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 - Staying overnight in holiday accommodation; Extra £110 million to support Welsh businesses affected by new restrictions; Staying safe at Christmas Statement from the UK government, Scottish Government and Welsh Government; Higher-level restrictions will come into force to control rapidly accelerating coronavirus rates across Wales; Christmas bubble guidance; UK Government extends furlough and loan schemes; Eligibility checker for hospitality, leisure and tourism sectors fund live; Welsh business rates frozen for 2021 to 2022; Welsh Government further extends measures to protect businesses impacted by coronavirus from eviction until end of March 2021; Coronavirus self-isolation and quarantine reduced to ten days in Wales; ‘If you’re struggling with your mental health over the Christmas period, please reach out for help’ – says Mental Health Minister after meeting with Samaritans; Wellbeing and Mental Health; North and mid Wales growth deals to reach major milestones; Research - COVID-19 UK Tourism Consumer Tracker Survey / COVID-19 International Tourism Consumer Tracker Survey; Apply now to attend VisitBritain’s ExploreGB Virtual, 1–5 March 2021; EU TRANSITION INFORMATION: Stay informed, stay prepared - EU Transition Portal; Trading with the EU Video Series; Does your business receive personal data from the EU/EEA?; Useful COVID-19 information.
Staying overnight in holiday accommodation
- You can stay in a hotel or other forms of holiday accommodation such as holiday rental accommodation during the Christmas period (up to the end of 27 December), but in Wales you can only do this with people you live with (or someone who is with you to provide care for a vulnerable person).
- From 12:01 am on 28 December all accommodation must close unless authorised to remain open by a local authority or Welsh Ministers to accommodate vulnerable groups, key workers etc.
- People travelling to or from Northern Ireland are also entitled to stay overnight on 27 December but must vacate the accommodation in the course of 28 December.
- Restaurants and cafes in accommodation can remain open to the public until 6pm and residents until 10pm up until Christmas Day, but after 6pm on 25 December, up to the end of 27 December, accommodation providers will only be allowed to provide food and drink to residents. No alcoholic drinks can be consumed in restaurants and cafes at any time. Room service will also remain available but must not include alcohol between 10pm and 6am.
- Takeaway services without a licence to sell alcohol can sell food and non-alcoholic drinks for consumption off the premises at any time. Premises with a licence for off-sales can continue to sell alcohol until 10pm as part of the takeaway offer.
Extra £110 million to support Welsh businesses affected by new restrictions
The Welsh Government have announced a further £110 million of financial support for businesses affected by the latest restrictions, which will start coming into force from the end of trading on Christmas Eve.
Hospitality, non-essential retail, tourism, leisure and supply chain businesses will be eligible for financial assistance. Visit the Business Wales website for more details. Read the announcement in full on Gov.Wales.
Staying safe at Christmas - Statement from the UK government, Scottish Government and Welsh Government
As we approach the festive period, the UK government, Scottish Government, and Welsh Government are seeking to balance pragmatism with the overriding priority of protecting public health. To do this, we have joined together to issue clear guidance and recommendations, as follows. You can read the full press release at Gov.Wales.
Higher-level restrictions will come into force to control rapidly accelerating coronavirus rates across Wales
The First Minister, Mark Drakeford, confirmed the current conditions mean Wales has met the criteria in the new traffic-light Coronavirus Control Plan, to move to alert level four. The new restrictions will apply to all of Wales:
- all non-essential retail, including close contact services and all leisure and fitness centres will close at the end of trading on Christmas Eve
- all hospitality premises will close from 6pm on Christmas Day
- Tighter restrictions on household mixing, staying-at-home, holiday accommodation and travel will apply from December 28 2020, after the five-day Christmas period.
Our short information film can be downloaded from Gov.Wales.
A simple guide to the new coronavirus alert level system is also available online.
Read the announcement in full on GOV.Wales.
Christmas bubble guidance
Guidance on making a Christmas bubble with friends and family has been updated. It includes items such as:
Staying overnight in holiday accommodation - You can stay in a hotel or other forms of holiday accommodation such as holiday rental accommodation during the Christmas period, but in Wales you can only do this with people you live with (or someone who is with you to provide care for a vulnerable person).
UK Government extends furlough and loan schemes
The furlough scheme has been extended and the UK Government will continue to pay 80% of the salary of employees for hours not worked until the end of April 2021. Further details are available on the Business Wales website.
Eligibility checker for hospitality, leisure and tourism sectors fund live
Hospitality, Leisure and Tourism businesses impacted by latest coronavirus restrictions can now find out how much they can expect to receive from the latest round of Welsh Government’s business support package. The latest package includes a £180 million grant fund specifically for impacted businesses in the tourism, leisure and hospitality sectors.
For further information please visit the Business Wales COVID-19 support eligibility checker.
Welsh business rates frozen for 2021 to 2022
Business rates in Wales will not be subject to an inflationary increase in 2021-22 Finance Minister Rebecca Evans has confirmed. Freezing the multiplier next year will help support around 54,000 ratepayers across Wales, who are not already receiving 100% rates relief. This takes the total amount of savings businesses have received on their rates bills to more than £90 million, since 2018 to 2019. You can read the full press release at Gov.Wales.
Welsh Government further extends measures to protect businesses impacted by coronavirus from eviction until end of March 2021
Retailers, pubs, restaurants and other businesses affected by coronavirus (COVID-19) will now be protected from eviction until the end of March 2021, Minister for Economy, Transport and North Wales Ken Skates has announced. As part of the action Welsh Government is taking to support the business community from the impact of COVID-19 the moratorium against forfeiture for the non-payment of rent, which was due to end on 31 December, will now be extended until 31 March 2021. Read the announcement in full on Gov.Wales.
Coronavirus self-isolation and quarantine reduced to ten days in Wales
As from Thursday 10 December, the time people have to self-isolate for coronavirus was reduced from 14 days to 10 in Wales. Travellers returning from non-exempt countries now only have to quarantine for 10 days instead of 14 as part of changes to the Health Protection (Coronavirus, International Travel) (Wales) Regulations 2020). Read the full announcement on Gov.Wales.
‘If you’re struggling with your mental health over the Christmas period, please reach out for help’ – says Mental Health Minister after meeting with Samaritans
Those who are struggling with their mental health over the Christmas period need to know support is just a phone call away, Mental Health and Wellbeing Minister Eluned Morgan has said after meeting with Samaritans Wales. Samaritans Cymru are one of the mental health charities the Welsh Government have worked with to provide low level mental health support, including stress and anxiety, during the COVID pandemic. Read the announcement in full on Gov.Wales.
Wellbeing and Mental Health
These are unprecedented times for us as a society and whether you are self-employed or a business owner, COVID-19 will be causing a level of uncertainty.
Guidance and information on Wellbeing and Mental Health for the business community is available through the Business Wales website. Business Wales has developed an integrated approach to support business owners during this crisis embedding wellbeing conversations in advisory sessions and webinars. Helpline and business advisers can also identify business owners displaying mental health concerns through conversation enabling them to introduce sources of support and refer as appropriate. Business Wales offers a programme of webinars that focus on key business concerns, financial management, HR and staff concerns, managing and working remotely.
North and mid Wales growth deals to reach major milestones
The north and mid Wales growth deals are due to reach major milestones over the next few days, which will mean every region of Wales will be covered by a growth deal. Read the announcement in full on Gov.Wales.
Research
COVID-19 UK Tourism Consumer Tracker Survey
Visit Wales continues to collaborate with VisitBritain and VisitScotland in running a UK consumer tracker. The fortnightly UK findings, covering 20-27 November (Wave 20) can be found on the VisitBritain website.
The fieldwork for this wave was undertaken during the second lockdown in England. Key findings show the average national mood has declined slightly to 6.5/10. Confidence for taking a trip in December and January has remained relatively consistent since Wave 18, while confidence in the medium-term (February to June) has declined slightly. However, confidence for trips from July onwards is showing an improving trend.
COVID-19 International Tourism Consumer Tracker Survey
Visit Wales will be participating with VisitBritain and other partners to conduct a COVID sentiment tracker covering international markets, covering similar topics to the UK consumer tracker. The first survey wave is running in December with provisional results and reporting early January.
Apply now to attend VisitBritain’s ExploreGB Virtual, 1–5 March 2021
ExploreGB Virtual 2021 offers an opportunity to build and strengthen business relationships with key industry partners based in the UK and internationally. You must be interested and able to contract / sell through the travel trade to participate. The event is free to attend and registrations are now open until 15 January 2021. For the full programme and further information, please visit www.exploregb.co.uk.
EU TRANSITION INFORMATION:
Stay informed, stay prepared - EU Transition Portal
The end of the transition period is fast approaching and this will mean changes to the current rules on trading. Visit the EU Transition Portal regularly to keep up to date with the latest news.
The latest new guidance for businesses is also available on the Business Wales website.
Trading with the EU Video Series
A video series has been released that explains what businesses need to do to be ready for 1 January 2021. You can find more details on the Business Wales website.
Does your business receive personal data from the EU/EEA?
Most organisations use personal data in their daily operations. If you receive personal data from the EU/EEA act now to ensure you can continue to lawfully receive data from your clients in the EU from 1 January 2021. Read more on the Business Wales website
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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