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: £45m package to train staff and help Welsh SMEs grow; Next steps confirmed to tackle impact of second home ownership on Wales’ communities; Ambitious deal to deliver radical change and reform; Wales’ bathing waters deliver 100% compliance record for fourth year running; Skills and Recruitment: Tourism and hospitality recruitment / careers campaign - Are you looking for staff for Christmas and New Year?; Fancy free Welsh translation for your business? Just say helo to Blod; Gower hotel’s digital changes get five stars from customers; Welsh Government consultations; Working Minds campaign launches; Plan It With Purpose: achieve your sustainability goals; Community Changemakers Fund – South West Wales; Useful COVID-19 information.
£45m package to train staff and help Welsh SMEs grow
A £45m package of funding that will help small businesses across Wales to grow and support thousands of people to train to work in key sectors is being made available by the Welsh Government, Economy Minister, Vaughan Gething, has announced.
As part of the package, £35m will help small and medium sized businesses (SMEs) in Wales relaunch, develop, decarbonise and grow to help drive Wales’ economic recovery. The funding will support more than 1,000 business, help to create 2,000 new jobs and safeguard a further 4,000 jobs.
In a joint initiative between the Economy Minister and the Minister for Education and Welsh Language, Jeremy Miles, an additional £10m is being made available to boost Wales’ popular Personal Learning Accounts. This will enable further education colleges to deliver additional courses and qualifications which will help 2,000 people access a wider range of job and earning opportunities in priority sectors facing labour shortages.
Ministers say the substantial package will help support Wales’ economy through the winter months.
Read the announcement in full on Gov.Wales.
Next steps confirmed to tackle impact of second home ownership on Wales’ communities
Climate Change Minister Julie James has revealed details of a pilot scheme to tackle the impact second home ownership is having on some Welsh communities.
Speaking in the Senedd, the Minister confirmed the pilot will bring together a range of actions to address the impacts large numbers of second homes and short-term holiday lets can have.
The Minister told MSs that Dwyfor had been chosen for a pilot which will launch in January with support from Gwynedd Council.
The Minister also launched a consultation on proposed planning changes. This will seek views on the use of ‘class order’ in planning which would allow local planning authorities to require planning applications for additional second homes and short-term holiday lets in areas where they are causing significant difficulties for communities. The consultation will shape the second phase of the pilot which could involve making changes to planning, taxation and tourism systems.
In addition, the Minister for Education and Welsh Language, Jeremy Miles announced the launch of a consultation on additional measures tailored specifically for those communities in which the Welsh language is widely spoken. This will form the basis of the Welsh Government’s Welsh Language Communities Housing Plan, and will play an important part in maintaining Welsh-speaking communities as places that facilitate the use of the language.
Read the announcement in full on Gov.Wales.
Ambitious deal to deliver radical change and reform
The First Minister Mark Drakeford and Leader of Plaid Cymru Adam Price have spoken of their ambition for Wales as they unveiled the Co-operation Agreement.
The agreement is a joint policy programme covering 46 areas, ranging from the delivery of free school meals to all primary school pupils; a commitment to take immediate and radical action to address the second homes crisis, to long-term reform of the Senedd.
This is a new form of political working arrangement. The two partners – the Welsh Government and the Plaid Cymru Senedd Group – will work together to jointly develop and oversee the delivery of the policies covered by the agreement over the coming three years.
The commitments outlined in this agreement include:
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Local tourism levies – Introduce local tourism levies using local government finance reform legislation.
Read the announcement in full on Gov.Wales.
Wales’ bathing waters deliver 100% compliance record for fourth year running
Of the 105 bathing waters sampled by Natural Resources Wales (NRW), 85 achieved the highest classification of excellent, 14 good and six sufficient ensuring that Wales’ coastlines continue to meet some of the most stringent water quality standards in Europe.
A classification of excellent water quality is one of the main requirements for applying for a Blue Flag award for 2021.
As part of its Programme for Government the Welsh Government will be looking to replicate this level of success when it starts to designate more inland waters, for example lakes and rivers, as bathing waters in Wales.
Vaughan Gething, Minister for Economy said:
“We know that many people decided to stay in Wales for their holidays this year – and as a result discovered what our amazing coastline has to offer. These results are an excellent sign of confidence in the quality of our bathing water, and in the team effort made by communities, regulators and other partners to safeguard our natural assets.”
Read the announcement in full on Gov.Wales.
SKILLS AND RECRUITMENT:
Tourism and hospitality recruitment / careers campaign
As part of the campaign, a toolkit is now available to help with recruiting staff and raising awareness of the great career opportunities in tourism and hospitality: Download the toolkit and images.
Please support the campaign by keeping an eye out on social media and using #TheExperienceMakers in any online job postings or messages. For full details of the campaign visit the Working Wales website.
Are you looking for staff for Christmas and New Year?
Most colleges are happy to post vacancies on their websites – you can find more information on our skills and recruitment page under ‘Posting job vacancies with local providers’. If your local college is not listed here, contact them direct or check out their website.
For information on support with recruiting and training staff please visit our Skills and Recruitment pages – includes links to Jobcentre Plus, Personal Learning Accounts and the Flexible Skills Programme for Tourism and Hospitality.
Fancy free Welsh translation for your business? Just say helo to Blod
Helo Blod is a free, fast and friendly Welsh translation and advice service that will help you use more Welsh in your business. Using just a little bit of Cymraeg can make a big difference.
From translating menus, business cards or signage, to advice on making your website bilingual – Helo Blod is here to support you!
Visit the Business Wales website for more details.
Gower hotel’s digital changes get five stars from customers
Like many in the hospitality sector, Oxwich Bay Hotel has had to deal with staffing and cash flow issues during the pandemic. Discover how digital provided the solution, and got the thumbs up from customers, thanks to free support from Superfast Business Wales.
Watch the video and find out more about digital support from Superfast Business Wales.
Welsh Government consultations
Visit the Welsh Government website for information on other consultations.
Working Minds campaign launches
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) are calling for a culture change across Britain’s workplaces where recognising and responding to the signs of stress becomes as routine as managing workplace safety.
Work-related stress is now the number one cause of employee sickness absence, with major factors causing work-related stress including workload pressures - tight deadlines, too much responsibility and a lack of managerial support. Employers, particularly smaller ones, are not aware of their legal duties or how to spot the signs of stress.
Visit the Business Wales website for more details.
Plan It With Purpose: achieve your sustainability goals
Enterprise Nation is partnering with Aviva and Smart Energy GB to help businesses implement sustainable best practices that deliver a positive impact on the planet, society, and the economy.
The programme has been designed to support small and medium businesses and business owners by increasing their understanding of environmental and social issues in the UK, showcasing relatable role models, building sustainable ventures, plus encouraging change through tailored resources, action plans and recommendations.
Visit the Business Wales website for more details.
Community Changemakers Fund – South West Wales
South West Wales Connected Community Rail Partnership has re-launched a community grant fund to support communities along the railway line to make change happen in their local places.
The Community Changemakers fund will directly support groups and organisations who want to drive positive local change. The deadline for applications is 23 December.
For more information, visit the South West Wales Connected website.
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.
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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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