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© James Bowden
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: First Minister outlines ambitious aim to offer all eligible adults a booster appointment by end of year; COVID-19 UK Consumer sentiment tracker survey; ONS Travel and Tourism Statistics Consultation; Wales International Inbound Tourism Fund (WIITF); Final reminder: What do you think of sustainable tourism?; Reminder: Places available for Britain & Ireland Marketplace (BIM) 2022; Register now: Wales International Travel Trade webinar; £1 million fund to support 500 unemployed people to start a business; Ramblers Cymru capturing the hearts of local communities through walking; Make Your Catch Count – Count Your Catch!; Useful COVID-19 information.
First Minister outlines ambitious aim to offer all eligible adults a booster appointment by end of year
First Minister Mark Drakeford has set out Wales’ aim to offer all eligible adults an appointment for a booster vaccine by the end of December.
Urgent plans are being put in place to further accelerate the booster programme as new evidence has emerged showing two doses of the Covid-19 vaccine are not enough to offer protection against the new omicron variant.
But the booster dose is vital in improving protection against the fast-moving variant.
Read the announcement in full on Gov.Wales.
Welsh Government announcements are available on Announcements | GOV.WALES and includes:
COVID-19 UK Consumer sentiment tracker survey
The latest UK consumer sentiment COVID tracker report will be published on the VisitBritain website and includes key findings from fieldwork undertaken in early December.
ONS Travel and Tourism Statistics Consultation
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) is leading a review of travel and tourism statistics covering inbound, outbound and domestic travel in the UK. The review covers information collected by the International Passenger Survey, Great Britain Tourism Survey, Great Britain Day visits survey as well as the opportunity to gather information from new alternative data sources.
This work is seeking to gain a comprehensive understanding of user needs, and to explore how best they can be met in a changing environment. The ONS has launched a consultation and is interested in receiving the views of all sectors of the tourism industry in Wales who are users of travel and tourism statistics. You can submit your response to the consultation here. Closing date 21 December.
Wales International Inbound Tourism Fund (WIITF)
The Wales International Inbound Tourism Fund (WIITF) is a targeted revenue fund designed to ensure that Wales retains and builds on the vital supply chain link with valuable international markets provided by a small sub-sector of Destination Management Companies (DMCs)/ incoming operators, professional tourist guides and accredited English language schools located and operating in Wales.
This is a competitive fund with a limited overall budget of £400,000. Awards will be for a minimum of £3,000 (including for sole traders), to a maximum of £50,000 for companies demonstrating typical high turnover.
Awards will be allocated to eligible companies according to an agreed programme of activity against set criteria, considered most likely to promote resilience and economic recovery for tourism in Wales in a sustainable and responsible way.
Find out more on the specific eligibility requirements in order to register to apply in our previous bulletin: News Bulletin: Wales International Inbound Tourism Fund (WIITF) (govdelivery.com).
The statement by Vaughan Gething, Minister for Economy can be viewed: Written Statement: Wales International Inbound Tourism Fund (14 December 2021) | GOV.WALES.
Final reminder: What do you think of sustainable tourism?
Audit Wales wants to hear from tourism businesses in and around Wales’ National Parks about the challenge of managing sustainable tourism.
Our National Parks are internationally important examples of how working landscapes can be protected. The concept of a protected landscape – a protected area within which people live and work – is of increasing importance in global conservation terms.
Find out more in a previous bulletin and please complete the survey here. By spending a few minutes sharing your views you can help shape the future of sustainable tourism in Wales.
Reminder: Places available for Britain & Ireland Marketplace (BIM) 2022
BIM is an annual B2B workshop organised by the European Tour Operator Association (ETOA) and UKInbound.
This two-day event will take place:
Visit Wales has negotiated a special rate of £100+VAT for a small number of Wales based suppliers to attend both days.
The closing date for registrations will be 21 December 2021. Visit the tourism industry website for more information.
Register now: Wales International Travel Trade webinar - 4pm, Monday 20 December
In advance of the Britain and Ireland Marketplace, the European Tour Operators Association (ETOA) and UKInbound are hosting a webinar on the prospects for inbound tourism into Wales.
It will cover the prospects for recovery in 2022, and what is needed to capitalise on future demand. It will also cover how suppliers might use the travel industry to distribute their product.
Register now for the Wales International Travel Trade webinar, at which you will be able to hear from the following participants:
- Tom Jenkins, CEO, ETOA
- Joss Croft, CEO, UKInbound
- Clare Dwight, Senior Tourism Marketing Manager, Visit Wales
- Adam Lotinga, former Managing Director, MIKI
- Karen Urban, Director, Tour Partner Group
£1 million fund to support 500 unemployed people to start a business
The Welsh Government is launching a £1 million fund to support up to 500 unemployed people and young people not in education, employment or training to start their own business, Economy Minister Vaughan Gething has announced.
This discretionary grant will provide financial assistance of up to £2,000 for 400 individuals who have faced barriers to starting up a business, and up to 100 young entrepreneurs.
Find out more on Gov.Wales.
Ramblers Cymru capturing the hearts of local communities through walking
Ramblers Cymru’s community led Paths to Wellbeing £1.2m funded project is seeking to transform walking and nature across 18 areas, by helping people to develop their path network and improve their local green spaces.
This project has received funding through the Welsh Government Rural Communities – Rural Development Programme 2014-2020, which is funded by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development and the Welsh Government.
Supported by 6 regional officers, Ramblers Cymru will give volunteers the tools and training needed to find and design new routes and improve existing ones. This will help provide important spaces to improve the physical and mental wellbeing of the communities and by joining the project, local people will be able to learn new skills to help make their community greener and more accessible to all.
Ramblers Cymru will work alongside the Wildlife Trust Wales and Coed Cadw, the Woodland Trust in Wales, with a key part of the project focused on improving nature.
To find out more or get involved in a nearby selected community visit: www.ramblers.org.uk/pathstowellbeing.
Make Your Catch Count – Count Your Catch!
Working with a wide range of angling, marine and fishery organisations, the Angling Trust joins the Welsh Government, Defra, Cefas and Substance in calling for sea anglers to sign up to the Sea Angling Diary project.
The project invites sea anglers to provide information on how often they fish, what they catch and what they spend. This informs UK governments and angling federations about the value of sea angling for our economy and how marine fisheries can be managed more efficiently and sustainably. Recreational angling is a highly valued industry in Wales, for leisure, tourism and wellbeing.
In an activity like sea angling, it is anglers themselves who need to provide that vital first-hand information. More anglers using the Sea Angling Diary will help provide better data on the sector’s value and impact, help improve and support the sustainable management of marine fisheries.
Anglers can sign up here: www.seaangling.org. Find out more information and get involved on Substance Make Your Catch Count – Count Your Catch!
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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