Coronavirus restrictions relaxed further to support tourism and leisure sectors in Wales
Following the latest 21-day review of the coronavirus regulations, the First Minister has set out a phased timetable to ease restrictions for large parts of Wales’ visitor, hospitality, and leisure and tourism sectors. Read in detail on the Welsh Government website.
The current proposals at the review on 10 July, which are subject to change, envisage re-opening the visitor economy as follows:
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6 July 2020
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Outdoor visitor attractions
On 6 July the Welsh Government lifted the requirement to stay local allowing people to travel around Wales and to visit outdoor visitor attractions, subject to strict social distancing and hand hygiene guidelines.
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11 July 2020
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Reopening self-contained holiday accommodation
Self-catering accommodation can only be let to members of the same or extended household. This also includes serviced accommodation where bedroom occupancy can only be let to the same or extended household and not, for example, friends booking a twin bedroom or a family bedroom, etc.
This includes any accommodation that is entirely self-contained, e.g. holiday cottages, holiday caravans including touring caravans, motorhomes, boats and some glamping accommodation with their own kitchens and bathrooms that no other guests use.
Also in this category:
- Hotels and other serviced accommodation (e.g. B&Bs, hostels, etc.) that do provide en-suite rooms and can provide room service meals.
- Caravan parks where accommodation is entirely self-contained – but shared facilities on the premises will remain closed, such as swimming pools, leisure facilities, shared shower and toilets blocks, shared laundry, etc, and public areas in other accommodation types. This means any caravan or touring site where individual accommodation has its own supply of water for on board shower, WC and cooking with strict application of guidance on shared waste disposal and water points.
All shared facilities, aside from water and disposal points, should remain closed including toilets, shower blocks, laundry, restaurants, nightclubs, bars, cafes, etc.
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13 July 2020
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Pubs, bars, cafes and restaurants re-open outdoors
Indoor visitor attractions excluding any part of a visitor attraction which is underground.
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25 July 2020
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Camping and caravanning with shared facilities prepare for re-opening
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3 August
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Indoor hospitality prepare for re-opening
Check back later for more information.
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To be confirmed
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Re-opening of remaining visitor attractions subject to further scientific advice and discussions with the industry
Check back later for more information.
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Coronavirus (COVID-19) guidance for safely re-opening your business
Visitor Economy Guidance is available to help tourism and hospitality businesses safely re-open during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
Additional guidance has also been produced in consultation with the Hospitality sector for Pubs, Bars, Cafes and Restaurants re-opening outdoors, which can be viewed on the UK Hospitality website.
As each premises is different, businesses should read all guidance to understand the measures to be considered to re-open the business safely.
A list of Frequently Asked Questions in relation to Coronavirus (COVID19) is also updated regularly on Gov.Wales – please check back regularly.
Important New Policy Guidance – Maintaining Records of Staff, Customers & Visitors
Coronavirus will be with us until an effective vaccine is available or there is enough immunity among the population. As lockdown restrictions ease, general rules around social distancing and handwashing will remain important in reducing the risk of transmission. Our Test, Trace, Protect strategy will be key in controlling the spread of new outbreaks, particularly as public spaces start to re-open.
As people increasingly come into greater contact with others, there is a higher risk of transmitting COVID-19 in some sectors. This is because customers and visitors will spend a longer time on these premises than in other surroundings, and will potentially come into close contact with people outside of their household. These sectors include:
- Hospitality, including pubs, bars, restaurants and cafes.
- Tourism and leisure, including theme parks, museums and cinemas.
- Close contact services including hairdressers, barbers, beauticians, tattooists, sports and massage therapists, dress fitters, tailors and fashion designers.
- Facilities provided by local authorities, such as libraries and leisure centres.
For businesses operating in these sectors, important new policy guidance from Welsh Government has now been published. This describes the important role these businesses play in supporting contact tracing and keeping Wales safe. As a business operating in one of these sectors, you now need to start collecting details and maintaining records of staff, customers and visitors to your premises. This guidance is not a legal requirement, but it is strongly advised that you follow this advice to support the NHS Wales Test, Trace, Protect service in reducing the risk of transmission of COVID-19.
Large tourism companies welcome Economic Resilience Fund support of £2m from Welsh Government
As restrictions begin to be gradually eased at tourism sites and attractions across Wales, the Welsh Government’s bespoke Economic Resilience Fund (ERF) has provided vital support of more than £2 million to some of our largest key tourism companies.
Today, Minister for the Economy, Transport and North Wales, Ken Skates, visited one of the fund recipients, Zip World, which re-opened two of its three sites earlier this week, offering thrill-seekers six of the Zip World adventures.
Sean Taylor, founder of Zip World, said: “We’ve welcomed the support and hard work from all the team at the Welsh Government during this crisis. We thank them for their continued effort to safely get the visitor economy back up and running again and for recognising the significance of our brand to the local North Wales economy.”
The ERF, which is part of the Welsh Government’s £1.7bn support package for business, is providing significant financial support to companies across Wales and complements the support provided by the UK Government. To date, it has provided more than 8,200 businesses with financial support worth more than £230m.
Other large tourism companies which have received ERF funding include Bourne Leisure; Bluestone and JH Leeke, which operates the Vale Resort. Read in full on the Welsh Government website.
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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