to submit any claims for November by 14 December 2020.
You and your employees do not need to have benefited from the scheme before to claim for periods from 1 November 2020 and there are now monthly deadlines for claims. Read more on the Business Wales website.
Freelancer Fund Phase 3
Following high demand for funding support across the arts and cultural sectors a further £10.7 million will be made available to support organisations and individuals during the pandemic.
Phase 3 of the Freelancer Fund will open for applications at 10am on Monday 23 November 2020.
Merthyr Tydfil County Borough to be first whole area testing pilot in Wales
Everyone living or working in Merthyr Tydfil will be offered COVID-19 testing, whether they have symptoms or not - as part of the first mass testing of a whole area in Wales.
All residents and workers will be offered repeat COVID-19 testing from this Saturday (21 November) even if asymptomatic, to help find more positive cases and break the chains of transmission. Find out more on Gov.Wales.
Thank you and an appeal for further help – housing vulnerable people
This year across Wales we have seen some incredible work from businesses to ensure that no one was without a safe place and support during these difficult times. Thank you very much to those of you who have and are supporting us in this work.
There is still a need for that help and if you feel that you can support the initiative and would like to find out more with regard to arrangements and funding please get in touch via quality.tourism@gov.wales and we will ensure that the information is passed to your respective local authority in order for them to get in touch.
Please provide:
- Details of the accommodation, which you could offer to house vulnerable people. We will require details of the number of rooms or units, type, location and how long you anticipate it will be available for.
- A named contact in your business and a contact address email and telephone number.
While there is a need across Wales, at this point, there is an urgent requirement for help in Wrexham and the surrounding areas. Please contact Tracy.Hague@wrexham.gov.uk if you can help with provision of accommodation.
Letter to the tourism and hospitality sector on actions to take to prepare for our new relationship with the EU
With just over a month to go until the end of the BREXIT transition period, a letter has been published from the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, Alok Sharma, to the tourism and hospitality sector urging businesses to take action now to prepare for our new relationship with the EU. The letter outlines what you need to do by 1 January 2021 along with a list of top actions.
See the letter and visit gov.uk/tourism-2021 for further information.
The UK Government’s 6-point checklist is also available to understand what you need to do before 1 January 2021 if you work in the tourism sector.
Post-EU funding
New funding arrangements to replace those previously administered by the EU, which will empower local decision-makers to support investment closer to the communities they serve, have been published by the Welsh Government.
New employer incentives to recruit apprentices and new Apprenticeship Vacancy Service
Apprenticeships continue to play a vital role in delivering the skills employers and the economy need, offering the opportunity to recruit cost effectively and build a skilled workforce.
Businesses in Wales are eligible and can access new incentives for the recruitment of new apprentices.
The Welsh Government has also invested in a new, bespoke Apprenticeship Vacancy Service (AVS) to showcase apprenticeship opportunities in Wales and making it easier than ever to recruit apprentices.
Kickstart Scheme
The Kickstart Scheme is a £2 billion fund to create hundreds of thousands of high quality 6-month work placements for young people.
Kickstart Gateways are in place to help employers get a Kickstart Scheme grant – to find a Gateway in Wales visit Gov.UK.
Attracting future leisure visitors
Visit Wales has been working to maintain Wales’ profile and destination interest amongst U.K. and international tour and cruise operators throughout the last six months. We’ve been in regular contact through our own networks and also through bodies such as UKinbound (UKi and the European Tour Operators Association (ETOA) and many others with a mix of emails, social media, personal calls and virtual face to face meetings.
We’ve been able to remain in direct contact with our global travel trade community – including through our teams in overseas markets and VisitBritain colleagues and have been able to participating in targeted virtual events including Seatrade, International Golf Travel Market (IGTM), the U.S. Adventure Travel Show and Global European Marketplace (GEM).
Please contact us if you’re interested in learning more about our business-to-business work: traveltrade@gov.wales.
COVID-19 Health and Safety News
Air conditioning and ventilation during the coronavirus pandemic -
Employers must, by law, ensure an adequate supply of fresh air in the workplace as good ventilation can help reduce the risk of spreading coronavirus.
Health and safety COVID-secure spot checks ongoing -
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is carrying out spot checks and inspections on all types of businesses in all areas to ensure they are COVID-secure.
Useful COVID-19 information
As each premises is different, businesses should read all guidance to understand the measures to be considered to re-open the business safely. These continue to be updated so please check back regularly for the latest 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.
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