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: Registration open - Marketing update from Visit Wales (online session) 23 September 2021; Attractions opportunity - National Lottery Days out campaign; National Hospitality Day 18 September 2021; New dates for webinars to help tourism and hospitality business get digital; Starting next week – Gwent Levels Ambassador Training – Sense of Place Toolkit; Royal Welsh Winter Fair 2021; Inclusive walking scheme pilot aims to tackle isolation by boosting mobility; Support to help increase Welsh language use following the pandemic; Recycle Week 2021; HSE Coronavirus updates and advice; Tax changes for Health and Social Care; Useful COVID-19 information.
Registration open: Marketing update from Visit Wales (online session) – 23 September 2021
You may have seen the “Keep the date” message for the above in our recent newsletters – registration is now open.
Following the Keeping Safe in the outdoors industry webinar held this summer, Visit Wales is pleased to be hosting another online session on 23 September at 2:00 pm until 3:00 pm. We’ll talk about the direction of our autumn/winter marketing work, the importance of choosing the right content and responsible messaging, and also give an overview of audiences that are being targeted. Businesses will have the opportunity to raise questions via the chat bar facility on Teams during a short Question and Answer session. The session will be run on Microsoft Teams.
To join us, please book your place by 2pm, Wednesday 22 September. Places will be allocated on a first come first served basis and all attendees will receive a joining link on the morning of the event.
Attractions opportunity - National Lottery Days out campaign
Visit Britain is coordinating a new campaign (on behalf of Wales, England, Scotland and Northern Ireland). The National Lottery Days Out campaign is specific to attractions and if on the Good to Go database, your business should have already received an email giving further information and the chance to opt in to the activity.
More on the initiative can be found on this link: Join the National Lottery Days Out campaign | VisitBritain and there are detailed Campaign FAQs that include the process of joining the campaign and the platform being used to deliver the voucher scheme. Having read the above, if you wish to take part, all you need to do is express interest by emailing daysoutcampaign@visitbritain.org.
In summary, any Wales based attractions with paid admission fees are able to apply to take part but will also need to:
- Be bookable online (or be willing to be)
- Have availability during the campaign period from October into early 2022
- Agree to the TXGB and VisitBritainShop terms and condition
- Be signed-up to the COVID-19 industry standard ‘We’re Good to Go’
The TXGB element means that Welsh attractions and experiences get the chance to trial the TXGB platform whilst Visit Wales looks into licensing access for all businesses (VisitBritain are making an exception only for attractions throughout this campaign).
National Hospitality Day – 18 September 2021
National Hospitality Day is a nationwide celebration of brilliant and resilient restaurants, hotels, pubs and bars, and the suppliers that support them. Visit the Business Wales website to see how you can get involved.
New dates for webinars to help tourism and hospitality business get digital
Superfast Business Wales have added new dates to their Tourism and Hospitality-tailored webinar series.
Superfast Business Wales will show you how to make your business stand out online, engage new customers, make more of reviews, as well use digital tools like online booking platforms to run your business successfully.
- 6 October 2021 (1pm – 3pm) - Part 1: Social media for tourism and hospitality
- 7 October 2021 (1pm – 3pm) - Part 2: Running your tourism and hospitality business online
Sign up for the webinars here and find out more about free one-to-one support.
Starting next week: Gwent Levels Ambassador Training – Sense of Place Toolkit
Over the past four years the Living Levels partnership has been working on a huge variety of projects to restore and celebrate the Gwent Levels landscape. As a legacy for the Living Levels programme, and to help organisations prosper post-Covid, Living Levels are offering free training events in September and October to showcase a new Gwent Levels Sense of Place toolkit and how to best use it with your staff, volunteers and visitors. Participants will receive a hard copy of the toolkit.
The toolkit provides information, tips, images and links to help those living, working, visiting and enjoying the Gwent Levels to get the most out of the landscape, its heritage and community. It brings together everything that has been developed, produced and installed as part of the Living Levels Landscape partnership.
For training event details and to access the digital toolkits visit the Living Levels website.
Please email Ed Drewitt, project lead, for more information.
Royal Welsh Winter Fair 2021
The Royal Welsh Agricultural Society (RWAS) have announced that this year’s Royal Welsh Winter Fair will be returning to the Showground in Llanelwedd as a two-day event on 29 and 30 November 2021. Visit the Business Wales website for more details.
Inclusive walking scheme pilot aims to tackle isolation by boosting mobility
Over the past year, National Parks have been hailed as beacons of wellbeing, offering a chance to reconnect with nature and each other. A new pilot scheme run by the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority seeks to build on this, and harness local expertise to develop a fully-inclusive walking project.
Aimed at supporting those at risk of isolation and giving people of all abilities, including wheelchair users, the skills and confidence to enjoy the spectacular landscape of the National Park, the project has launched with a series of pilot walks planned for the autumn months.
The Park Authority is now calling on individuals, service users, carers and professionals to get involved and help shape the new programme.
The first pilot walk took place on Wednesday 8 September, and others are planned for Wednesday 13 October and Wednesday 10 November. Any individuals or organisations interested in getting involved with this project should visit the Pembrokeshire National Park website.
For more information on easy access walks, beaches and viewpoints within the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park, visit Access for All - Pembrokeshire Coast National Park.
Support to help increase Welsh language use following the pandemic
Work to support Welsh language skills and use will receive £2.4m in Covid recovery funding, to help keep Wales on its route to doubling the daily use of Welsh by 2050. Read the announcement in full on Gov.Wales.
Recycle Week 2021
Recycle Week takes place from 20 to 26 September 2021, and is the largest national annual recycling campaign, now in its 18th year!
Recycling plays an essential role in tackling climate change. Up to 95% less energy is used to make products from recycled materials than using raw materials. It's a simple thing everyone can do to make a real difference. You can find more details on the Business Wales website.
HSE Coronavirus updates and advice
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has published a range of guidance and advice, to help make your workplace a safer place. You can find more details on the Business Wales website.
Tax changes for Health and Social Care
National Insurance contributions (NICs) will increase by 1.25% for one year only for employees, employers and the self-employed from April 2022.
This will cover both Class 1 (employee and employer), Class 1A and 1B and Class 4 (self-employed) NICs. Those above State Pension Age are not impacted by the April 2022 changes. Visit the Business Wales website for more details.
Useful COVID-19 information
As each premises is different, businesses should read all guidance. This continues 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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