Tourism Industry Update
BULLETIN CONTENTS: Help for Wales’ countryside following boost in tourism; Written Statement: The classification of self-catering accommodation for local tax purposes; Event Wales support confirmed for Gottwood and Merthyr Rising; North Wales Skills & Employment Survey 2022; Next Tourism Generation (NTG) Alliance conference and tourism industry skills toolkit; REMINDER - Using social media and online tools in tourism and hospitality - new webinar dates; Preventing sexual harassment at work: checklist and action plan for the hospitality industry; A Celebration of Rural Wales: 9 - 10 June 2022, Royal Welsh Agricultural Society Showground, Builth Wells; St Fagan’s National Museum of History ranked top in UK; Guidance for businesses offering work to people coming from Ukraine; Wheely big investment will encourage cycle use and help Wales meet net zero; Welsh Wine Week; 4 - 12 June 2022; Useful COVID-19 information
Help for Wales’ countryside following boost in tourism
Climate Change Minister Julie James has announced (Wednesday 25 May) £26m to limit the carbon footprint of tourism in Wales, boost biodiversity and improve access to the countryside so all can enjoy its beauty.
The Minister made the announcement as she opened an electric vehicle (EV) network in Pembrokeshire Coast National Park – it is believed to be the most extensive network in any UK national park with 74 charging points.
The Minister explained that the funding would be used to help make tourism more sustainable and Wales’ countryside more resilient following the growth of staycations during the pandemic.
Some of the ways in which it will be used include:
- making improvements to transport and tourism facilities, particularly around visitor hotspots
- improving footpath networks with a particular focus on disability access
- funding projects that will improve Wales’ National Parks so they can better store carbon and provide better protection for wildlife
Read the announcement in full on Gov.Wales.
Written Statement: The classification of self-catering accommodation for local tax purposes
A written statement was provided on 24 May by Rebecca Evans MS, Minister for Finance and Local Government on the classification of self-catering accommodation for local tax purposes.
Details are available on: Written Statement: The classification of self-catering accommodation for local tax purposes (24 May 2022) | GOV.WALES.
Event Wales support confirmed for Gottwood and Merthyr Rising
Gottwood Festival and Merthyr Rising will both take place over the weekend of 9-12 June and are looking forward to welcoming back the crowds at both ends of the country.
They have received in principle support from the Welsh Government through Event Wales, intended to help the event owners grow and develop the events.
Merthyr Rising is a festival which takes place during the anniversary of one of the very first organised uprisings by workers in 1831 known as the Merthyr Rising. The festival now celebrates this symbolic event through a cultural festival of music, arts, political discussion.
Gottwood is a critically acclaimed, independent, boutique, and intimate underground electronic music festival which takes place in Holyhead, Anglesey. The Independent referred to it as “One of the most important boutique festivals that the UK has to offer.”
Read the announcement in full on Gov.Wales.
SKILLS AND TRAINING:
North Wales Skills & Employment Survey 2022
The North Wales Regional Skills Partnership are giving you the opportunity to influence skills policy and provision within the region.
The partnership has been commissioned by Welsh Government to undertake research in order to understand business challenges, issues and opportunities in terms of current skills and employment, as well as future skills needs.
Find out more and complete their short online survey, (should take no more than 10 minutes to complete) on North Wales Skills & Employment Survey 2022 (surveymonkey.co.uk). Closes 31 May 2022.
Further information is available or you can contact the Regional Skills Partnership on www.rspnorth.wales.
Next Tourism Generation (NTG) Alliance conference and tourism industry skills toolkit
The Next Tourism Generation (NTG) Alliance is an Erasmus + funded project, with 14 Consortia partners; including NTG Wales and focusses on digital, social, and green skills gaps within the tourism and hospitality workforce.
The NTG Alliance is inviting tourism and hospitality leaders across Wales to attend the NTG Final Conference: The transition of green, digital and social skills development in tourism on 9 June, to learn about the NTG outputs. These include:
- Tourism Sector Toolkit
- NTG Skills Assessment Methodology (SAM)
- NTG Skills Matrix
- Quality Skill Standards Framework
- Blueprint to address skills needs in the tourism sector
Register on The Next Tourism Generation: The transition of green, digital and social skills development - NTG.
Skills toolkits are also available for the tourism sector and can be found on NTG Toolkit - NTG (nexttourismgeneration.eu).
For further information on NTG Wales email Dr Sheena Carlisle.
REMINDER - Using social media and online tools in tourism and hospitality - new webinar dates
Join Superfast Business Wales for a free two-part webinar tailored for the tourism and hospitality sector.
Learn how to make your business stand out online, engage new customers, make more of reviews, as well as use digital tools like online booking platforms to run your business successfully.
Sign up for the webinars and find out more about free one-to-one support on: Using Social Media and Online Tools in Tourism and Hospitality (Page 1 of 4) (office.com).
Preventing sexual harassment at work: checklist and action plan for the hospitality industry
Alongside UKHospitality, the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) have launched a checklist and action plan to help employers in the hospitality industry tackle sexual harassment against their staff. More than half of women and two-thirds of LGBT people report experiencing workplace sexual harassment, with the problem particularly acute in the hospitality sector.
This practical resource contains safety and preventative advice for hospitality venues. The EHRC have worked closely with the hospitality industry to develop this guidance, however it can be applied to any workplace.
Visit the Business Wales website for more details.
A Celebration of Rural Wales: 9 - 10 June 2022, Royal Welsh Agricultural Society Showground, Builth Wells
Organised by the Welsh Government’s Wales Rural Network Support Unit, A Celebration of Rural Wales will showcase some of the outstanding projects which have been set up in Wales through the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) Programme and capture what is important to continue to support the rural economy in the future. Register today on Celebrating Rural Wales - register.
As part of the celebration, an event to taste Welsh food and drink and learn more about rural development projects will be held. More details can be found on: Blas ar Gymru / A Taste of Wales Tickets, Thu 9 Jun 2022 at 16:00 | Eventbrite.
St Fagan’s National Museum of History ranked top in UK
More than 40 attractions nationwide - from science, transport and war museums to art galleries – were recently rated by over 4000 visitors for Which? magazine.
St Fagan’s National Museum of History has been ranked the top in the UK. Find out more on The best museums and galleries in the UK - Which?. (English only)
Guidance for businesses offering work to people coming from Ukraine
UK Government guidance is available to for businesses looking to employ people coming to the UK from Ukraine. Find out more on: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/guidance-for-businesses-offering-work-to-people-coming-from-ukraine. (English only)
Wheely big investment will encourage cycle use and help Wales meet net zero
Getting people out of cars and on to bikes is the aim of a £50 million investment announced by Deputy Climate Change Minister Lee Waters.
As part of the investment announced, all local authorities will receive a minimum of £500,000 with additional allocations having been awarded based on the outcome of a competitive application process.
Further details are also available on: Wheely big investment will encourage cycle use and help Wales meet net zero | Business Wales (gov.wales).
Welsh Wine Week; 4 - 12 June 2022
Welsh Wine Week is taking place this year on 4-12 June. Find out more and learn how you can get involved on www.welshwineweek.co.uk.
Stay up to date with tourism industry news
Take a look at our latest Visit Wales industry newsletters and bulletins: Tourism Newsletter/Bulletin | Business Wales (gov.wales).
These include the latest tourism industry news from Wales and information for the industry on Coronavirus (COVID-19).
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.
For specific 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 to visit the Business Wales website or call Business Wales helpline on 03000 6 03000. You should 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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