On behalf of MPI UK & Ireland, we hope you and your families are keeping healthy during these times. The last few weeks have been challenging to see the impact that the Coronavirus outbreak has had on our businesses, communities, industry, and personal well-being. The next few weeks bring a harder challenge as we lockdown and make our social circles even smaller. Our thoughts and sympathies are extended to this entire MPI community and we want you to know that we are here for you.
MPI prides itself on its ability to create networks and share education and this current situation does not change that. We encourage you take advantage of the virtual communities and education that we provide our members on https://u.mpiweb.org/home .
Now, more than ever, we must stand together and help one another through these unsettling times. We have already seen amazing things happening, such as hotels and convention centres converting into temporary hospitals, virtual weddings, social distancing concerts and balcony-singing. If there’s one thing we know, it’s that our industry is about people connecting with people. While we will be in isolation for at least the next few weeks, the meetings and events industry will recover and come back stronger than ever.
Stay healthy and stay strong,
Your MPI UK & Ireland Chapter Board
TIER: COVID-19 update 25 February
Today’s update includes the recommendation that the UK should move from COVID alert level 5 to 4, the publication of the Northern Ireland Economic Recovery Plan as well as the more guidance on reopening businesses and venues In England
Reopening businesses and venues in England
Further to the release of the UK Government’s COVID-19 four-step plan to ease lockdown in England, new guidance on reopening businesses and venues in Englandhas been published. Please see a summary of the relevant guidance for tourism businesses below. We will continue to keep you informed as more information becomes available
Step 1 - from 8 March
Businesses permitted to open remain the same as currently allowed.
From 29 March
People can use these venues in a group of six people, or with members of up to two households.
Step 2 - no earlier than 12 April
At this stage the venues must only be attended/used in line with the wider social contact limits- as a single household or bubble indoors; or in a group of 6 people or 2 households outdoors (unless an exemption exists).
Step 3 - no earlier than 17 May
At this stage the venues must only be attended/used in line with the wider social contact limits - in a group of 6 people or 2 households indoors; or in a group of no more than 30 people outdoors (unless an exemption exists).
Step 4 - no earlier than 21 June
Northern Ireland Economic Recovery Action Plan
Yesterday the Northern Ireland Tourism Alliance and CBI joined the Minister Dodds for the economy when she announced the publication of the Economic Recovery Action Plan. The plan sets out the key actions required to rebuild the Northern Ireland economy and it is significant as the Tourism industry has been recognised as a key economic driver in that recovery. The plan can be downloaded here. The plan is based around 4 themes:
There are number of actions relating to Tourism which cover demand stimulation across home markets, Covid Holiday at Home voucher, product and experience development programmes, supporting regional connectivity and the development of a Sustainable and Regenerative Tourism Strategy.
Other updates
Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme updates
A reminder of the date for claims for CJRS for furlough days in February 2021 must be made by 15 March 2021 has been added to the following pages:
Information about the banded ranges and employer claim data have been updated on the following pages:
New statistics are available for the following schemes:
Other updates
TOURISM ALLIANCE UPDATE – 25 FEBRUARY
DHSC has published guidance on who is deemed to be an essential workers to be prioritised for PCR testing. From a tourism perspective it includes:
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/essential-workers-prioritised-for-covid-19-testing
The Planning inspectorate has issued guidance to say that they are reviewing how they will operator over the forthcoming months in light of the Government’s Road Map in easing restrictions as well as liaising with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government on their expectations for the planning system in the light of planning reform and wider system changes. After which they will “carefully evaluate the full range of practical options” continue to “engage with all customers, participants and stakeholders”.
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/coronavirus-covid-19-planning-inspectorate-guidance
The Home Office has released data on arrivals into the UK since the beginning of the Coronavirus outbreak. The key findings are:
The guidance for businesses providing apprenticeships has been updated again to state that eligible apprentices can now start their EPA before they achieve their functional skills qualifications, if they have been prevented from doing so by coronavirus restrictions.
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-apprenticeship-programme-response
TIER: COVID-19 update 24 February
Levelling Up Fund extended to include the whole of the UK
Today the Treasury announced that the Levelling Up Fund will be extended to include Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
The initial £4 billion fund, announced at the Spending Review, will be increased to £4.8 billion as the scheme becomes UK-wide. It will be for investment in local infrastructure that has an impact on people and their communities, such as regeneration and transport.
Further details on how the Fund will operate, including who can bid, the types of projects eligible for funding, and the criteria for assessing will be published in the prospectus at Budget on 3 March.
Find out more information here.
UK Government press briefing
Education Secretary Gavin Williamson was joined by Dr Jenny Harries, Deputy Chief Medical Officer for England at a press briefing this afternoon. He provided an update on the plan on the return to schools and was asked the following questions:
Other Government updates
TOURISM ALLIANCE – 24 FEBRUARY
I offer up the following question on the Roadmap in the House of Lords without comment.
Baroness Doocey (LD)
My Lords, self-catering accommodation can open from 12 April, but only if there are no shared facilities. Camping grounds cannot open because they have shared toilet blocks. Pubs can also open from 12 April, for those people sitting outside, and those people can use the pub’s toilets. Could the Leader explain why it is considered safe to use a shared toilet in a pub but not in a camping site?
Baroness Evans of Bowes Park (Con)
No, I am afraid I cannot.
The government has published the latest round of business grants data, showing the government funding delivered to each council in England to support their local businesses. What is of particular interest in this table on the percentage of LRSG and ARG grants that has been allocated. Although the table is over a month out of date, it shows that Councils have been slow to allocate this funding to businesses - especially the ARG grants that many businesses are depending on.
TIER: COVID-19 update 23 February
Updated strategic framework for easing lockdown restrictions for Scotland
This afternoon First Minister Nicola Sturgeon outlined Scotland’s approach to easing lockdown restrictions and Scotland’s updated COVID-19 strategic framework has been published.
Assuming that progress in suppressing the virus and vaccinating key groups remains on track restrictions would be eased as follows, with a likely gap of at least three weeks between each phase to assess the impact of changes, and to check that it is safe to proceed further using the six conditions for safe easing set out by the World Health Organisation:
Financial support will continue to be available to businesses as Scotland comes out of lockdown, including the ongoing commitment to fund the Strategic Framework Business Fund and to provide Level 4 payments for an additional month once businesses are moved down a level. These proposals are contingent on receipt of additional consequentials from the UK Government.
In her statement, Nicola Sturgeon said that further details will be set out in mid-March including on the indicators that will guide decisions on levels, and the expected order of the reopening of the economy and restricted businesses.
https://www.gov.scot/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-update-first-ministers-statement-23-february-2021/ and Read the press release here.
Other updates:
TOURISM ALLIANCE UPDATE – 23 February
The second wave of LRSG payments for closed businesses has been announced and covers the period 16th February to 31st March 2021. The payments for this 44 day period are:
The Government has revised and updated the guidance publication on managing apprenticeships to provide information on:
If you’ve got a bit of time and interested about these things, the Government has published a series of papers by different research groups including Imperial College and Warwick University which model a range of reopening scenarios including ones very similar to the road map published yesterday
TIER: COVID-19 update 22 February
Roadmap for easing of restrictions in England announced
In his statement to the House of Commons today, Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced the government roadmap that outlines how lockdown restrictions will be eased in England. The roadmap is in four steps. Before proceeding to the next step, the Government will examine the data to assess the impact of previous steps.
This assessment will be based on four tests:
There will be a minimum of five weeks between each step: four weeks for the data to reflect changes in restrictions; followed by seven days’ notice of the restrictions to be eased.
The full roadmap document is available here. A simplified table of the steps is available on pages 47-48. See below for a summary of the key points:
Step 1 (two parts split between 8 and 29 March)
From 8 March:
People will be allowed to spend time in outdoor public spaces for recreation on their own, with one other person, or with their household or support bubble. People must continue to maintain social distance from those outside their household. This is in addition to outdoor exercise which is already permitted.
There will continue to be restrictions on international travel. Holidays will not be a permitted reason to travel. Those seeking to leave the UK must complete an outbound declaration of travel form ahead of departure.
From 29 March
People will no longer be legally required to stay at home, but some restrictions will remain such as continuing to work from home where possible and minimising all travel. The rule of six will return for outdoors, and meetings of two households will also be permitted. This includes in private gardens.
Outdoor sports and leisure facilities will be able to reopen and formally organised outdoor sports will be able to resume, subject to guidance.
Step 2 – from 12 April at the earliest, subject to an assessment of the data against the four tests
Outdoor gatherings must still be limited to six people or two households as in Step 1, and no indoor mixing will be allowed unless otherwise exempt. Additional premises will be able to reopen but should only be visited alone or with household groups:
In addition:
All newly open settings must abide by the social contact rules. This will be accompanied by mitigations including workforce testing and continued social distancing guidance. People should continue to work from home where they can and minimise domestic travel where they can. International holidays will still be prohibited.
Step 3 – from 17 May at the earliest and at least five weeks after Step 2
Most legal restrictions on meeting others outdoors will be lifted, but gatherings of more than 30 people outdoors will remain illegal. Indoors, people will be able to meet socially in a group of six, or with one other household (though it may be possible to go further than this at Step 3 depending on the data). COVID-Secure guidance will remain in place and premises must not cater for groups larger than the legal limits.
Sectors which will reopen include:
In addition
Step 4 – from 21 June at the earliest, and at least five weeks after Step 3
With appropriate mitigations in place, by Step 4, the Government aims to remove all legal limits on social contact, reopen the remaining closed settings, including nightclubs and enable large events, theatre performances, above the Step 3 capacity restrictions (subject to the outcome of the scientific Events Research Programme) and remove all limits on weddings and other life events, subject to the outcome of the scientific Events Research Programme.
Read the press release here and the Prime Minister’s Statement here.
In parallel to these steps, four formal reviews will also take place on the issues of:
Further details of business support will come from the Chancellor’s budget next Wednesday. A plan for reacting to local outbreaks will also be published next month, with measures to tackle new variants. He could not rule out implementing restrictions at a local level if required.
Update from Visit Wales on accepting bookings for Easter in self-contained holiday accommodation
In response to queries regarding accepting bookings for the Easter period in self-contained holiday accommodation, the latest industry newsletter from Visit Wales states that:
Wave 25 of VisitBritain consumer sentiment research published
VisitEngland has published the next wave of its consumer sentiment research. Please see the report here. They are pleased to report that they will be continuing this research until the end of August. The next report will be in four weeks’ time.
Other updates
TIER: COVID-19 update 19 February
Update on Wales lockdown, changes to some of the rules and schools reopening
First Minister Mark Drakeford confirmed today that following the recent review of restrictions, Wales will remain at Alert Level 4. The next review will take place in three weeks’ time.
The following changes to the current rules were also announced:
He also stated that from Monday 22 February, children aged three to seven will begin returning to schools in a phased way, while some vocational learners, on courses that require practical learning, will return to college.
Business Rates Review update
The Government has announced that it will now publish the final report on the fundamental review of business rates in Autumn 2021.
The review was announced at last year’s Budget and the call for evidence closed in July. An interim report which will include a summary of responses to the call for evidence will be published on 23 March 2021.
TOURISM ALLIANCE UPDATE – 19 FEBRUARY
The ONS’s weekly update has been published and, somewhat surprisingly, even though the roll-out of the vaccine has been successful and the Prime Minister is set to announce the reopening Roadmap next week, there hasn’t been a corresponding increase in optimism regarding life getting back to normal. Just 20% of people feel that life will return to normal in six months or less (compared to 21% last week), while 29% of people feel that it will take more than a year for life to return to normal (up from 27% last week).
This indicates that while there is considerable demand for some sectors of the tourism industry such as self-catering, considerable effort will be required to encourage people to return to city destinations and activities such as going to pubs and restaurants or entertainment venues.
DCMS has published data on the GVA of different industries under their responsibility. These figures show that the GVA from tourism is £74.5bn of the total GVA of £291.9bn generated by businesses across Arts, heritage and Libraries, Design and media, Digital, Gambling, Sport and Civil Society
There are also figures for employment in industries under DCMS’s remit which unfortunately don’t include any figures for tourism. This is extremely disappointing both in terms of the current economic situation and that it would be relatively easy to produce figures for tourism by applying Tourism Satellite Account ratios for tourism-related industries to the Labour Force Survey
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/ad-hoc-statistical-analysis-202021-quarter-4
HMRC has update their factsheet for businesses that participated in the Eat Out To Help Out Initiative on how to repay any money that was accidently overclaimed and of their new powers to recover amounts of Eat Out to Help Out payments businesses have overclaimed.
TIER: COVID-19 update 18 February
Northern Ireland restrictions extended for 4 weeks
First Minister Arlene Foster and Finance Minister Conor Murphy announced that COVID-19 restrictions will be in place for another 4 weeks (until 1 April) with another full review on 18 March. The Northern Ireland Executive will publish their decision making framework, the pathway to recovery on 1 March.
They shared an overview of how the health situation is progressing, the R rate in Northern Ireland is now around 0.7-0.8 and the peak period of the infection has passed. However, with the prevalence of the new variants being more infectious community transmission is still a concern, meaning the lifting of restrictions will be cautious and gradual based on the scientific data.
They also announced the gradual return of children to schools from 8 March for some school years. Parents were urged to restrict contact as much as possible.
Other changes will include:
People were urged not to make plans or book anything for the Easter weekend. Financial assistance is being looked at.
Other updates
TOURISM ALLIANCE UPDATE – 18 FEB
The Government has announced that it is making it is introducing three new measures to make it easier for people to order home testing kits. These measures are:
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/covid-19-home-testing-kits-now-easier-to-order
WTTC have written to the Prime Minister putting forward four principles of an exit strategy for reopening international tourism flows. The four principles are:
Here’s a link to the weekly regional coronavirus update that is provided as a briefing to MP. It’s an excellent source of information on coronavirus infection rates at the national and regional levels. Of particular interest in the national summary which show how infection rates have started to fall rapidly across the country.
BEIS have launched a business growth programme through the Leeds LEP which will provide grants of between £10,000 to £250,000 to small and medium-sized businesses and between £100,000 to £250,000 to large businesses (those with more than 250 employees)
To be eligible, businesses must be based in or moving to the Leeds City Region and:
https://www.gov.uk/business-finance-support/business-growth-programme-leeds-city-region
TIER: COVID-19 update 17 February
Please see below today’s updates
Tourism Alliance Update – 17 February
Westminster has allocated an additional £650 million to the Welsh Government to support people, businesses and public services affected by coronavirus. The Welsh Government will be able to carry over any of the £650 million not spent this year into the 2021/22 financial year in order to provide continuing support.
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/further-650-million-funding-boost-for-covid-19-response-in-wales
Those businesses that have been approved funding for taking on an unemployed young worker through the Kick Start scheme are allowed to use the Kick Start branding to advertise that they are part of this initiative. The branding and the guidelines for using it are on the following list.
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/kickstart-scheme-employer-resources
While the focus is on the Government’s reopening roadmap being announced on Monday, it is worth noting that the Scottish Government has announced that it is currently preparing a revised strategic framework, which will set out in much more detail when and how the country might gradually emerge from this lockdown. It is hoped that the new strategic framework will be published next week (probably Tuesday). The framework will:
The First Minister, in making this announcement stated that, for the summer, it is still highly unlikely that overseas holidays will be possible or advisable. However, staycations within Scotland might be allowed by then depending on the data nearer the time.
In Wales, the publication of a reopening strategy has yet to be announced by First Minister Mr Drakeford has said that discussions are being held with tourism and hospitality leaders in Wales about the possibility of opening up around Easter and that Wales would implement a process of slowly moving down the alert levels.
The government has updated the guidance on testing for coach drivers which includes a list of locations where they can take a COVID-19 test, which they need to travel to:
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/haulier-advice-site-locations
TIER: COVID-19 update 16 February
Review of restrictions in Scotland
The First Minister for Scotland Nicola Sturgeon gave a statement today in which she confirmed the core stay at home requirement will be in place until at least the beginning of March.
She confirmed that the phased and gradual return to school will start from Monday 22 February and that being able to get children back to education may other restrictions are in place for longer.
She confirmed that the Scottish Government is revising the strategic framework, which will set out in more detail when and how Scotland might come out of lockdown and this would be published next week. Continued travel restrictions were mentioned as a trade off for continuing to prioritise education, followed by greater family contact and the phased re-opening of the economy.
The framework will try to clarify what may not be possible for a while longer. In giving examples, she said they are likely to advise against booking Easter holidays either overseas or domestically as it is highly unlikely hotels and self-catering accommodation will have been able to open fully by then. She then said it is unlikely that overseas holidays in summer may be possible or advisable, however staycations might be possible depending on the data nearer the time.
Scottish budget update
In a statement to Scottish Parliament, Finance secretary Kate Forbes outlined proposals following confirmation of a further £1.1 billion of consequential funding arising from UK Government coronavirus (COVID-19) spending. The Scottish Government will be able to carry over any of the £1.1 billion not spent this year into the 2021/22 financial year on top of their existing tools to transfer funding between years.
She also confirmed that extension of 100% non-domestic rates relief for retail, tourism, hospitality and aviation businesses in Scotland for the whole of 2021-22.
Other government updates
TOURISM ALLIANCE UPDATE – 16 FEBRUARY
The Government has amended statements that it has made regarding who is banned entry into the UK under the new quarantine regime. Previous statements had been that only UK residents were able to travel to the UK from Red List countries. The new guidance is that British or Irish nationals or those with UK residency rights are able to travel to the UK from Red List countries
HMRC have published an amendment to the guidance on businesses making requests to HMRC that they do not publish details of their furlough claims after complains from businesses that requests could only be made but the company rather than by their accountants who handle CJRS claim processing. As a result, the updated guidance is that agents can make requests on behalf of the businesses that they represent.
Here is a link to the updated guidance where businesses (and their agents) can submit a request.
The Scottish Government has introduced a new package of sector specific support to help the following accommodation businesses closed or impacted by current protective measures.
Staying with Scotland, the Government has also launched the Scottish Zoo and Aquarium Project Fund which is up to £400,000 for businesses experiencing financial hardship which is affecting your conservation projects. The eligibility criteria are:
TIER: COVID-19 update 15 February
This afternoon Prime Minister Boris Johnson led a coronavirus news briefing from Downing Street. Joining him were Chief Scientific Adviser Professor Chris Whitty and Chief Executive of NHS England Simon Stevens. Johnson spoke about the vaccination programme and mentioned next week he will set out the roadmap out of lockdown.
During the briefing there were questions on next week’s announcement of the roadmap and the lifting of restrictions. Boris Johnson answered that decisions are yet to be taken and will be made based on the data, which will become clearer over the course of this week, Current reports in the media are speculation.
There was a question whether people should rule out get togethers and get aways at Easter. The Prime Minister Johnson said he could not give any guarantees and that whilst he was optimistic about the future, the roadmap needs to be realistic and cautious.
Asked about vaccine passports, Johnson acknowledged other countries may insist there is evidence of vaccination, much like the vaccination against yellow fever. He said it was still early days, but under consideration in this country for opening up the domestic economy is mass vaccination and lateral flow/rapid/on the day testing, especially for those businesses which could not reopen last year, such as night clubs and theatres.
On hotel quarantine, Boris Johnson was asked if someone had to extend their stay following a positive test would they pay for the accommodation. He restated that it is illegal to travel abroad and he expects people who are travelling from red list countries to cover their cost.
New guidance to support mandatory hotel quarantine introduced today
From today, Monday 15 February, anyone who has visited a country on the UK’s travel ban ‘red list’ will have to enter England through a designated port and have pre-booked a quarantine package to stay at one of the government’s managed quarantine facilities.
Details for arrivals on what to expect at managed quarantine hotels have been published and include what to do before travel, what to expect at the hotel, tips on what to pack and details of when the passenger will take a COVID-19 test on the second and eighth day of quarantine.
Anyone arriving in England from today who have not visited a red list country must still quarantine for 10 days at home and more detailed guidance on completing two mandatory COVID-19 tests on the second and eighth day after arriving is now available. Details of jobs with COVID-19 testing travel exemptions have been published.
Read today’s press release.
Guidance on the new quarantine rules has been updated on the following pages:
In Scotland, from today, people who are travelling from outside of the Common Travel Area (comprising of the UK, Ireland, Isle of Man and the Channel Islands), and do not qualify under an exemption, will be required to quarantine in managed isolation for 10 days on arrival in Scotland.
Guidance is available on international travel and managed isolation. Read further information what a passenger must do on arrival into Scotland.
At her daily update today, First Minister for Scotland Nicola Sturgeon spoke about the new rules for international travel into Scotland. She spoke about the difference in hotel quarantine rules in Scotland and the risk should someone arrive at a port elsewhere in the Common Travel Area and travel on to Scotland.
Support for self-catering, exclusive use properties and bed and breakfast establishments and zoos and aquariums in Scotland
Eligibility details have been published for:
Office for National Statistics publishes an analysis of the coronavirus impact on travel and tourism in the UK.
The Office for National Statistics has published an analysis of the how industries related to travel and tourism in the UK have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Key figures include:
The analysis looks at the demand for travel and tourism during the pandemic including passenger numbers as well as the impact to business turnover and trading status.
TOURISM ALLIANCE UPDATE – 15 FEBRUARY
With the implementation of the new testing and quarantine regime for people entering England today, there are a few details that are worth being aware of
Who needs to Quarantine
There seems to be some confusion on who needs to quarantine.
Personally, I’m struggling to see the difference between 2 Red List people getting on a plane in a non Red List country and 2 red list people getting on a plane from a non Red List Country when it travels through a Red List country so I’ve asked DCMS to check this as it will impact flights through airports like Dubai.
Transiting airside through the UK
People transiting through the UK who stay airside do not need undertake a do not need to show a passenger locator form or pre departure test as they will will not pass through the UK border.
Exemptions from Testing
Bus and coach drivers are exempt from testing if they can to show that their travel is part of their job, for example a letter from your employer, a consignment note or your operator’s licence. This applies to drivers of public service vehicles and other employees of community licence holders for the international carriage of passengers by coach and bus.
Aircraft pilots and crew as defined in paragraph 1 of Schedule 1 to the Air Navigation Order 2016(h), where such crew have travelled to the UK in the course of their work
The Government has produced greater clarification on the support groups exemption from the lockdown rules. Support that has to be delivered in person can continue with up to 15 participants where formally organised to provide mutual aid, therapy or any other form of support. Support groups must not take place in a private home. Examples of support groups include those that provide support to:
The limit of 15 does not include children under 5 who are accompanying a parent or guardian.
Where a group includes someone covered by an exception (for example, someone who is working or volunteering), they are not generally counted as part of the gatherings limit. This means, for example, a tradesperson can go into a household without breaching the limit, if they are there for work, and the officiant at a wedding would not count towards the limit.
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/national-lockdown-stay-at-home
I have attached a copy of the latest wave of ALVA’s Customer sentiment Survey. The main findings of which are:
TIER: COVID-19 update 11 February
Additional COVID-19 funding for freelancers and events sector in Scotland
A further £17.5 million of emergency coronavirus (COVID-19) funding has been allocated to support creative freelancers and the events sector. Of that, £8.5 million will go towards the events sector – distributed through the Pivotal Event Businesses Fund and the Events Industry Support Fund 2 as well as targeted support. The remaining £9 million will be distributed as a top-up to the Creative Freelancers Hardship Fund bringing the total value of support for creative freelancers to £17 million.
New guidance for internationals arrivals from 15 February (England)
Details of the steps individuals need to take before entering England, on arrival and during quarantine have now been published on gov.uk
If people are travelling from somewhere in the Common Travel Area and you have not left the Common Travel Area for the past 10 days, they do not need a test before leaving or to home quarantine and take tests after arriving.
New guidance for booking and staying in a quarantine hotel for England
The guidance details how to book a place in a quarantine hotel (the link to the booking portal is due to be available later today) and arrange coronavirus (COVID-19) tests for people who have travelled to England from a country on the banned travel list. The costs have been confirmed as follows:
All package prices will be reviewed before the end of March and may change. While hotels normally set a zero fee for children aged under 3, the Government is setting this for children under 5 years old because they will not be tested. For those facing significant financial hardship as a result of this charge, there will be an opportunity to apply for a deferred repayment plan when booking. This is only available for individuals who already receive income-related benefits, and they will be required to pay back in 12 monthly installments.
The only ports of arrival in England for people arriving from banned travel list locations currently are - Heathrow Airport, Gatwick Airport, London City Airport, Birmingham Airport, Farnborough Airfield. Other ports of entry may be added in the future. People are responsible for changing their own booking if they are not due to land at one of these airports. After 15 February carriers will not be permitted to carry anyone who has been in a red list country in the previous 10 days to any other port of entry other than those specified.
Read the full guidance to find out more about how the quarantine arrangements will work
New testing, self-isolation and quarantine rules updates
The following pages have been updated with links to the new testing, self-isolation and quarantine rules that will apply from 15 February:
Other updates
TOURISM ALLIANCE UPDATE – 11 FEBRUARY
Here’s today’s update which concentrates on the new quarantine regime that come into effect on the 15th Feb. It is worth noting that the booking portal for tests and quarantine accommodation is not yet live due to a technical problem. I’ll send round links when they sort that out.
This applies to everyone entering the England (with minor exceptions) from a destination outside the Common Travel Area that is not a Banned or Red List country
Before travelling, all people entering the country must:
People entering the country who have not been in a banned (red list) country within 10 days of arrival can quarantine:
The place of quarantine must be the one they list on the passenger locator form and the person must stay there for the entire 10 days. People must travel directly from the port of entry to the place of quarantine, and only using public transport or stay somewhere along the way if absolutely necessary.
During the 10 day quarantine period:
Other people living in the property do not need to quarantine, unless:
The 10 day quarantine can be ended after 5 days if a person:
People traveling to the UK in the next 7 days and facing a set of circumstances that are not covered by the guidance are asked to contact the NHS using the following address dhsctesttrace.customerfeedbackteam@nhs.net
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/how-to-quarantine-when-you-arrive-in-england
To tie-in with the need to undertake home testing if returning from overseas, the Government has updated and expanding the guidance for the public on how to conduct testing at home. This includes a step by step guidance, a guidance on how to test children and a guide for use in Wales.
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/testing-for-coronavirus-at-home
People arriving into the UK who have been in, or passed through, a banned or red list country within 10 days of arrival are only allowed to arrive into England at:
(others will be added to this list)
People with a pre-existing booking to a different port of entry on or after the 15 February have to change it to one of the ports of entry specified above.
Before travelling, all people entering England from a Red List country must:
The cost of a package is
People staying in a Quarantine Hotel are not allowed visitors are can only leave their room in very limited circumstances including:
People staying in a quarantine hotel will be tested on Day 2 and Day 8
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/booking-and-staying-in-a-quarantine-hotel-when-you-arrive-in-england
Here is a link to the current Red List countries. Talking to DCMS officials earlier, they envisaged the list would be review approx. every two weeks but that changes to countries on the list will be driven by the spread of variants that are of concern rather than specific dates.
There is also more detail coming on what constitutes arriving from a red list country but working assumption is that it includes passenger who remain airside when transiting through a red list country. This includes situations where they remain on the plane while other passengers board.
The primary guidance for restaurants, pubs and cafes has been updated to include a section on Workplace testing which states that it’s important to continue to follow the working safely measures, even if employees have:
Also that employers can order rapid lateral flow tests, to test employees with no coronavirus symptoms if:
There is also a requirement that the businesses have to be operating at the moment so many businesses in these sectors will probably have to wait until they reopen in order to be able to order tests.
The Government has updated the Private Notice to inform people that local authorities can use Test and Trace Payment Support data for wider benefit accuracy checks. Local authorities will also validate bank account details before making payments to ensure they align with the applicant, for anti-fraud purposes.
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/test-and-trace-support-payment-scheme-privacy-notice
TIER: COVID-19 update 10 February
In his statement at Downing Street today, Prime Minister Boris Johnson was joined by Chief Scientific Adviser Sir Patrick Vallance. The statement provided an update on the vaccination programme, as well as an update that the number of hospital admissions and the number of people testing positive for coronavirus were reducing.
In the Q+A
View the statement and the slides.
Other updates
Tourism Alliance Update – 10 February
BEIS has launched Innovate UK EDGE as part of the UK innovation agency’s investment in the innovative businesses that drive economic growth. It is an addition to Innovate UK project funding and will provide free tailored support and advice to help small businesses (up to 250 employees) innovate and grow internationally. This support includes:
While the video and support material on the website is very much focused on high tech research and development, this support is actually available to businesses from any sector and might be of interest to some of your member who have a new product or service that they would like to develop.
https://www.gov.uk/business-finance-support/innovate-uk-edge
The Government has announced that people undertaking lateral flow tests should now get their results within 30mins rather than the previous 2 hour waiting period. This reduction in waiting time may increase the usefulness of these tests for enabling the freer flow of tourism.
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/coronavirus-covid-19-getting-tested
Finally. a slightly niche one but HMRC have just introduced a new form for anyone importing multiple caravans from Europe who’s final destination is Northern Ireland
TIER: COVID-19 update 29 January
Lockdown in Wales extended for further 3 weeks
The First Minister has announced that alert level 4 lockdown restrictions will remain in place in Wales for the next 3 weeks.
The following changes will also be made to the current alert level 4 restrictions and will come into effect on Saturday 30 January 2021:
Read the full press release here.
Further details of £200 million package of support in Wales announced
The Welsh Government has revealed further details of the £200 million package of support for non-essential retail, hospitality, leisure and tourism businesses that continue to be impacted by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
The latest funding is linked to the non-domestic rates system and will operate as a top up to the Restrictions Business Fund which was put in place in early December.
A further £30 million is also being made available through the discretionary fund to provide up to £2,000 grants for businesses not on the non-domestic rates system. See more details below.
The Restrictions Business Fund Non-Domestic Rates (NDR) and Discretionary based grants for non-essential retail, hospitality, leisure and tourism (NERHLT) sectors have been extended to provide a single top up payment to cover the period between the 25 January and end of March 2021 for businesses affected by national restrictions.
Businesses Eligible for the Extended Restrictions Business Fund will receive the following top up:
Find out more information here.
TOURISM ALLIANCE UPDATE – 29 JANUARY
The Government has opened applications for much needed support for Airports and Ground handlers. Under the scheme, airports and ground handlers in England will be eligible to receive up to £8m to help with their fixed costs while travel restrictions are in place. To be eligible, a business needs to be either:
It must also:
The use of the funding is limited to:
Further information and an application portal is available on the following link
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/applying-for-covid-19-airport-and-ground-operations-funding
Following on from the item I send through yesterday regarding how to report the results of self-testing, the Department for health has now published guidance in a range of formats on how to undertake a self-test for Covid. The guidance explains how to:
It also includes a link to a demonstration video on how to self-test. While this guidance is not specifically targeted towards businesses, it is very useful for business that are looking to undertake their own testing regimes.
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/instructions-for-covid-19-self-test
This weeks new wave of the ONS research on the Social Impacts of Covid has been published and show that:
UK Visas and Immigration have sent out an update which highlights
The Hong Kong British National (Overseas) (BNO) visa scheme to open from 31 January
UKVI will open a Hong Kong British National (Overseas) (BNO) visa for British nationals (overseas) and their immediate family members from 31 January 2021. Eligible customers will be able to apply from outside or inside the UK. Customers are encouraged to check regularly the BNO page here. This page will be updated with the latest information about this new visa route.
Reintroduction of some in-country priority visa services
UKVI have reintroduced the next working day Super Priority (SPV) service and the 5 working day Priority (PV) to in-country work and student application routes.
All other in-country immigration application routes will continue to offer a standard service at this time. The service will be reintroduced to further in-country routes as and when those factors allow.
Further information on our in-country SPV and PV offers can be found here, including a table of eligible visa categories.
New temporary helpline opening hours
The Sponsor and Educator’s Help Line opening hours are being revised from Monday 1st February 2021. Our new opening hours are:
This is a temporary change due to the impact of COVID-19 that we will continue to review.
The latest R range for the UK is 0.7 to 1.1, while the growth rate range for the UK is -5% to 0%. This is practically the same as last weeks figures which were 0.8 to 1.0 and -4% to -1%.
TIER: COVID-19 update: new lockdown grants to support businesses and other updates, 5 January
Please see today’s updates below.
The Prime Minister gave a press conference with Prof Chris Whitty, chief medical officer for England and Sir Patrick Vallance, chief scientific adviser this afternoon to update on vaccination plans. The statement should be available on GOV.UK shortly. You can watch the statement here and view the accompanying slides and datasets here.
During the Q+A, The Independent asked about mandatory negative tests for inbound passengers to the UK. Johnson said that new measures will be brought in to ensure people are tested coming in to the UK. He did not go into further detail about when or what these measures would look like.
The Government has published the legal text for the new COVID-19 restrictions in England announced by the Prime Minister yesterday. MPs will be voting on it tomorrow.
New lockdown grants to support businesses in the retail, hospitality and leisure sectors
The Chancellor has announced grants for businesses in the retail, hospitality and leisure sectors.
The one-off top-up grants will be provided on a per property basis to businesses closed as a result of the latest restrictions as follows:
A further £594 million is also being made available for Local Authorities and the Devolved Administrations to support other businesses not eligible for the grants, that might be affected by the restrictions. Businesses should apply to their Local Authorities.
The new one-off grants are in addition to the existing business support, including grants worth up to £3,000 for closed businesses, and up to £2,100 per month for impacted businesses once they reopen.
Check if your business is eligible for a coronavirus grant due to national restrictions (for closed businesses).
Update to information for individuals and businesses in Scotland
The guidance page containing information for individuals and businesses in Scotland has been updated to reflect Scotland’s mainland lockdown and ‘stay at home’ guidance.
Other updates
The following pages on GOV.UK have been updated to reflect the latest COVID restrictions in the UK:
The Department of Transport has asked if, where appropriate, TIER members could amplify the message that passengers travelling to France need to present a negative COVID test. The full list of private providers of COVID testing can be found here.
TOURISM ALLIANCE UPDATE – 5 JANUARY
Here’s today’s update
I’ve had a number of emails from people asking whether the new grants announced today are in addition to existing payments such as the LRSG. The answer is that these one-off grants are in addition to any other payments and that those other payments may continue if a business emerges from the National Lockdown into a Tier level where they are eligible for a payment.
I’m also seeking clarification from DCMS on whether the EU State Aid rules and limits still apply now that we have left the EU and will come back to you when I get an answer on that.
The guidance on the furlough scheme has been updated to state that employees can be furloughed if caring responsibilities arising from Coronavirus (COVID-19) mean they are:
Examples of caring responsibilities include caring for:
The Government has published a “Stay at Home” poster similar to the ones for the Tier levels which highlights to new rules and restrictions. Like the other posters this is a good easy reference guide for members and staff.
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/england-lockdown-stay-at-home-posters
The guidance for the use of community facilities has been updated to state that under the the lockdown, community facilities can only be used for a very limited number of activities including:
TOURISM ALLIANCE UPDATE – 6 NOVEMBER
The Government has published the guidance on the national restrictions that came into force yesterday. This is the public-facing guidance that goes through all the rules and restrictions including:
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/new-national-restrictions-from-5-november
The Government’s guidance on which businesses are required to close and what services businesses that are not required to close are able to provide has been updated to provide clarifications that reflect the new lock down regulations. The guidance contains:
There is nothing new in all this as it follows the legislation that I sent round a couple of days back - but the guidance is a far easier to read and provides more detail on how you should interpret the regulations.
There has been some confusion as to what support is available to businesses during the lockdown period so it’s probably worth a quick run through of the support three support schemes:
This Grant is available to businesses that are mandated to close during the lockdown and includes non-essential retail, leisure, personal care, sports facilities and hospitality businesses (including museums and galleries, indoor attractions, zoos, bingo halls, casinos, sports facilities restaurants and pubs. It is based on the rateable value of the premises and provides businesses with up to £3,000 per month. This fund was originally introduced to support businesses that were required to close in Tier 3 areas and but was extended to businesses that are not able to open during the lockdown via an Addendum that was published on3 November
Here's the guidance
And here’s the Addendum
This is the grant that was established to support retail, hospitality, and leisure businesses in Tier 2 and 3 areas. These businesses were not legally required to close but suffered from reduced demand due to restrictions on socialising associated with being in Tier 2 and 3 areas. The scheme is essentially the same as the “Closed” scheme but the grant is only 70% of the vale of the “Closed” grant.
The important thing to note is that this fund is only available for the period between 1 August and 5 November 2020 – it is not available during the lockdown as the Addendum suspended it for this period.
The third grant is what is commonly known as the Discretionary Grant, which is the £1.1bn that the Government is allocating to local authorities to distribute to businesses in their areas that have been impacted by coronavirus but are not covered by the other grants.
What is uncertain at this stage is what grant accommodation businesses are eligible for. They were in the Open Grant but not mentioned in the Addendum which closed this Grant and made hospitality businesses eligibility for the Closed Grant.
Overnight, in the addition to removing Germany and Sweden from the Air Corridor list yesterday, the Government decided to also remove Denmark from the list due, interestingly, to widespread outbreaks of coronavirus in mink farms in the country, with that strain of the virus spreading to some local communities.
The removal of Denmark from the Air Corridor list was effective immediately (from 04:00 on 6 November 2020)
The Government has slightly tweaked the definition of a support bubble to provide clarity on the age of children. A support bubble is now defined as:
“a close support network between a household with only one adult or a household with one adult and one or more people who were under the age of 18 on 12 June 2020 in the home (known as a single-adult household) and one other household of any size. This is called making a ‘support bubble’.
Once you’re in a support bubble, you can think of yourself as being in a single household with people from the other household. It means you can have close contact with that household as if they were members of your own household.
Once you make a support bubble, you cannot change who is in your bubble”
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/making-a-support-bubble-with-another-household
The Government has also published guidance on how to form a childcare bubble which allows friends or family from one other household to provide informal childcare for another household who have a one or more children aged 13 or under. For example, grandparents providing childcare for parents with small children. They can provide the childcare in either or both of the homes from the 2 households or in any other location , regardless of whether it is public or private, indoors or outdoors. However, people cannot use a childcare bubble as a rationale to mix with another household for other reasons.
For businesses that are able to remain open, it is worthwhile making staff aware of rules related to support and childcare bubbles so that they can advise customers accordingly.
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/making-a-childcare-bubble-with-another-household
As ever on a Friday, the R number and Growth rate for the week have been published. This week’s R number range for the UK is 1.1-1.3, while the growth rate range for the UK is +2% to +4%. These are the same figures as last week, which provides some good news in terms that the spread of coronavirus is not accelerating.
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/the-r-number-in-the-ukTIER: COVID-19 update, 6 November
Wales post-firebreak guidance
Guidance about the coronavirus rules that will be in place from Monday 9 November in Wales has been published. FAQs include information for hospitality reopening (pubs, bars, cafes and restaurants) Read the FAQs https://gov.wales/coronavirus-regulations-guidance
Update to travel corridors
Denmark will be removed from the government’s travel corridor list as a precautionary measure, following reports of widespread outbreaks of coronavirus (COVID-19) in mink farms, with a variant strain of the virus spreading to some local communities. From 4am, 6 November, people arriving to the UK from Denmark will need to self-isolate for 14 days. https://www.gov.uk/government/news/transport-secretary-statement-on-denmark
Other government updates:
Other updates:
VisitEngland’s latest COVID-19 Consumer sentiment tracker report (wave 18) is now available. Please note that survey results were obtained before the national lockdown was announced, so results showing intent, confidence and levels of planning and booking are likely to be lower than the figures suggest.
Points to note include:
The next report, with results reflecting the lockdown is due out on 20 November.
COVID-19 Situation update 6 November 2020
TOURISM ALLIANCE - BREXIT UPDATE
6 NOV 2020
Lobbying work continues on getting the Government to reconsider the decision to end the VAT Retail Export Scheme when the UK leaves the EU at the end of the year. Ending the scheme, rather than extending it to visitors from the RU, will have a considerable impact on tourism especially from high value markets such as China and the Middle East.
Attached is a fact sheet on just how considerable the impact this will have on tourism jobs and revenue. The key message is that if the Government extended the scheme to EU visitors rather than abolishing it, this would generate:
If you have an opportunity to raise this with officials, MPs or Ministers, that would be greatly appreciated
Changes in Food Labelling and Logos
This guidance will be of interested to businesses that produce their own food products, especially in rural and seaside areas.
From 1 January, food from GB must not be labelled as ‘origin EU’ (there is an exemption for Northern Ireland) and you cannot use the EU emblem on goods produced in Great Britain unless you have been authorised by the EU to do so – this includes accreditation schemes like the EU organic logo. There is specific guidance for a range of produce including honey, eggs, fruit and vegetables and meat.
The UK will be setting up its own GI schemes from 1 January 2021 to replace the European Scheme. If you produce food, drink and agricultural GI products registered before 1 January 2021, you have until 1 January 2024 to change packaging and marketing materials to display the new UK GI logos. However, from 1 January 2021, the UK logo will be mandatory for any new product.
The Government has just published the attached Partner Pack for a new campaign to make sure that businesses prepare for new data protection requirements that will result from the UK leaving the EU at the end of the year. The three key messages of this are:
HMRC will be writing to all VAT registered businesses next week explaining what they need to do to prepare. The letter specifically urges businesses to:
TOURISM ALLIANCE UPDATE – 2 NOVEMBER
Here’s today’s update with a few more details on the Lockdown. One thing from the Prime Minister’s statement in Parliament was that at the end of the lockdown period, England would return to the three tier alert system but that assignation of tier levels to regions would be dependent upon the scientific data at that time.
In a statement in Parliament, the Prime Minister announced that the various Coronavirus loan schemes will remain open for applications until the end of the year
https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/pm-commons-statement-on-coronavirus-2-november
The Government has launched an online facility whereby businesses can make Eat Out to Help Out repayments if they:
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/repay-eat-out-to-help-out-scheme-payments
UKinbound has launched a campaign calling on Government to support the inbound tourism sector. The campaign is based on the attracted document and infographic which highlights the value of inbound tourism to the UK economy, the impact of coronavirus on the sector and what is needed in terms of support.
UKinbound Tourism Resilience Fund Proposal FINAL
The three key asks of the campaign are:
To help those businesses wholly reliant on international visitors to survive until demand can return in 2021, UKinbound proposes a capped grant award fund based on the level of turnover lost in 2020 and forecast operating costs.
Inbound tourism infographic (to&dmc) FINAL
In continuing Business Rates Relief for tourism businesses as part of the Leisure and Hospitality Scheme, it is essential that this support is reformed so that all tourism businesses, as previously promised by the Chancellor, including tour operators and DMCs, receive this support.
To minimise further loss of demand, Government needs to work immediately with the industry to replace the current quarantine system with a best in class testing regime for passengers, and a regionalised approach to Travel Corridors in order to bring stability and confidence to international travel. If our testing regime is not focussed towards driving demand, then the UK will simply lose out to competitors.
Thank you to everyone for forwarding questions regarding the announcement on a month-long lockdown. I’ve forwarded everything to the DCMS team and they will try to get answers back to us as soon as possible. If you have further questions, please keep sending them through and I’ll try to get answers for you.
Some semi-answers so far:
The Prime Minister said in his announcement that:
Inbound international travel will continue to be governed by the travel corridor approach, and those currently on a domestic holiday will be allowed to finish their holidays, but are still subject to the requirements in England not to go out without a reasonable excuse.
I’ve asked DCMS to confirm this as it was not mentioned in the guidance that followed the announcement but, in the meantime, we are working on the basis that people already on holiday before Thursday can complete their stay.
DCMS is checking this and think that the final guidance will be somewhere between the two – a wider list than last time but not something that would allow everyone to claim that they are travelling for work.
The Furlough scheme will essentially work in the same way as it did in August, which the Government paying 80% oif a furloughed employees salary and the employer paying the NI and Pension contributions. People will be able to be furloughed on a flexible basis.
The guidance on the furlough scheme has been updated in line with the Prime Minister’s announcement
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/claim-for-wages-through-the-coronavirus-job-retention-scheme
TIER: COVID-19 and Brexit update 2 November
Prime Minister’s statement in House of Commons (For England)
The Prime Minister Boris Johnson spoke in the House of Commons this afternoon to inform MPs of the new measures coming into force on Thursday. He outlined the measures that were announced in his press statement on Saturday that will be voted on in Parliament on Wednesday. In addition, he
He also stated that after four weeks, on Wednesday 2nd December, these restrictions will expire. The Government’s intention is to return to a tiered system on a local and regional basis according to the latest data and trends and the House will have a vote to agree the way forward.
Support for the self-employed through the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS) (UK-wide)
The Government has announced it is increasing support through the third instalment of the UK-wide Self-Employment Income Support Scheme, with people receiving 80% of their average trading profits for November. The claims window is being brought forward from 14 December to 30 November.
New national COVID measures for Wales
The Welsh First Minister Mark Drakeford has today set out the new Wales wide post fire-break measures. The new measures will apply from 00:01 on Monday 9 November.
The new national measures include:
Read the announcement in full on Gov.Wales.
New level system in Scotland in force from 2 November
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon gave a statement today to remind people that in Scotland, the new system of levels came into force at 6 AM this morning. The full details of the rules that apply for each level are available on the Scottish Government’s website, a postcode checker is now also available.
Other Government updates
A Taskforce for safe return to global travel has been launched
A new Global Travel Taskforce to support the travel industry and the safe recovery of international travel has been launched by the UK Government today. The taskforce’s work will include:
The taskforce will report to the Prime Minister no later than early November. Please note, the ongoing travel corridor process and related policy will not be within scope of the taskforce.
Additions from Tourism Alliance:
Here’s the Statement to Parliament
https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-statements/detail/2020-10-07/hcws496
And here’s the Press Release
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/taskforce-for-safe-return-to-global-travel-launched
New lockdown restrictions announced today for Scotland
Today, the First Minister of Scotland, Nicola Sturgeon, announced a number of new measures for Scotland affecting the hospitality sector. These measures will be effective from Friday 9 October at 6pm for 16 days and include:
Nationwide restrictions, except for the below five Health Board areas, will be introduced as follows:
Additional restrictions for 5 Health Board areas: Greater Glasgow and Clyde, Lanarkshire, Ayrshire and Arran, Lothian, and Forth Valley are as follows:
The First Minister also announced an additional £40 million to help those businesses affected by this two week period. The Scottish Government will be conducting a short consultation with the sector to establish how to best financially support these businesses using this fund and details will be released in due course. For the rest of this month, businesses can also use the UK Government’s job retention scheme, however the Scottish Government will discuss with businesses how they can mitigate the required contribution.
Over the next period they will also be introducing the following steps:
The Welsh Government has released further guidance for businesses applying to its Economic Resilience Fund
Businesses across Wales can now find out if they can apply for funding from the third phase of the Economic Resilience Fund (ERF) by visiting the online Eligibility Checker. Economy Minister Ken Skates announced the new phase of the fund last week which will see an additional £140m being made available to businesses. The eligibility checker will enable businesses to see if they can access the £80m tranche of the fund, it will be open to micro businesses, SMEs and large businesses. Of this, £20m will be ring fenced to support tourism and hospitality businesses who are facing particular challenges as we enter the winter months.
The Welsh Government is currently working with local authorities and the Welsh Local Government Association on the detail of the £60m Local Lockdown Business Fund that will support businesses impacted by local restrictions. Further details and information on how to access this fund will be published shortly on the Business Wales website.
Situation update 7 October 2020
TOURISM ALLIANCE UPDATE – 7 OCTOBER
The Guidance document for weddings and civil partnerships (including receptions) has been updated to include changes relating to rules on face coverings, distance between tables, singing in groups of more than 6, dancing, music volume and enforcement.
DFT has announced that due to Coronavirus, it is having to delay the publication of some of its regular statistical publications. From a tourism perspective, the one of note is customer satisfaction with security clearance at airports.
Here is a link to a parliamentary petition organised by the Save Future Travel for you to circulate to members for signing. The campaign being run by ABTA and UKinbound urges the Government to:
https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/552725
Baroness Doocey has been asking a range of questions in the Lords to support the Tourism industry including the following:
Question:To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to compensate pubs, restaurants and bars for any revenue lost as a result of the introduction of a 10pm closing time. (HL8412)
Answer: Lord Agnew of Oulton:
The Government recognises that the necessary restrictions on opening hours for hospitality venues will be disruptive for businesses in this sector.
We recognise that the sector is a vital source of employment across the country, and that is why – in addition to the CJRS, tax deferrals and loans – we have prioritised support for hospitality businesses. This has included:
On 24 September the Chancellor set out the next phase of our plan to support the economy, following announcement of measures to control the spread of COVID-19. This is a targeted package of measures to support jobs and business through the winter months, including a new Job Support Scheme, an extension of the reduction in VAT (5%) for the tourism and hospitality sector to 31 March 2021, and changes to the existing government backed loan schemes to help business access the finance they need and plan their cashflow.
The Government is continuing to collect evidence on the impact of the pandemic on the hospitality sector and to work with businesses and representative groups to inform our efforts to support this sector.
Date and time of answer: 07 Oct 2020 at 14:48.
Question:To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the financial impact on the hospitality sector of the decision to not permit conferences, exhibitions and events to take place. (HL8411)
Answer: Baroness Barran:
We recognise that the events industry and its supply chain has been severely impacted by Covid-19. We continue to engage with the stakeholders, including through the Visitor Economy Working Group and the Events Industry Senior Leaders Advisory Panel, to monitor the situation. As with all aspects of the Government’s response to Covid-19, our decisions have been and will continue to be based on scientific evidence and public health assessments.
Events businesses can continue to make use of the broader support package available to them. This includes the Bounce Back Loans scheme, the Self-Employed Income Support Scheme and the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme. Meetings of up to 30 can still take place in permitted venues, as per the Covid-19 Secure guidance for the visitor economy.
Date and time of answer: 05 Oct 2020 at 12:21.
Question: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they plan to take to address concerns from the tourism industry, including from tour operators, about employees who are unable to meet the requirement to work at least 33 per cent of their usual hours to qualify for support from the Job Support Scheme. (HL8514)
Answer: Baroness Barran:
We recognise that these are extremely challenging conditions for businesses in the tourism sector, including tour operators. We continue to closely monitor the situation. While it will not be possible to preserve every job or business, the Chancellor’s recent package of targeted measures will help businesses to protect jobs and manage their finances in the face of reduced or uncertain demand. Tour operators have been able to access the Government’s comprehensive economic support package, which includes the Coronavirus Jobs Retention Scheme until the end of October. It also includes a significant cut to VAT for most tourism and hospitality activities until the end of March. We are offering impacted businesses generous terms for the repayment of deferred taxes and government-backed loans, as well as extending the application window of the government-backed loan schemes. We are continuing to engage across Government and with stakeholders to assess how we can most effectively support the recovery of tourism across the UK.
Date and time of answer: 05 Oct 2020 at 12:18.
Speaking of questions, there were a range of tourism related questions at PMQs today:
Starmer – stated that next week MPs will vote on the 10pm closing time rule. Is there a scientific basis for it? If there is, will the government publish it?
Johnson - replied the basis for it is the same as it was when Labour backed it two weeks ago.
Andrew Jones - asked will the events industry be offered a support package
Johnson - said it is a very important industry and that here is already support available. But the best solution would be to have a testing system that can allow conferences to take place and theatres to open
Maria Eagle - asked if the PM agrees that tighter local lockdown restrictions should trigger automatic local support schemes. And will he agree one for Merseyside as a matter of urgency?
Johnson - said he shares the concern about the loss of jobs but he has already given money to councils and it will continue to put its arms around communities.
Liz Twist - said restrictions in the north-east are making it uneconomical for businesses to stay open. What will the
government do to help, and to protect the 80,000 jobs in the hospitality industry? And will he meet local leaders?
Johnson – said that the government will continue to offer support.
TIER: COVID-19 update 25 September
Local Restrictions Support Grant for businesses
Businesses can now check if they are eligible for the Local Restrictions Support Grant (LRSG). The grant is for businesses that were open as usual, providing services in person to customers from their business premises, but which were then required to close for at least 3 weeks due to local lockdown restrictions imposed by government. The grant is for businesses that pay business rates on their premises. Local councils may at their discretion also provide funding for businesses that don’t pay business rates.
Guidance for local authorities setting out the details of the grant has also been published.
Updated information added to the Deferral of VAT payments guidance
On 24 September 2020, the Chancellor announced that businesses who deferred VAT due from 20 March to 30 June 2020 will now have the option to pay in smaller payments over a longer period. Instead of paying the full amount by the end of March 2021, businesses can make smaller payments up to the end of March 2022, interest free.
New restrictions to be introduced in Leeds, Blackpool, Wigan and Stockport
In a statement today Health Secretary Matt Hancock outlined new restrictions to be introduced in Leeds, Blackpool, Wigan and Stockport. The regulations will come into effect from Saturday 26 September and will impose restrictions on inter-household mixing in private dwellings and gardens in Leeds, Stockport, Wigan and Blackpool.
Also as part of his statement he said they have also reviewed the position in Leicester, the Borough of Oadby and Wigston, Birmingham, Solihull, Sandwell, Wolverhampton, Bolton, Bradford, Kirklees, Calderdale and the remaining local authorities in Greater Manchester and have decided to maintain their position on the watchlist as areas of intervention, as well as the current restrictions in these areas.
Further local restrictions introduced in Wales – Llanelli, Swansea and Cardiff
Local restrictions will come into force in Llanelli from 6pm on and in Swansea and Cardiff from 6pm on Sunday. The restrictions, which will apply to everyone living in Llanelli, Cardiff and Swansea are:
Ministers will also meet public health experts, local authority leaders and others over the weekend to consider whether local restrictions need to be extended to Neath Port Talbot, the Vale of Glamorgan and Torfaen on Sunday evening.
Only necessary travel advised for border crossing between Donegal and neighbouring areas in Northern Ireland
The Chief Medical Officer for Northern Ireland and the Acting Chief Medical Officer for the Republic of Ireland met on Friday 25 Sept 2020 to review the ongoing COVID19 pandemic. They have advised: “Given the current number of new cases in Donegal and neighbouring areas of NI in Derry/Londonderry, Strabane and Fermanagh we would appeal to everyone to avoid all but necessary travel across the border. It is also recommended that employers on both sides of the border make every effort to facilitate employees to work from home in so far as is possible…”
Other Government updates
COVID-19 Consumer Sentiment Tracker latest results
The latest results of the COVID-19 consumer sentiment tracker are now available on VisitEngland’s website. Please see the areas showing the strongest declines in sentiment:
Of interest is the leading reason cited by those who do not have near-term confidence in taking a domestic trip (ie. for trips during September or October) as this has nearly always been ‘concerns about catching COVID-19’. However, this wave the top reason given was ‘restrictions on travel from government’.
Please note: this wave’s fieldwork was conducted last week, prior to the extra measures that were announced on Tuesday. The next report is due out in early October.
Situation update 25 September 2020
TOURISM ALLIANCE UPDATE – 25 SEPTEMBER
I’ve been in discussion with DCMS as to whether QR codes are needed on self-catering properties as the operator will already have the information required through the booking process and the people staying there are not sharing the premises with any other customers. After consulting with DHSC (Department for Health), they’ve come back to say that operators need to put QR code posters in self-catering properties.
However, DCMS have advised that the requirement to display QR Cades does not apply to outdoor, unstaffed and unticketed heritage sites, or to archaeological and historic sites which are not open to the public.
The Government has published new guidance on the eligibility criteria for businesses applying for the new Local Restrictions Support Grant (LRSG), which has been established to support businesses that have been required to close due to temporary COVID-19 local lockdown restrictions. Business may be eligible if it:
The UK Government, the Northern Ireland Executive, the Scottish Government, and the Welsh Government have issues a joint policy statement setting out that they will continue working together in the same joined up manner as they have been up to this point
The Chancellor has announced that the key components of the Statement he made yesterday will apply to Scotland
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/winter-economy-plan-to-support-scottish-firms-and-workers
ONS has published the latest furlough data which runs to the end of July. This data shows that 38% of people working in accommodation and food services and 55% of people working in Arts, Entertainment and Recreation were furloughed between 29th June and 26th July compared to the average of 16% across all industries.
The latest visitor figures from the national Museums have been published and, worryingly, show that visitor numbers have declined from 25% or normal to 20% of normal over the past two weeks
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/daily-visitors-to-dcms-sponsored-museums-and-galleries
This week’s R number for the UK is 1.2-1.5, while the growth rate range is +4% to +8% - meaning that virus is spreading at between 4-8% per day. This is up from +2 to +7% last week and -1% to +3% the week before that – which give a good indication of the increased rate of spread over the last few weeks.
TIER: COVID-19 update 22 September
New restrictions in England due to rising coronavirus cases
The Prime Minister Boris Johnson made a statement to the House of Commons this afternoon to outline the Government’s response to the rising number of Coronavirus cases, including new restrictions in England.
In summary:
These rules will be enforced by tighter penalties. The penalty for breaking the rule of 6 or not wearing a mask when required will double to £200 for a first offence. The police will be provided with extra funding, and given the ability to draw on military support when needed. We will update you as and when more guidance becomes available. Read the full statement.
Additional restrictions introduced in Scotland to tackle COVID-19 in Scotland
The First Minster of Scotland Nicola Sturgeon, has given a statement outlining additional restrictions to help tackle COVID-19 in Scotland. In summary the restrictions include:
For the hospitality sector from Friday 25 September:
Scotland wide gathering restrictions to be introduced from 23 September:
A package of support will be available for those asked to self-isolate, including £500 for those on low incomes. Details of these measures will be announced in due course.
She also said that people should not book trips abroad during half term, unless it is essential. You can read the full statement here.
Other Government updates
Situation update 22 September 2020
The Government has produced more detailed guidance to accompany the announcement by the Prime Minister on further restrictions yesterday. One area where I’m a bit uncertain is whether groups of 30 can still be guided and whether meetings can be held for up to 30 people. These do not appear in the exceptions and the Working Safety During Coronavirus guidance for Hotels and Guest Accommodation and the Visitor Economy has yet to be updated in line with yesterday’s announcement.
New Rules and Restrictions on Businesses
Restrictions on Groups
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/coronavirus-covid-19-what-has-changed-22-september
New Guidance has been produced stating the exceptions to the Rule of Six. These are now:
The comprehensive FAQ on what can and can’t be done has been updated in accordance with the changes in guidance.
Guidance foe Transport Operators
The guidance for transport operators has been updated to incorporate the new legislation on social contact and the requirement for passengers to wear face coverings in taxis and private hire vehicles.
Consumer tracker report from VisitBritain (Week 14)
The latest UK COVID-19 Consumer Tracker Report are available on VisitBritain.org, for week 14, based on fieldwork from 31 August – 4 September (please note this wave took place before the ‘rule of six’ announcement). The tracker will run fortnightly until February 2021.
Some highlights from the report:
Situation update 15 September 2020
The Rule of Six in the Different Home Nations
As the rules for Wales and Scotland are not the same as those that will apply in England here’s a rundown of the differences as we know them so far.
Wales
Scotland
Northern Ireland
BVEP Partners Update
Friday 11th September 2020
From: Simon Hughes – Chair
Knocked for 6
I’m not going to take up too much of your time with this update as words are failing me at the end of a roller coaster week of ups and downs. Since the announcement that introduced the Rule of Six was made by the PM, chaos has ruled in our industry. I don’t think I have ever heard so much genuine anger and frustration before, from right across the event business. Organisers thwarted and closed down by intransigent local authorities despite everything they have done to risk assess and meet Covid-19 secure standards. Venues that have staffed back up to help market Q4 now find that they are dealing with more cancellation calls from concerned clients that have got the rule of six message loud and clear – and bailed. Many of those teams will now finally get some certainty in this uncertain world. They will be made redundant.
Latest numbers from the MIA indicate that 126,000 job losses to date are just the beginning. We can then get in line with all the other hard pressed sectors looking for support. Extending furlough? No chance. Across the industry the scale of support required to sustain us into 2021/2 is going to be huge – or won’t be, resulting in a radical re-structure and shrinkage of one of the industrial sectors that really has the ability to drive recovery and support so many other key businesses linked to the visitor economy.
I’m pretty sure that I recently heard someone commenting on a Select Committee report, pointing out that the shambles they had been asked to look at was evidence of the complete lack of business experience and commercial acumen that is endemic in the majority of our career politicians. This week was a good example of just that. That headline Rule of Six was launched like some malign missile, straight at everyone in the UK events industry. As usual the detailed guidance and review status of the long awaited re-opening date would follow. Thanks a bunch. It is clearly evident that there was no thought of how the main messaging would impact on the event industry.
There is also a staggering lack of clarity that results in Public Health England officials musing at pilot events how odd it is that an industry so obviously geared to deliver safe, secure and professionally managed events is being asked to prove its competence ahead of so many other sectors where standards are often variable at the best and shambolic at the worse. The ups and downs of the week. I’ll give you the ups next week. I’ve had enough now, like many, many others I’ve spoken to over the last few days. Knocked for six.
TIER Update - 11 September 2020
NHS COVID-19 App to launch on 24 September in England and Wales
The NHS Covid-19 App team has announced the date in advance to allow venues to prepare for launch of the NHS COVID-19 App and to download and display QR codes to support NHS Test and Trace in England and NHS Test, Trace, Protect in Wales contact people if coronavirus outbreaks are identified. Attached are advice sheets that set out how these QR codes could be used in tourism and leisure; and retail settings.
In England, using QR codes will help businesses meet the new legal requirement to record the contact details of customers, visitors and staff on their premises. Businesses who are already using their own QR system are being encouraged to switch to the NHS Test and Trace QR code. An alternative check-in method must be maintained to collect the contact details of those who don’t have the app, for example a handwritten register.
Wales will also be launching the NHS Covid-19 app and in will work in exactly the same way in both nations. Businesses are strongly encouraged to download and to display the QR code poster within their premises, to support customers using the app. In Wales it is compulsory for businesses in certain high risk sectors to collect and keep records of staff, customers and visitors (see: https://gov.wales/keeping-records-staff-customers-and-visitors-test-trace-protect). Checking in with the app does not replace this requirement. High risk premises in Wales must continue to keep a full record of staff, customers and visitors, including people who check in using the QR code poster for the location.
Please continue to talk to your members and audiences about the app and how it works. If you could the NHS COVID-19 App team would be really grateful if you could share their assets via your communications channels. If you could help to amplify the message via your social media, the handles to use are : @NHSCOVID19app (Twitter) and @OfficialNHSCOVID19app (Facebook)
Please find attached information about the app and how organisations can prepare:
Further assets and materials are available at https://covid19.nhs.uk/
Written Statement from the First Minister of Wales
From Monday 14 September a tightening of restrictions across Wales will be introduced, the new restrictions will limit on the number of people who can meet indoors.
New restrictions in Birmingham announced
New restrictions on meeting other people have been announced in order to push down the coronavirus rate of infection in Birmingham. From Tuesday 15 September Birmingham residents will not be able to mix with any other households, indoors or in private gardens, except for those in a support bubble. This applies both inside and outside the city boundaries.
Sections of working safely during coronavirus (COVID-10) guidance updated
Heritage locations guidance updated
Hotels and other guest accommodation guidance updated
Duty Free extended to the EU from January 2021
From January 2021, there will be changes to duty free shopping. The following rules will apply from 1 January 2021:
Other Government updates
Business Events industry updates
Situation update 11 September 2020
TOURISM ALLIANCE UPDATE – 11 SEPTEMBER
Here’s today’s update. The tourism specific guidance on the Rule of Six is not available yet but there is still a lot going on.
A raft of existing guidance has been amended in preparation for the Rule of Six coming into operation on Monday. It is important to note that all the guidance emphasises that:
Venues following COVID-19 secure guidelines can host more than 6 people in total, in line with guidance for their sector, but no one should visit or socialise in a group of greater than 6 (unless they are all part of the same household or support bubble). It is also important that people from different households (who are not meeting as a support bubble) remain socially distanced.
So all tourism businesses operating in accordance with the government’s Covid-Safe guidelines can continue to operate at their current Covid Safe capacity provided that individual parties of customer obey the Rule of Six. So accommodation businesses, attractions, performance venues, coach operators, tour guides, pubs and restaurants can all continue as they are provided that they made sure any individual party of visitors complies with the Rule of Six.
One of the issues that has come up repeated over the last couple of days is the position with Tour groups with relation to the Rule of Six. We are seeking clarification on this from DCMS at the moment but, in the meantime, our view is:
The Government guidance that has been amended in relation to the Rule of Six still states that any business or activity that is currently operating in accordance with Covid Secure Guidance can continue operating at the same capacity provided that any individual party visiting the premises or using the service complies with the Rule of Six. So, for example, restaurants can operate at the current capacity provided that any individual group of people coming to the restaurant complies with the Rule of Six.
So, in relation to tour groups, this means:
All the Primary Guidance for Businesses on Working Safely with Coronavirus has been updated with a new section on Priorities Actions. This reads (with various for different business types):
Seven steps to protect yourself, your staff and your customers during coronavirus.
Four more things to be aware of if your business is part of the ‘visitor economy’:
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/working-safely-during-coronavirus-covid-19
Birmingham City Council have announced that from Tuesday 15 September, residents of Birmingham Sandwell and Solihull will not be able to mix with any other households, indoors or in private gardens, except for those in a support bubble. There’s announcement indicates that there are no restrictions on the businesses in the area.
The guidance has been updated with a new section added “Work out your employee's usual hours and furloughed hours” that explains how to calculate the number of working and furloughed hours for an employee that comes off furlough or flexible furlough partway through a claim period. Employers using this calculation do not need to amend previous claims.
There where questions on Aviation in the Lords on Wednesday where Baroness Doocey raised the impact of dramatically reduced inbound tourism on London’s economy and asking what the Government was going to do to address this. The heartening answer from Baroness Vere was that the government recognised the issue, was engaged and is looking for solutions to support city-based tourism.
Baroness Doocey (LD)
Does the Minister acknowledge that while international travel is something of a roulette, the Government should do everything possible to encourage a renaissance in domestic travel in the UK? The Government’s tourism industry body VisitBritain is forecasting that inbound tourism revenue will be down by £24 billion this year, which equates to about 340,000 jobs, half of which will be in London. What specific measures will the Government put in place to support London’s tourism sector, which is so reliant on inbound tourism?
Baroness Vere of Norbiton (Con)
The noble Baroness is right that London is very reliant on inbound tourism, as are many other major cities across the country. The Government are well aware of this and there are a number of conversations going on at the moment which are looking at potential solutions, not only for London but on a nationwide basis for the larger population hubs to ensure that people can travel safely. Within all this we have a very difficult balance between keeping the virus under control, making sure that people can travel safely and protecting jobs and the economy.
As you know there was a backbenchers debate in the Commons Yesterday. I’ve put the link to the transcript below so you can read it over the weekend – but the key take-outs are that I can see a lot of input from TA members in the debate and the MPs speaking were very much on message regarding the key issues facing the industry. Alex Sobel and Nigel Huddleston both speak very well at the end and there is a united view that more has to be done to support tourism businesses.
This week’s visitor numbers to the National Museums have been published with the average footfall being 25.2% of what would normally be expected, which is only 0.4% up on last week.
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/daily-visitors-to-dcms-sponsored-museums-and-galleries
This week’s R number and growth rate have been published. The R number is 1.0-1.2 and the growth rate range for the UK is -1% to +3%, indicating why the Gobvernment has deemed it necessary to introduce the Rule of Six on Monday.
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/the-r-number-in-the-uk
The Government has responded to the Duty Free Shopping Consultation. The main outcomes from the consultation are:
The removal of the ability to take VAT-free goods home in their luggage could have a significant impact on some markets such as China and the Middle East.
TIER Update - 10 September 2020
The Government has published further guidance on the new “Rule of Six” including a FAQ (note that this applies just to England)
This new guidance provides more detail on the exemptions, which include:
The guidance also clarifies that COVID-19 secure venues can continue to host people up to their social distancing capacity but that no one can visit in a group of ,ore than 6 (except for the exemptions and where the household (including bubble) is greater than 6)
There is also a FAQ document to go with the guidance which states, among other things:
TIER Update - 9 September 2020
New measures announced by the Prime Minister this afternoon
This afternoon the Prime Minister Boris Johnson held a press conference with the introduction of some new measures from Monday 14 September in England.
General measures and rule of six
Work settings and weddings and funerals
COVID Secure venues – tourism and hospitality
Simplified guidance is due to be published imminently and will be available on gov.uk.
Events, conferences and sport
International travel
New grants for businesses affected by local lockdowns
Businesses in England required to close due to local lockdowns or targeted restrictions will now be able to receive grants worth up to £1,500 every three weeks. To be eligible for the grant, a business must have been required to close due to local COVID-19 restrictions. The largest businesses will receive £1,500 every three weeks they are required to close. Smaller businesses will receive £1,000. Payments are triggered by a national decision to close businesses in a high incidence area. Each payment will be made for a 3-week lockdown period. Each new 3-week lockdown period triggers an additional payment. Currently these payments are available in Blackburn with Darwen, Pendle, and Oldham as part of an ongoing trial scheme.
Guidance for Welsh businesses on visitors from areas with higher incidence of coronavirus
The Welsh Government has published guidance for businesses on taking all reasonable measures to minimise risk to exposure of Coronavirus. The guidance outlines the following:
Situation update 9 September 2020
TOURISM ALLIANCE UPDATE – 9 SEPTEMBER
As above +:
New Tests - The government is looking at new tests, involving swabs or saliva, that can give results in 20 minutes – which would be extremely useful for stabilising international travel. This will be piloted in Salford
for outdoor and indoor venues.
Chris Whitty has commented that these new rules are unlikely to be lifted within three weeks.
Here’s a copy of the Prime Minister’s announcement:
https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/pm-press-conference-statement-9-september-2020
And here’s the slides from the presentation:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/slides-on-coronavirus-9-september-2020
The Department for International Trade has announced new measures to help boost exports and increase British retail firms’ readiness to sell overseas, include creation of a Consumer and Retail Export Academy to help businesses export, via a digital learning syllabus.
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/bounce-back-plans-launched-for-consumer-and-retail-industry
The CMA has published a position statement on how it believes the law operates in relation to wedding cancellations and refunds. It states that a wedding contract has been frustrated and the customer is entitled to a refund when going ahead with the wedding could breach lockdown laws including:
It accepts that there can be exemptions to a full refund where goods and services have already been provided
Leicester
The following businesses are now permitted to reopen in the protected area
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/closing-certain-businesses-and-venues-in-leicester
Bolton
Further restrictions have been introduced in Bolton
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/stronger-measures-brought-in-to-tackle-virus-in-bolton
From today people arriving from the following Greek Islands will have to undertake Quarantine for two weeks.
Crete
Lesvos
Mykonos
Santorini
Serifos
Tinos
Zakynthos
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/coronavirus-covid-19-travel-corridors
TIER Update - 8 September 2020
New restrictions introduced in Bolton, England
This afternoon Health and Social Care Secretary Matt Hancock announced new measures to reduce the spread of COVID-19 in Bolton.
The new measures, which come into force immediately, include:
New restrictions in Caerphilly County, Wales
Following a sharp increase in coronavirus (COVID-19) cases in Caerphilly County, new restrictions have been introduced to reduce the spread of the virus and protect public health for people living in the area. The restrictions come into force at 6pm on 8 September 2020 and will be kept under review. People will not be allowed to enter or leave the Caerphilly County Borough Council area without a reasonable excuse
New restrictions in Scotland for East Dunbartonshire and Renfrewshire
Following an increase in coronavirus (COVID-19) cases in the West of Scotland, new restrictions have been introduced in East Dunbartonshire and Renfrewshire, these follow restrictions that were introduced for people living in Glasgow City, East
Renfrewshire and West Dunbartonshire. The restrictions will be introduced for an initial 2 week period and reviewed in 7 days.
Travel to/from affected areas - These local restrictions do not affect travel in or out of the affected areas, providing the guidance on mixing with other households in their home is followed. If you are already in the affected area visiting family or on holiday then they do not need to leave, but you should follow the recommendations in this guidance and take extra care when returning home. If you are planning to use self-catering accommodation in unaffected areas with different households from affected areas, you should not do so.
Updated ONS Business Impact of Coronavirus data
The data looks at turnover expectations of the same businesses over time, using the final results of waves 6 to 11 of the voluntary fortnightly Business Impact of Coronavirus (COVID-19) Survey, covering the period 1 June to 23 August 2020.
Some key findings include
Other Government updates
Situation update 8 September 2020
TOURISM ALLIANCE UPDATE – 8 SEPTEMBER
Business Rate Consultation Feedback Reminder
As you know the Treasury’s consultation on Business Rates Reform which is a significant problem for large components of the tourism industry. As mentioned in the paper I sent out yesterday, UKHospitality has calculated that businesses such as hotels, pubs, restaurants and visitor attractions pay £2.7bn in business rates, which represents 9% of the total business rates paid in the UK, even though the these business represent just 4% of UK business turnover.
The consultation closes next Friday (18th Sept). In order to put together a Tourism Alliance response to this, could you please send me your comments by Monday 14th September.
Here’s a link to the Consultation document -
VEWG Updates – 08/09/2020
Autumn Staycation Campaign
VisitBritain is planning an Autumn Staycation Campaign. The slides are attached.
Autumn Staycation campaign - Update wc 17 August V3
CMA open letter
Yesterday the CMA published an open letter to the weddings sector. The purpose of this letter is to help businesses in the sector understand how the CMA considers that consumer protection law applies to the wedding contracts they have with consumers during COVID-19. The letter can be found here.
Voluntary calorie guidelines
Public Health England has launched new voluntary calorie guidelines to help the food industry tackle obesity. The voluntary guidelines for industry are a key commitment of the Government’s obesity strategy. The press release is here and the guidelines are here.
TIER Update - 7 September 2020
Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) template update
A new template is available for download for businesses claiming for 100 or more employees through CJRS. Employers must now include if an employee has returned from statutory leave before being put on furlough.
Lifting of some restrictions from 8 September in Leicester City, Blackburn with Darwen, Oldham, Pendle and other areas with restrictions in the North of England
From 8 September, several businesses and venues that were closed will be able to re-open in Leicester City, Blackburn with Darwen, Oldham, Pendle and other areas in the North of England. Each area has slightly different changes, to see the area specific changes please see the information relevant to your area using the links above.
Update to travel corridors policy in England
In a statement today Transport Secretary Grant Shapps announced a new islands policy for England. The policy is a targeted approach to add or remove a country’s islands to the travel corridors list. This means that an area (i.e. an island) that presents a higher or lower public health risk to UK travellers can be assessed separately to the rest of the country.
As part of the announcement Grant Shapps said that Greece remains part of the corridor scheme, but the Greek Islands of Lesvos, Tinos, Serifos, Mykonos, Crete, Santorini and Zakynthos are no longer on the travel exemptions list. Passengers arriving into England from these islands will need to self-isolate from 4:00am on Wednesday 9 September. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) has also updated its travel advice for Greece to advise against all but essential travel to Lesvos, Tinos, Serifos, Mykonos, Crete, Santorini and Zakynthos. The rest of Greece remains exempt from the FCDO’s advice against all non-essential international travel.
Other Government updates
Situation update 7 September 2020
TIER Update - 4 September 2020
DCMS Coronavirus Impact Business Survey - reminder
A reminder that DCMS invites you to take part in a second round of a survey being conducted to understand the impact of the Coronavirus outbreak on organisations in the digital, culture, media, sport, gambling, telecoms, and tourism sectors. This survey has been commissioned by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) to better understand the needs of its stakeholders. Your answer will remain anonymous and will be used to inform DCMS’ preparedness efforts.
We have already had a significant number of responses from the events and exhibitions sector and about 200 from the tourism sector. The survey should take around 10-20 minutes. The deadline for responses to the survey will be at 23:59 GMT on 08/09/2020. Please follow this link to begin submitting your response.
Travel corridor updates for Scotland and Northern Ireland
Coronavirus and the social impacts on Great Britain ONS data update
The survey covers the period 26 August to 30 August 2020.
Some key findings include:
Other Government updates
Travel industry updates
Situation update 4 September 2020
TOURISM ALLIANCE UPDATE – 4 SEPTEMBER
(with duplicate remove)
Yesterday the leader of the House of Commons announced that next Thursday (10 Sept) there will be a general debate on the aviation sector, followed by general debate on support for the tourism industry after the covid-19 lockdown. So get those briefings for local MPs ready.
The Home Office has updated the guidance for visa nationals whose visa or leave to stay in the UK expires after 31 August 2020 – which was when the grace period ended. People who took advantage of the grace period are now expected to take all reasonable steps to leave the UK where it is possible to do so or apply to regularise their stay in the UK. They can do this by submitting an application form from within the UK instead of applying from their home country. They will also need to show the application is urgent as well as paying all normal fees and visa requirements.
This week’s R number range for the UK is 0.9-1.1 and the growth rate range is -1% to +2% ( up from -2% to +1% last week) indicating that the number of Coronavirus cases is starting to expand again.
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/the-r-number-in-the-uk
TIER Update - 3 September 2020
Travel Corridors in England
The government has confirmed that there are no additions to or removals from the travel corridor list in England today. The list continues to be kept under review.
Travel Corridors in Wales
The Welsh government has removed the following countries and territories from their travel corridor list:
Arrivals into Wales from these territories after 04:00 on Friday 4 September will be required to self-isolate for 14 days.
Reminder: DCMS Coronavirus Impact Business Survey – Wave 2 closing 8 September
DCMS invites you - and the businesses that you represent - to take part in a second round of a survey being conducted to understand the impact of the Coronavirus outbreak on organisations in the digital, culture, media, sport, gambling, telecoms, and tourism sectors. This survey has been commissioned by DCMS to better understand the needs of its stakeholders.
Answers will remain anonymous and will be used to inform DCMS’ preparedness efforts. The survey should take around 10-20 minutes and can be found here. The deadline for responses to the survey will be at 23:59 GMT on 8 September 2020.
Other government updates
Situation update 3 September 2020
MATERIAL FROM TOURISM ALLIANCE
Wedding Consultation
You may remember that last year the Tourism Alliance was involved in pre-consultation discussions with the law Commission aimed at informing and shaping the development of a consultation paper on reforming the legislation surrounding holding weddings. At these meetings we pushed for a relaxation on the current restrictions that would include the ability for tourism businesses to host weddings outside at venues like historic houses and visitor attractions or in venues where they are currently prohibited such as on heritage trains or sightseeing boats.
The Law Commission has just published its consultation document which would allow for these types of weddings – which would help a lot of tourism businesses generate an additional revenue stream. Also, the consultation goes further in proposing that weddings could also be able to be held in public spaces and private residences. The consultation is open until 3 December 2020 so let me know your views and I’ll incorporate them into the Tourism Alliance response.
Here is a link to the consultation documents which are too large to send as attachments - the full consultation document is 458 pages and even the summary version 38 pages.
https://www.lawcom.gov.uk/project/weddings/
Tourism Alliance presentation on tourism recovery at the Trial Conference
I’m going to be out of the office today speaking at the Trial Conference and recording an interview for GTO’s online conference so I probably won’t be able send out a Coronavirus Update. However, to make sure that you have something from me to read, I have attached a copy of the presentation on tourism recovery that I’ll be giving at the trial conference and will follow this up with a more detailed paper tomorrow.
TIER Update - 2 September 2020
Updates to local restrictions in England
A list of areas with additional local restrictions is available here.
See Tourism Alliance Update below.
Changes to travel corridors in Scotland and Wales
Other Government updates
Situation update 2 September 2020
TOURISM ALLIANCE UPDATE – 2 SEPTEMBER
Here’s todays Coronavirus Update which includes details on the Government’s new £2bn Kickstart scheme which aims to provide six months work placements for young people. While undoubtedly a very welcome scheme, it does beg the question from tourism businesses – “why not protect existing jobs for six months as well?”
The government has introduced a new Kickstart Scheme which consists of a £2 billion fund aimed at generating high quality 6-month work placements for people aged 16 to 24 who are on Universal Credit and are deemed to be at risk of long term unemployment. The funding available for each job will cover 100% of the relevant National Minimum Wage for 25 hours a week, plus the associated employer National Insurance contributions and employer minimum automatic enrolment contributions. The core criteria are as follows:
You can find detail on this scheme from the guidance and promotional materials on the following link:
Important Bit
As mentioned above, an application must be for a minimum of 30 job placements which will be a problem for most tourism and hospitality businesses which are SMEs. To get around this, there is the option for representative bodies such as Trade Associations and DMOs to submit applications on behalf of their members or for individual businesses to join together to submit an application. Here’s a link on how to do this.
Late yesterday the Scottish Parliament announced that there would be a local lockdown in Glasgow City, East Renfrewshire and West Dunbartonshire. People living in these areas should not:
People can still travel in and out of these areas on holiday and meet people in pubs and restaurants, but should not share self-catering accommodation in unaffected areas with different households.
The restrictions have been introduced for an initial 2 week period and will be reviewed in 7 days
https://www.gov.scot/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-local-measures/pages/glasgow/
Last year DCMS held a call for evidence on how government can support the development and secure use of digital identities to support the growth of the UK economy. I have a meeting with DCMS official about how development of more secure and easily usable digital identities might help the tourism industry so if you have any ideas on this, please let me know. This could include things like receiving payments, ensuring that someone was able to work in the UK or maybe linking to visa and ETA applications.
Here's a copy of the Government’s response to the call for evidence that was published yesterday with more information on digital identities which may stimulate some ideas.
DCMS have just released the latest data from the participation survey which includes a section asking people about how comfortable they feel visiting particular attractions and facilities. The new data is for the first two weeks of July which, in terms of Coronavirus, is a lifetime ago but it is interesting nevertheless. The survey shows that participation in arts and exercise decreasing which participation in heritage has increase. In terms of confidence, about 25% of people said that they would feel comfortable in indoor arts, culture and heritage settings, although this increases to 35-40% for people who have undertaken that activity in the last 12 months – showing that people are much more confident if they have recently undertaken that activity which bodes well for the lasting affect of initiatives such as Eat Out to Help Out.
TIER Update - 1 September 2020
Scottish Government outlines new plan for 2020-2021
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has today published 'Protecting Scotland, Renewing Scotland: The Government's Programme for Scotland 2020-2021', which sets out the actions the Scottish Government is taking “to ensure Scotland’s economic, health, and social recovery from the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and beyond”. A safe and strong recovery for tourism is cited as being vital to economic recovery, inclusive growth and wellbeing. The Tourism Strategy ‘Scotland Outlook 2030’ (published in March 2020) is referenced as providing the framework for recovery, which will see the Scottish Government work with VisitScotland to develop a recovery marketing strategy, to identify medium/long-term market opportunities to support tourism and increase visitors.
Highlights from the plan include:
‘Eat Out to Help Out’ scheme now closed, accepting claims until 30 September 2020
The ‘Eat Out to Help Out’ scheme has now closed. Restaurants and other food service businesses that have already registered can submit a claim for reimbursement until 30 September 2020.
Industry updates
Situation update 1 September 2020
TOURISM ALLIANCE UPDATE – 1 SEPTEMBER
First, a thank you to everyone who came back to me with input for the 2025 UK Border Strategy submission. This was sent in on Friday and highlighted:
The Guidance to businesses on the CJRS have been updated to take account of the changes that come into effect today. You can download a copy of the new guidance from the following link
As I mentioned on Friday, the Government has announced a lifting of some local lockdown restrictions. From tomorrow, restrictions on two households mixing will be lifted in:
Local Lockdown restrictions will continue in the following areas.
Greater Manchester:
Lancashire:
Leicester:
West Yorkshire:
Blackburn with Darwen, Oldham and Pendle
For Blackburn with Darwen, Oldham and Pendle, the local guidance has been updated with the additional restrictions that residents should not meet people at indoor or outdoor public venues who are not members of their household.
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/blackburn-with-darwen-oldham-pendle-local-restrictions
The Government has updated the guidance for employers, trainers and assessors in relation to apprenticeships This includes
DCMS is undertaking a second round of a survey being conducted to understand the impact of the Coronavirus outbreak on organisations in the tourism and hospitality sectors. Could you therefore distribute the following link to your members and ask them to compete it (in addition to completing it yourself). The survey, on the following link, should take around 10-20 minutes to complete and any information provided will remain anonymous and only used to inform DCMS’ preparedness efforts.
https://dcms.eu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_42Y4OEsGEUcx48Z
The deadline for responses to the survey is at 23:59 GMT on 8th September 2020.
Here’s a link to the latest Surveillance Report that was published late on Friday. The two areas of concern with rising Covid cases which could lead to a local lockdown are Swindon and Stoke on Trent, while there is good news in that the incidence of Coronavirus in Birmingham is falling which suggests that the city might escape the need for a lock down.
The Conservative party is holding its annual conference online this year. Because of this there is the opportunity for you register for free to be an observer, which allows to you to watch all the major speeches as well as the fringe meetings.
https://conference.conservatives.com/registration
BVEP Launches Events Reopening Survey Ahead of October Go Date, 3 Aug.
One Industry, One Voice Campaign Update, 10 Aug.
VisitBritain to Start Promoting The UKickstart Event 2020, 10 Aug.
Event First Steps and C&IT Launch Research on Racial Diversity in Events Industry, 31 Aug.
VisitEngland Awards for Excellence 2020 Online Ceremony, 14 Aug.
DCMS Coronavirus Impact Business Survey - Wave 2, 14 Aug.
VisitEngland announces winners of tourism Awards for Excellence 2020, 17 Aug.
Latest mia research reveals the true cost of COVID-19 on the sector, 19 Aug.
8 Sept - UKickstart Event 2020
TIER Update - 28 August 2020
Changes to Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme to take effect 1 September
From 1 September, the government will pay 70% of wages up to a maximum cap of £2,187.50 for the hours the employee is on furlough. Employers will top up employees’ wages to ensure they receive 80% (up to £2,500). The caps are proportional to the hours not worked. Read more information about the changes.
Unless you’re making a new claim for an employee who is a military reservist or is returning from statutory parental leave, you can only continue to claim through the scheme if:
Situation update 28 August 2020
Information about the Job Retention Bonus was published on 31 July.
Further guidance on cancellations and refunds during COVID-19
The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has issued a statement that a consumer will generally be entitled to a refund when they have paid money in advance for services or goods that cannot be delivered due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Lockdown laws:
If contracts cannot go ahead due to lockdown laws, the CMA would expect customers to be offered a full refund. If contracts are partially impacted by lockdown laws, consumers may be entitled to a refund or price reduction depending on the scale of the impact.
Government guidance:
Whether a consumer is entitled to refund as a result of government guidance will vary according to the specific circumstances. It is not always the case that a full refund is due because government guidance does not create legal restrictions and will not necessarily mean that a contract cannot be performed, but it is important for businesses and customers to follow government guidance and businesses should treat their customers fairly to find a mutually acceptable solution.
Read the CMA’s full statement on cancellation and refund updates.
ONS COVID-19 roundup
See the latest data and analysis from ONS related to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and its impact on our economy and society, analysing data up to the week ending 14 August. Read the full report here.
Some key findings on the travel and leisure sectors:
Tourism Alliance Update
With the August Bank Holiday here it is worth noting that the increased fines for holding or attending illegal gatherings come into force today as the Government attempts to dissuade people from breaking social distancing rules. The fines are:
As part of it’s ongoing investigation on the cancellation of tourism-related contracts, the CMA has published a statement today which outlines how it believes the law operates in relation to contracts impacted by Coronavirus. The main part of this statement is as follows:
In some circumstances, due to lockdown laws, a contract cannot go ahead as agreed or at all, and is therefore ‘frustrated’. A contract will be frustrated as a matter of law if, due to no fault of the parties, something happens after the contract was entered into which means it can no longer be performed at all or performance would be radically different to what was agreed.
As a result, the contract comes to an end and, where consumers have paid money in advance for services or goods that they have yet to receive, they will generally be entitled to obtain a refund.
CMA would expect a consumer to be offered a full refund where:
Examples of legal restrictions in lockdown laws include:
With local lockdowns likely to continue, it is important that tourism businesses are aware of this statement and modify their terms and conditions and customer service accordingly.
Here’s the Press Release from the CMA
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/coronavirus-covid-19-cancellation-and-refund-updates
And here’s the full statement, with further detail
The Guidance to tourism and hospitality businesses on the test and trace data that they must collect has been amended to remove a line in that guidance that said that NHS Test and Trace will ask a business for their Test and Trace records when someone who has tested positive for COVID-19 has listed the premise as a place they visited recently due to data protection issues.
Please remember that the terms of the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme Will change on Tuesday. From 1 September, the Government will pay 70% of wages up to a maximum cap of £2,187.50 for the hours the employee is on furlough, will businesses required to pay the additional 10% required to ensure that employees receive 80% of their wages (up to £2,500). The caps are proportional to the hours not worked..
Unless a business is making a new claim for an employee who is a military reservist or is returning from statutory parental leave, it can only continue to claim through the scheme if:
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/claim-for-wage-costs-through-the-coronavirus-job-retention-scheme
This week’s National Museum figures are encouraging with a rise in average visitor numbers from 15% to 21% of normal footfall.
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/daily-visitors-to-dcms-sponsored-museums-and-galleries
Reflecting the recent increase in the number of cases, this week’s R number for the UK is 0.9-1.1 and the growth rate is -2% to +1% per day
TIER Update - 27 August 2020
Update on travel corridors
This week’s review of Travel Corridor countries has concluded, based on data from the Joint Biosecurity Centre and Public Health England, with Ministers agreeing to remove the following from the list of exempt countries:
Czech Republic
Jamaica
Switzerland
This is due to a significant increase in both the level and pace of confirmed cases in these countries. These removals apply UK-wide and will be effective from 04:00 on Saturday 29 August.
Ministers have agreed to add the following to the list of exempt countries, following a decrease in the number of confirmed cases:
Cuba
This addition applies UK-wide and will also be effective from 04:00 on Saturday 29 August. Passengers arriving from these countries before this time will still need to self-isolate upon arrival into the UK.
FCO Travel Advice is being updated to reflect these changes. See the full list of travel corridors on the Gov website.
Update on spectators to elite sports events
On a separate note, the Government has announced further pilots for the return of spectators to elite sport to allow fans to return to live sport from 1 October with social distancing.
Situation update 27 August 2020
Tourism Alliance Update - 27 August 2020
20.08.27 Services Sector Survey August 2020
The Government has just announced that the following countries will be removed from the air corridors list, meaning that people arriving from these countries will need to quarantine for two weeks
Czech Republic
Jamaica
Switzerland
At the same time, Cuba has been added to the Air Corridor list
These changes apply UK-wide and will come into effect at 04:00 on Saturday 29th August.
You will have seen considerable attention in the media to the new payment for people on low incomes in areas with high rates of COVID-19 who need to self-isolate and can’t work from home. The payment is, which will be first trialled in Blackburn with Darwen, Pendle and Oldham, will pay £130 to eligible individuals who test positive for their 10-day self-isolation period. This payment is in addition to any other benefits that the person already receives of may be entitled to. Other members of their household, who have to self-isolate for 14 days, will be entitled to a payment of £182.
To be eligible for the funding, individuals must:
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-payment-for-people-self-isolating-in-highest-risk-areas
The Home Office has released data today showing that there were 1.3m arrivals into the UK by air during July. This is 89% lower that the number of arrivals in July 2019, when 11.1m people entered the country. The data also indicates that arrivals into the UK by rail were down 65% and arrivals by sea were down by 69%.
It should also be noted that the arrivals data includes British nationals returning from overseas. When British nationals are removed, the number of arrivals falls to 640,000 people. However, there should be slight bit of caution in thinking that this is the number of overseas visitors as this figure will include foreign nationals that live in the UK returning from holidays overseas.
DCMS has announced a series of sports events where there will be spectator trials in England, The initial sports being trialled are as follows with further trials of other sports to be announced in September
A link of the trial events is available on the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-pilots-announced-for-return-of-spectators-to-elite-sport
I’ve attached a copy of CBI’s service sector report that has been published today. The survey includes data on sentiment within the Hotels, bars & restaurants; travel services and leisure sectors which shows that costs per employee have increase by 20-30% while the volume of sales is down 30-60% and employment is down 30-90% depending on the sector.
HMRC have published a policy paper setting out how they will continue to support individuals and businesses through the Coronavirus outbreak. While there are no initiatives in the policy paper it presents a series of principles on how it will operate:
The ONS has produced the latest results of their ongoing survey of economic and social indicators. The main tourism related findings are:
The results will be shared with UK, Scottish and Welsh Governments to inform autumn budgets and spending reviews, as well as policy decisions going forward.
The survey is being undertaken by The South West Research Company. Answers will be treated as strictly confidential and will be combined with those from other businesses in various regions to provide overall results.
https://survey.sogosurvey.com/Survey1.aspx?k=RQsQQYTYVsQWQsPsPsP&lang=0
TIER Update - 26 August 2020
Hospitality businesses in Aberdeen to reopen from 26 August
In line with the lifting of local lockdown restrictions in Aberdeen, restaurants, pubs, cafés, casinos and other hospitality premises are able to reopen from today, 26 August. Other restrictions have been lifted including a five-mile travel limit and restrictions on gatherings, and other businesses in Aberdeen are allowed to open in line with Scotland’s national route map for reopening.
‘Eat Out to Help Out’ scheme statistics (23 August)
New figures show that restaurants have claimed reimbursement for 64 million meals or purchases so far through the ‘Eat Out to Help Out’ scheme. The latest statistics on the scheme as of 23 August show that:
VisitBritain report: Revised inbound forecast for the UK in 2020
The inbound outlook for the UK in 2020 from VisitBritain has been revised as of 25 August. Key updates from the revised forecast:
Notes about the forecast:
Bank Holiday Domestic Trip Tracker from VisitEngland (August 2020)
Please see attached the full report from a VisitEngland survey looking at domestic travel intentions during the upcoming August bank holiday. Some key insights from the report.
Industry updates
Situation update 26 August 2020
VisitEngland_trip_tracker_August_2020
Tourism Alliance Update - 26 August 2020
VisitBritain has updated its forecast for inbound tourism in 2020. Their central prediction is that is for a decline of 73% in visits to 11.0 million and a decline of 79% in spending to £6.0 billion. This would represent a loss vs the pre-COVID forecast of 30.7 million visits and £24.0 billion spending.
This central scenario assumes that a vaccine will not be widely available during 2020 and that the UK will not go back to the April-June situation of national lockdown and near-zero international travel although it is consistent with some local lockdowns being imposed.
This has significant implications for the tourism businesses that depend on inbound tourism and the economies of destinations such as at London, Edinburgh and Manchester that have high levels of inbounds visitors. For London alone, this equates for £12bn less coming into the economy and over 180,000 jobs at risk – and that doesn’t include the drop in revenue and employment derived from the airlines and airports servicing London.
https://www.visitbritain.org/2020-tourism-forecast
As you will be aware, the Government has decided to undertaking a series of trial events ahead of the conference, events and exhibitions sectors being reopened on 1st October in order to determine how these events should be organised to ensure that they are Covid Safe. These trial events will determine whether all appropriate mitigations are in place, and whether any parts of the existing guidance need to be strengthened or changed to support the sector to organise future business events.
To help with this, another 50 volunteers are needed to attend a conference event at the Hilton Canary Wharf on Thursday 3rd September 11am-2pm
If you are interested could you please put together a list of individuals at your organisation who can join and send this to the DCMS Tourism team tourismheritagecovid@dcms.gov.uk) by COP Thursday 27th August. Once you done this, the venue will be in touch with you regarding registration details.
This is a good opportunity for those attending to understand how conferences will be held when they reopen so that you can inform you members and your own activities. And please note that by attending you need to permit your contact data to be shared with govt and the event organiser – and to be contacted by the event organiser.
The guidance on quarantining has been updated to say that peopple are able to only leave their self-isolation premises in England under exceptional circumstances. This includes such things as:
There may be other exceptional circumstances which may permit you to leave your place of self-isolation. You will need to consider carefully whether your circumstances are exceptional circumstances that require you to leave your place of self-isolation. It may be useful to seek advice from a medical or other professional to discuss your circumstances so that you can decide whether they require you to leave the accommodation where you are self-isolating.
People are not allowed to change the place of self-isolating except in very limited circumstances, including where there is:
If this happens, they should provide full details of each address where they will self-isolate on the public health passenger locator form.
DFT has produced the latest figures on transport use when, again shows that private and commercial transport is back to normal but public transport usage has stalled at between 30-50% of normal use depending on the transport type. While some of this will reflect lower commuter traffic due to people still working from home, it indicates that people are still concerned about travelling in close proximity to others.
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/transport-use-during-the-coronavirus-covid-19-pandemic
HMRC’s video about the extension to the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme and flexible furloughing has been updated.
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/help-and-support-if-your-business-is-affected-by-coronavirus-covid-19
Tourism Alliance Update - 25 August 2020
Guidance for guests who become unwell while on holiday in England
The government has outlined advice for people who become unwell while on holiday in England:
As a reminder, here is guidance for accommodation providers on hosting guests that have symptoms of coronavirus
General updates
Trade feedback
Airline updates
Situation update 25 August 2020
TIER Update - 21 August 2020
New measures announced today for Oldham, parts of Pendle and Blackburn
Additional restrictions will be introduced in Oldham, parts of Pendle and Blackburn from midnight on Saturday to curb the rising number of COVID-19 cases.
The measures include:
The new rules – are in addition to the existing ban on indoor gatherings of more than 2 households in place across parts of Lancashire, Greater Manchester and West Yorkshire.
Meanwhile, Birmingham has been added to this week’s watch list as an ‘area of enhanced support’, meaning the area will benefit from additional testing, locally led contact tracing and targeted community engagement. Northampton has become an ‘area of intervention’. Restrictions will be lifted in Wigan, Rossendale and Darwen. See the announcement for the detailed list of impacted areas.
Latest Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS)and Self Employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS)figures up to end of July released
Key take-outs from the data include:
Outdoor events to be trialled in Wales and some further restrictions lifted
First Minister Mark Drakeford announced today that a limited number of small scale outdoor performances and sporting events are set to be trialled in Wales in an effort to begin a phased approach to the safe reopening of the events industry. Initially three small events, with limits of up to 100 people, and subject to strict risk assessments, will be held across Wales later this month.
Outdoor events are being prioritised in this review period, while the weather is mild, due to evidence of lower transmission of coronavirus outdoors. The Minister said if these small events can be carried out safely, and transmission of the virus remains low, it is hoped the next stage will be increased numbers of participants, allowing a limited number of spectators to attend sporting events and potentially considering trialling small scale business events.
He also announced some further restrictions will be lifted including:
From 22 August:
Subject to the successful resumption of weddings and funerals, it is hoped to further increase the range of indoor ceremonies allowed in the next review period.
From 29 August :
Travel Corridor update for Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland
Following yesterday’s travel corridor announcement for England, Portugal has been added to travel corridor list in Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland, while Croatia, Austria and Trinidad & Tobago have been removed
Points Based Immigration system resources for employers
The Home Office has published some resources to help employers understand/prepare for the new points based immigration system:
Call for evidence for integrated review of security, defence, development and foreign policy
The Government is calling for evidence for the integrated review of security, defence, development and foreign policy. The Review will cover all aspects of international and national security policy, such as defence, diplomacy, development and national resilience. It will re-examine the UK’s priorities and objectives in light of the UK’s departure from the European Union and at a time when the global landscape is changing rapidly, including as a result of COVID-19. Further details along with the “call for evidence” questions, a response template and email address to return the evidence to Government can be found here.
Other Government updates
Industry updates
Situation update 21 August 2020
TOURISM ALLIANCE UPDATE – 21 AUGUST
The ONs has produced new research which, among other things, shows the very positive impact that the Eat Out to help Out initiative is having. In particular,
The one worrying factor is that the percentage o people who say that they are comfortable eating inside at a restaurant has only risen from 37% to 43% since the beginning of August so there is still considerable work that still needs to be done in terms of reassurance.
Holidays
The same research found that Coronavirus is having a significant impact on holiday plans, not just for travel overseas but for domestic tourism as well.
There is some improvement in the visitor figures for the national museums – up to 15.1 % of average from 12.8% last week. It is worth noting that a lot of the decline is associated with social distancing requirements and the need to pre-book tickets but a quick check of ticket availability on their websites suggests that there is significant spare capacity.
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/daily-visitors-to-dcms-sponsored-museums-and-galleries
The Government has just published this weeks R and Growth Rates - the R Rate is now 0.9-1.1 and the growth rate is -3% to +1%. Of particular note is that the R rate is at it’s highest level since figures were first published in May.
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/the-r-number-in-the-uk
HMRC has published data on the uptake of the SEISS scheme. What is notable is that of the 5m self-employed people in the UK, only 52% (2.6m) received support. In the accommodation and food services sector, the figures are even worse with only 48% receiving support. A lot of this will be because whose self-employed are structured as a company rather than a sole trader, their trading profit was less than their income from other sources or were self-catering operators whose income was deemed to be from property investment.
The facemask Guidance has been updated again to reflect that with spectators to be allowed back into watch professional sports events soon, face coverings will be required in sports stadiums. The exemptions section on when face coverings are not required has also been updated to give added guidance related to a range of scenarios such as being asked for age verification before selling alcohol.
TIER Update - 20 August 2020
Portugal added to travel corridor list in England; Croatia, Austria and Trinidad & Tobago removed
From Saturday 22 August, people arriving in England from Croatia, Austria and Trinidad & Tobago will be required to self-isolate for 14 days. The Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO) will update its travel advice to advise British travellers against visiting these destinations due to rising incidence rates of COVID-19.
Portugal has been added to the list of countries exempt from quarantine requirements, so from Saturday 22 August people arriving in England from Portugal will not be required to self-isolate. The FCO will also update its travel advice so it no longer advises against travel to Portugal from 22 August.
Swimming pools and indoor sports courts in Scotland to reopen from 31 August
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has announced that gyms, swimming pools and indoor sports courts can reopen in Scotland from 31 August subject to guidance.
From 24 August organised outdoor contact sports, some outdoor live events, driving lessons, child contact centres, face-to-face advice services, bingo halls, amusement arcades and casinos, snooker and pool halls, indoor bowling and both static and travelling funfairs can re-open – subject to strict adherence to guidance and appropriate safety measures such as physical distancing.
With effect from Monday 14 September (indicative dates only – conditional on 10 September review), it is hoped the following will also be able to re-open:
Hospitality businesses in Wales to collect customer info to support Test, Trace, Protect
All hospitality businesses and high-risk settings must collect customers’ name and phone number to assist with the Test, Trace, Protect (TTP) approach. The following businesses or premises must collect and retain contact information for 21 days:
Bilingual posters are available for download to help explain to customers why their contact information is being collected as a legal requirement.
Essential travel restriction on public transport has been lifted in Wales
The essential travel restriction on public transport has been lifted, opening trains and buses for non-essential travel in Wales. The requirement to wear a face covering on public transport in Wales remains in place.
Extensions to seasonal occupancy of caravan sites in Wales, planning guide available
A booklet has been written for caravan site owners and operators as a guide to making planning applications to allow existing caravan sites to open all year where seasonal occupancy conditions prevent this. The guide has been prepared in light of the implications for caravan site businesses from the COVID-19 restrictions.
Restrictions on gatherings reintroduced in Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland’s Health Minister Robin Swann, Chief Medical Officer and Dr. Michael McBride gave an update on the changes of restrictions on gatherings that will come into force next week due to the increase in positive COVID-19 cases.
The new restrictions include:
Other government updates
Situation update 20 August 2020
TOURISM ALLIANCE UPDATE – 20 AUGUST
You may have noticed on the news today that Birmingham may be added to the Government’s Coronavirus watchlist as an “Area of Concern”. If you are unsure what this means, here’s a quick explainer:
Public Health England publish a weekly National Surveillance Report which pulls together all the information on Coronavirus cases across the country. From this they develop a Watchlist by considering the local authorities with the highest weekly incidence rate, the trend in this rate, and a range of other indicators including the test positivity rate, an assessment of the local response and plans, and healthcare activity.
There is a three stage classification given to areas added to the watchlist:
This is where cases are increasing and local targeted actions are needed to reduce prevalence e.g. additional testing in care homes and increased community engagement with high risk groups
If local targeted actions don’t succeed, areas move on to Enhanced Support where a more detailed plan agreed with the national team is implemented, with additional resources being provided to support the local team (e.g. epidemiological expertise, additional mobile testing capacity)
If the enhanced support fails to bring the outbreak under control, a further detailed action plan is implemented which includes changes to the rules on social distancing and business operations.
So by keeping an eye on the weekly National Surveillance Reports, you can see the trends in watchlist areas and let members know where they might expect restrictions to occur or be removed. Here’s a link to last the latest Report: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-covid-19-surveillance-reports
ONs has produced another report on economic and social trends which has some interesting data including
HMRC have implemented a new phone service for businesses that want to make a voluntary repayment of any money that has been overpaid through the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme and where the company is not submitting anther claim. The number is 0300 322 9430
HMRC have also updated their Self-Employment Income Support Scheme videos for claiming the second grant and for Universal Credit and Child Benefit. https://www.gov.uk/guidance/help-and-support-if-your-business-is-affected-by-coronavirus-covid-19
The Tourism Alliance is supporting New West End Company’s campaign to extend tax-free shopping to visitors from EU member states at the end of the Transition Period on December 31st 2020 as one of a package of measures needed to support the recovery of international tourism. Two thirds of visitors to the UK are from the EU and VB research shows that around a quarter of all overseas visitor expenditure in the UK is on shopping – which means that offering tax free shopping would be a big incentive for Europeans to visit the UK.
The New West End Company has calculated that moving to duty free shopping for EU members could add over £2.3 billion to retail and tourism sales annually and it is kicking-off the campaign with a letter from New West End Company Chairman, Sir Peter Rogers, to the Financial Secretary to the Treasury.
Tourism Alliance members are urged to add their name to this letter to reflect the benefits that allowing duty free shopping would bring to the recovery of the UK tourism industry
You can read the letter here:
https://internationalretail.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/20-08-19-TFS-letter-2.pdf
and add your company’s details to be a cosignatory by clicking here:
https://internationalretail.co.uk/sign-up-form
One of the sectors that has been particularly impacted by the Coronavirus outbreak is the EFL. In additional to not being eligible for business rates support and being impacted by the decline in inbound travel, the sector is also being significantly impacted by uncertainly surrounding Brexit and the Government’s policy of phasing out the ability of EU nationals to use national ID cards to travel to the UK, which will have a significant impact on youth and family travel.
They have produced an excellent position paper laying out the value of the sector to the UK and local economies and the measures that need to be undertaken to support this sector. This includes:
The Home Office has just updated its guidance on the Points based Immigration System to provide employees an overview of the new system and explains how employers are affected. The updated guidance and two new video explainers are available on the following link
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/uk-points-based-immigration-system-employer-information
From 1 January 2021, if businesses want to recruit anyone from outside the UK you must be a Home Office licensed sponsor. If any of your members are thinking of recruiting from overseas next year, they should apply to be a sponsor now. Details on how to do this are on the following link
https://www.gov.uk/uk-visa-sponsorship-employers
Finally, if any of your members would like to be kept updated on the new immigration system they can sign up to receive email updates on the new immigration system here
https://gov.smartwebportal.co.uk/homeoffice/public/webform.asp?id=191&id2=9633A4 |
TIER Update - 19 August 2020
Further advice on wearing a face covering
Updated Visa Application Centre closure advice
Updated guidance is available for customers outside of the UK who may be affected by VAC closures, it states:
“If your VAC is still closed due to coronavirus restrictions, you can visit a VAC in any country worldwide, subject to that country’s entry requirements, to submit your application and biometrics. You’ll be able to make any type of application. This temporary concession will be reviewed by 30 November 2020.”
Other Government updates
Industry updates
Situation update 19 August 2020
TOURISM ALLIANCE UPDATE – 19 AUGUST
This is not strictly coronavirus related but helpful for sole traders or business partnerships that want to cut costs at the moment. BEIS has updated its online tool for these businesses to assess whether transferring to the Simplified Expenses scheme could save them money.
https://www.gov.uk/simplified-expenses-checker
TIER Update - 17 August 2020
Second round of claims for Self-Employment Income Support Scheme now open for businesses impacted since 14 July
The Self-Employment Income Support Scheme claim service is now accepting the second round of applications. Eligible self-employed applicants may apply to receive a second and final government grant worth 70% of their average monthly trading profits, up to £6,570.
Anyone whose self-employed business has been adversely affected by coronavirus since 14 July is eligible to apply for the scheme. Guidance is available to help potential applicants decide if your business has been adversely affected by coronavirus, check if you’re eligible for the scheme and learn about how different circumstances might affect your eligibility to submit a claim.
DfT advice on self-isolation after transiting through non-travel corridor countries
Further to our update on Friday regarding self-isolation after transiting through countries by car, ferry, coaches, trains, etc that are not exempt from quarantine rules, advice from DfT today is as follows:
The circumstances of whether self-isolation would be required is governed by that of the transport operator – so for Eurotunnel this is very straightforward as travellers do not need to exit their vehicle and therefore can avoid mixing with people. Unfortunately this would be more difficult for those travelling by ferry as passengers need to disembark their vehicle and leave the car deck, so would mix with other travellers before arriving back in the UK, and therefore need to self-isolate.
Here is the guidance for quarantining after travelling through transit stops and travelling with private vehicles:
Transit stops
A transit stop is a stop where passengers can get on or off. It can apply to coaches, ferries, trains or flights. Your ticket should show if a stop is a transit stop.
If your journey involves a transit stop in a country not on the list, you will need to self-isolate when you arrive in England if:
You don’t need to self-isolate beyond normal timescales if, during your transit stop in a non-exempt country:
Private vehicles
You don’t need to self-isolate if you travel through a non-exempt country and you don’t stop in the country.
If you do make a stop, you don’t need to self-isolate if:
You do need to self-isolate if you make a stop and:
Situation update 17 August 2020
TIER Update - 14 August 2020
The Government made a number of important announcements last night which will impact on tourism businesses.
Approved Travel List
As you may know, the Joint Biosecurity Centre, Public Health England and Ministers hold a weekly meeting where they review the exemption list for Air Corridors. At yesterday’s meeting they agreed to remove France, Malta, Monaco, the Netherlands, the Turks and Caicos Islands and Aruba from the approved travel list due to spikes in Coronavirus cases in these countries. These removals apply to England and are effective from 04:00 tomorrow. The cost, disruption and lack of confidence they cause to both businesses and consumers again highlights the need to develop a more stable system for facilitating international travel which is robust enough to remain in place when spikes occur in different destinations.
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/coronavirus-covid-19-travel-corridors
Permitted Activities
Last night the Prime Minister announced the removal of restriction on certain businesses and activities. This means that, from tomorrow, the following are permitted:
Fines
It should also be noted that the Prime Minister also announced that fines will double to a maximum of £3,200 for those who repeatedly flout face covering rules and that few fines to be introduced for people hosting unlawful gatherings of more than 30 people
DCMS Coronavirus Impact Business Survey - Wave 2 DCMS invites you - and the businesses that you represent - to take part in a second round of a survey being conducted to understand the impact of the Coronavirus outbreak on organisations in the digital, culture, media, sport, gambling, telecoms, and tourism sectors. This survey has been commissioned by DCMS to better understand the needs of its stakeholders. Your answer will remain anonymous and will be used to inform DCMS’ preparedness efforts. The survey should take around 10-20 minutes and can be found here. The deadline for responses to the survey will be at 23:59 GMT on 8th September 2020.
Changes to restrictions in Wales and amendments to regulations to make collecting customer contact details mandatory
First Minister Mark Drakeford announced today that if conditions remain stable over the next week, people will be able to see more of their family and friends as part of the next review of Wales’ coronavirus restrictions:
The intention is that from Saturday 22nd August:
However, the Welsh Government will not be making any changes to the rules on people meeting indoors with people who aren’t part of their household or extended household.
The Welsh Government has also introduced new enforcement powers to make sure all premises follow COVID rules. Amendments to the regulations will come into force next week to make it obligatory for hospitality businesses and other high-risk settings to collect contact details of customers. The Welsh Government recently strengthened the powers local authorities have to enforce these regulations.
New regulations for collecting customer contact details in Scotland
Regulations introduced in Scotland today make it mandatory for hospitality settings to collect the contact details of visitors to their premises in support of Test and Protect. The new regulations apply to restaurants, cafes, pubs and hotels in which food or drink are sold for consumption on the premises.
These businesses must now record:
The new regulations include customers, staff working on a particular day and visitors such as delivery drivers or cleaners. Premises must store the information for 21 days and share it when requested to do so by public health officers within 24 hours.
New statutory guidance for the hospitality sector has also been published which explains how to keep a record of customer and visitor contact details securely ensuring data protection principles are upheld. The Scottish Government has also published updated guidance for hospitality customers to reinforce key safety measures, including physical distancing and the strict limits on the number of households that can meet at a time - 8 people from up to 3 households indoors and 15 people from up to 5 households outdoors.
DfT advice on transit stops
Following enquiries regarding what constitutes transit for people travelling from a country covered by the travel corridor exemption, through a non-exempt country to England via, e.g. a ferry, DfT advice is as follows:
A transit stop is a stop where passengers can get on or off. It can apply to coaches, ferries, trains or flights. Your ticket should show if a stop is a transit stop.
If your journey involves a transit stop in a country not on the list, you will need to self-isolate when you arrive in England if:
You don’t need to self-isolate beyond normal timescales if, during your transit stop in a non-exempt country:
Ferries should have safety measures in place on board (social distancing, face coverings, etc.) so passengers should not need to self-isolate unless they have made a transit stop en-route to the ferry
ONS COVID-19 round-up
See the latest data and analysis from ONS related to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and its impact on our economy and society.
Some key findings on going on holiday include:
There is also a section on services, production and construction which shows impact on accommodation and food services.
Other Government updates
Situation update 14 August 2020
TOURISM ALLIANCE UPDATE – 14 AUGUST
Quite a large update today as the announcement’s last night have had a knock-on effect on other guidance, plus a survey for you to distribute to your members and figures on the public’s perception of undertaking various tourism-related activities such as visiting the national museums, going to pubs and restaurants and going on holiday overseas. I’m going to be out of the office on Monday but will be back with updates from the Tuesday – in the meantime, have a good weekend.
With the announcement that further businesses and activities are being allowed to reopen, the guidance on wearing face coverings has been updated to say that face coverings are required in casinos, skating rinks, bowling alleys, indoor play areas, exhibition halls and conference centres. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/face-coverings-when-to-wear-one-and-how-to-make-your-own
While spas will be able to reopen from tomorrow, the updated guidance from Government for Close Contact Services says that Saunas and Steam Rooms should remain closed until further notice and that the use of changing rooms should still be discouraged wherever possible with customers advised to change and shower in their rooms or at home.
The Department for Health and Social Care has set up a new email address that businesses and business representative bodies in lockdown areas can use raise any queries that they have with regards to local rules and requirements. The address is TTDHSCexternalaffairs@dhsc.gov.uk
First Minister, Mark Drakeford, has announced that from Saturday 22nd August:
However, he also stated that the Welsh Government will not be making any changes to the rules on people meeting indoors with people who aren’t part of their household or extended household. This means that people should only visit pubs, restaurants or other places indoors with people from their household or extended household.
https://gov.wales/changes-allow-more-families-meet
In line with the announcement that the France, Netherlands, Malta, Monaco and the FCO has updated its travel advice to advise against non-essential international travel to these countries. The list of countries and territories exempt from the FCO’s general advice against ‘all but essential’ international travel can be found on the following link: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/coronavirus-covid-19-countries-and-territories-exempt-from-advice-against-all-but-essential-international-travel
Again, with the easing of restrictions announced last night the performing arts and Close Contact Working safety Guidance has been updated. Apart from the obvious businesses, this will also be of importance to businesses such as holiday parks, attractions and hotels that provide these types of activities and services.
Performing Arts
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/working-safely-during-coronavirus-covid-19/performing-arts
Close Contact Services
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/working-safely-during-coronavirus-covid-19/close-contact-services
The visitor figures for the week until 9th August have been published. Since the previous week the Natural History Museum, while the Imperial War Museum and the V&A have partially opened which is good news. Footfall however, at an average of 10%, remains very depressed but at least is up from the previous week’s 8.8%https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/daily-visitors-to-dcms-sponsored-museums-and-galleries
Another piece of research from the ONS on the impact that Coronavirus is having on people’s behaviour. This latest research covers the period of 5-9th August so comes after the first week of “Eat Out to Help Out”. It shows that:
The Home Office has updated guidance for people applying to enter the UK or remain on the basis of family or private life and also how to apply for a visa to enter the UK is the VAC is closed.
DFT have published a new public transport demand management toolkit for English local authorities outside London to help them adjust to the expected increase in demand for public transport when the schools reopen. The toolkit provides a five step plan for managing increased demand – the steps, which are hard to argue against, being:
TIER Update - 13 August 2020
Here is today’s update, which includes the latest Consumer Sentiment tracker report from VisitBritain (full report attached). Also included is VisitBritain’s report on consumer sentiment in France and Germany.
VisitBritain report: consumer sentiment in France and Germany |
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A new report on Coronavirus consumer sentiment testing in France and Germany is available. The report revealed that 12% of the French and 11% of the Germans who plan to go on a holiday abroad in the next six months consider travelling to Britain. |
Consumer Sentiment Tracker report from VisitBritain (Week 12)
Please find attached the latest draft of our UK COVID-19 Consumer Tracker Report for week 12, based on fieldwork from 3-7 August. Some key findings from this week:
A continuation of negative publicity surrounding local lockdowns and retraction of some travel corridor exemptions from quarantine continues to have an impact on results. Over half of UK adults (51%) believe that the worst is still to come, a significant increase on week 11 and the highest level so far since the survey began.
Only 15% are now expecting ‘normality’ by the end of this year and confidence in the ability to take a domestic trip between Oct-Dec continues to slowly decline to 38%. For those lacking confidence around winter trips, concerns around catching coronavirus is a major factor (with 52% citing this) but in second and third positions we see people saying ‘restrictions on travel from government’ and ‘it’s not responsible to travel’, which may be linked to new self-quarantine rules on returning from some destinations.
More positively, over half (57%) of Summer Intenders have already planned their trip and 49% have committed to booking it. Of course, the broader challenge is encouraging more bookings from Winter Intenders (for trips between October 2020 – March 2021) which currently stands at 20%, although this proportion has reassuringly increased again this week.
Other points of note:
Reducing transmission of coronavirus (COVID-19)
The government has published guidance summarising advice for the public to reduce the transmission of coronavirus (COVID-19) and rounding up resources to find more information.
Other government updates
Situation update 13 August 2020
TOURISM ALLIANCE UPDATE – 13 AUGUST
As part of the Government’s ongoing “Enjoy Summer Safely” campaign, next week will be “Love Culture Week” which will highlight museums, galleries, heritage sites, libraries, cinemas and cultural organisations across the UK. Part of this week includes “Throwback Thursday” where they want people to use the hashtag #ThrowbackThursday to post pictures from UK holidays and day trips of the past and say why you can’t wait to visit again.
More information and a toolkit is available on the following link
https://dcmsblog.uk/enjoy-summer-safely-toolkit/
I’ve attached a copy of the updated Face Coverings Exemption Toolkit. Of particular note for frontline staff are the exemptions from the mandatory need for use face covering in public indoor areas of tourism business that are not associated with the provision of food and beverages. The exemptions include:
The latest ONS data has been released which contains some worrying data:
Not the most cheery subject but the Government has produced a series of regional studies on excess mortality across England. There are some interesting take-outs from the data
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/excess-mortality-in-english-regions
VEWG UPDATES – 13 AUGUST
New dates available for HMRC’s business support webinars
– Friday 14 August 14:15 – 15:15.
NHS Test and Trace App
The new NHS Test and Trace app begins the trial phase today with residents on the Isle of Wight and NHS Volunteer Responders across England. This will be followed shortly by residents in the London borough of Newham, as part of the country’s NHS Test and Trace service. For more information please see here.
Plastic Packaging Tax consultation
This consultation was due to close on 20th May, however the deadline for responses was extended to 20th August. Please find the consultation here.
Transport data
The Department for Transport has updated the latest data on use of transport during COVID-19. You can find more information here.
2020-08-10 Face Coverings Toolkit England V1.0 OFFICIAL
COVID-19 Consumer Tracker GB Report Week 12
TIER Update - 11 August 2020
Brunei and Malaysia added to travel corridor list
From 4:00am on Tuesday 11 August 2020, passengers arriving to England from Brunei and Malaysia will no longer need to self-isolate, so long as they haven’t been in, or transited through, any other non-exempt countries in the 14 days preceding their arrival.
Other Government updates
Industry updates
Situation update 11 August 2020
TOURISM ALLIANCE UPDATE – 11 AUGUST
I know everyone has been focused on Coronavirus issues but I just wanted to remind you that submissions on BEIS's Internal Market White Paper closes on Thursday. The paper (link below) proposes to enshrine in law two principles to protect the flow of goods and services in the UK's Internal Market: the principle of mutual recognition and the principle of non-discrimination.
The reason that the paper is needed is that, post Brexit, many of the powers previously delegated to the EU will be assigned to the devolved administrations. As a result, there is the possibility of future diverge on issues such as standards, regulatory issues and qualifications that could disrupt the efficiency of the internal market.
From a tourism perspective, both domestic tourism and international tourism rely on the sale of products and services, and the transport of people, across borders within the UK. It is therefore important that there is as little internal divergence as possible. If you have any specific comments or examples that you would like included in a submission, can you let me know by the end of play tomorrow at Kurt.janson@tourismalliance.com
HM Treasury has published figures that show that there has been a very high take-up of the Eat Out to Help Out initiative. After the first week of operation 83,000 business premises had signed up to the scheme and 10.5m covers claimed for with a value of £53.7m. However, what is noticeable is that only 22,000 business premises had put in claims. It may well be that other businesses used the scheme last week and haven’t yet put in claims, meaning the take-up was even larger.
What is also interesting in the HMRC update is that the number of people on furlough has not changed from the 9.6m recorded last week and is greater than the 9.3m people that were on furlough before most parts of the tourism and hospitality industry reopened on 4th July. However, the amount claimed through the scheme was only £0.9bn last week compared to £2.1bn the week before and £1.9bn the week before that, which suggests that many of those on furlough are now on flexible furlough rather than fully furloughed.
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/hmrc-coronavirus-covid-19-statistics
This week is Shop Local Week – the latest part of the government’s Enjoy Summer Safely campaign. This campaign, along with “Eat Out to Help Out” is designed to rebuild consumer confidence by encouraging people back out onto the high street. The emphasis is on protecting jobs and the heart of local communities.
The Home office has updated it’s visa guidance for those people coming to the UK via the Global Talent, Start-Up and Innovator visa routes to say that if an endorsement has expired because the person has not been able to travel to the UK, they may still be eligible for a visa.
If there is anyone who is involved in a RDPE project or is putting in a bid in as part of the Round 3 call, DEFRA and MHCLG have updated their Q&A to provide guidance if there are Covid-related issues associated with completing projects or submitting bids.
TIER Update - 10 August 2020
Consumers urged to support local high street for Shop Local Week (10-16 August)
Shoppers across the UK are encouraged to support their local businesses during Shop Local Week (10-16 August), part of the government’s Enjoy Summer Safely campaign. As part of Shop Local Week, the government has shared eight reasons why customers should shop local this week and is providing digital assets to small businesses to help them engage customers in person and online, including template digital content to share with online followers.
Other government updates
Industry updates
Situation update 10 August 2020
TOURISM ALLIANCE UPDATE – 10 AUGUST
The LGA has just published new guidance for local authorities on staging outdoor events. The guidance has been produced in response to concerns that different councils were taking different approaches when assessing applications and emphasise that current government guidelines allow for outdoor events that are organised by businesses, charitable organisations, and public bodies to take place provided they have carried out a thorough risk assessment and taken all reasonable steps to mitigate the risk of viral transmission, taking into account that risk assessment, in line with COVID-19 Secure guidance.
https://www.local.gov.uk/covid-19-outdoor-events-guidance
Preston was added to the North West Lockdown area on Friday night and this area is subject to the same rules and restrictions as the other areas in the North West lockdown area.
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/north-west-of-england-local-restrictions-what-you-can-and-cannot-do
The guidance for the Small Business Grant Fund has been amended to state that Town and Parish councils are eligible if they meet all the scheme criteria. However, they are not eligible for the Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Grant.
The Government has introduced home testing whereby home test kits can be delivered to someone’s door so they can test themselves and their family without leaving the house. Home test kit availability will be initially limited, but more will become available. The results of the test should be available within 3 days. To support the introduction of home testing there is also a video and a step-by-step guide. This will be very useful for businesses where staff think that they may have Coronavirus rather than self-isolating.
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/coronavirus-covid-19-getting-tested
Late Friday the Government published new guidance for people travelling into lockdown areas. The new Guidance is that:
TIER Update - 7 August 2020
Guidance on holidays in areas with local coronavirus (COVID-19) restrictions in England
The Government has today published guidance for England on what people should do if they are on holiday in an area with local coronavirus (COVID-19) restrictions or live in a restricted area and are planning on taking a holiday outside the area. The guidance covers
Staying inside the area
Steps you should take
Travelling outside the area
Steps you should take
Advice for accommodation providers can be found in the Working Safely guidance.
Read the full guidance to find out more.
Reopening update for Wales
Swimming pools, indoor fitness studios, gyms and leisure centres will be able to re-open from Monday 10 August, First Minister Mark Drakeford confirmed today (Friday 7 August). Children’s indoor play areas will also be able to open their doors again as part of the latest changes to the coronavirus regulations in Wales. However, areas such as ball pits, which cannot be easily cleaned, should remain closed.
The claims service for the Eat Out to Help Out scheme is now live.
If you have registered your establishment for the Eat Out to Help Out Scheme you can now submit claims.
What you’ll need to claim
You’ll need the records you’ve kept for each day you’ve used the scheme, including the:
If you’re making a claim for more than one establishment, you will need to have the:
Travel corridors update for arrivals in England
Andorra, The Bahamas and Belgium will be removed from the exempt list for arrivals at 4am, 8 August 2020.
Other Government updates · New data published on the areas of the UK the through government-backed coronavirus loan schemes have reached. · Data on COVID-19 Business Rates Relief has been made available · Coronavirus Large Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CLBILS), Bounce Back Loan Scheme (BBLS) and Future Fund Scheme data is now available by Constituency. · New information on how to calculate on how to calculate your claim for fixed pay employees who have worked enough overtime (in the tax year 2019 to 2020) to have a significant impact on the amount you need to claim for the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme Situation update 7 August 2020 |
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TOURISM ALLIANCE UPDATE – 7 AUGUST
Here’s today’s update – hope everyone enjoys the sunshine this weekend
Remember that the mandatory requirement to wear a face mask in certain locations comes into force tomorrow. They are required in:
https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2020/839/regulation/2/made
Here’s a link to the Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions on Gatherings) (North of England) Regulations 2020 which set out the restrictions that apply to the North West Lockdown area. The legislation makes a distinction between private dwellings and tourism accommodation, with tourism accommodation being outside the restrictions on people meeting up in private dwellings.
https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2020/828/contents/made
The first review of this legislation will be 19th August 2020.
DCMS has published new figures in visitor numbers to the National Museums for the period 27July – 2 August. On the plus side, the Tate Galleries, Horniman and Science Museum Group have now reopened (although the visitor numbers for these are not yet available). However, for the four previously opened Museums, visitor number remain extremely low at an average of just 8.8% of what they would normally expect.
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/daily-visitors-to-dcms-sponsored-museums-and-galleries
The latest update to the Government’s Social Impacts Survey has been produced. The key findings are that:
Next week’s figures for this survey will provide us with a valuable insight as to the effectiveness of the “Eat Out to Help Out” scheme in getting people to visit pubs and restaurants and shifting their perceptions regarding how safe it is to go there.
This might be of interest to DMOs. The Government has announced a new relief scheme designed to enable the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) to make payments on behalf of public sector employers where they have determined that their apprenticeship training provider(s) are critical suppliers. Where requested to do so, the ESFA will act as a facilitator for the payment of relief and operate the relief scheme by providing a set of eligibility criteria, as set out in this policy document, which both the public sector employer and apprenticeship training provider must meet if payments for relief are to be made.
The Treasury has published tables of business support by region. As would be expected, London and the South East are at the top of the tables from business support but it is interesting to note that less urban areas like the South West and the East of England are high up on the list for loans.
If you want a breakdown by local authority or constituency, you can find it here
The Government has published research indicating that around 28,300 people in England have Coronavirus (1 in 1,900 individuals) and that there are around 3,700 new cases per day. It also notes that while rates of people testing positive have risen, there is evidence that this trend may be levelling off – which is good news in terms of businesses being able to continue to reopen.
On the issue of infection rates, the latest estimates of the R Number have also been produced which indicate a national number of 0.8 to 1.0 and a growth rate of 0% to -5%. However, within this South West looks like an area of slight concern with an R Number of 0.8-1.1 and a growth rate of -3 to +3
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/the-r-number-in-the-uk
VEWG Updates 07/08/2020
A few updates as we head into the weekend:
Updated guidance
Today the accommodation guidance has been updated to advise on local restrictions for accommodation providers - please see chapter 2.5. In addition, we have just published guidance on holidays in areas with local coronavirus restrictions.
Travel corridors update
Brunei and Malaysia have been added to the list of travel corridors for England having been assessed as posing a lower infection risk. For more information please see here.
Love Culture week
As part of the Enjoy Summer Safely campaign, there will be a Love Culture week beginning on 17th August. The Government will be highlighting museums, galleries, heritage sites, libraries, cinemas and cultural organisations, big and small, across the UK. We will be circulating a toolkit next week that will include example social media posts and draft newsletter text.
Key moment: Throwback Thursday
On Thursday 20 August, we want you to join us and some famous faces in sharing #ThrowbackThursday snaps from your UK holidays and day trips of the past and say why you can’t wait to visit again.
We’re looking for sandy toes on Blackpool beach, childhood museum trips or a picture of you watching your first film and would love it if you could take a look through the archives for a throwback image of your institution for corporate channels, and encourage the public to do the same.
BVEP Chairman Update - 7 August 2020
One Industry, One Voice Campaign Update
Over the last couple of weeks the news from government continues to hold large scale activation
across our industry back, although small steps have been taken in some areas. Both the deep
frustration being felt has increased, as has the focus on the need to reassure our teams, suppliers,
stakeholders and, above all, our clients that we can deliver Covid-19 secure meetings and events of
all types and that we are ready to do so. Yet so much lies outside our direct control that it was
inevitable that any number of campaigns to support the event industry would spring up.
I took an executive decision when attending an Emergency Event Leaders Summit hosted by Mash
Media that the BVEP was perfectly placed to help support the campaign that has morphed into One
industry, One voice. This was very much born out of the combined efforts of Martin Fullard leading
the charge via Conference News and Rick Stainton from Smyle, rallying the production, brand
activation, experiential and comms agencies together.
The key to the campaign that is now being developed is to ensure an equal weighting across the
different parts of the events industry and targeting the public, national press and via the campaign
outputs the government, leaving a legacy that we can all use to advocate for our industry moving
forward. We need our message to be clear and concise: how the events industry touches everyone’s
lives, safely and by using the power of shared experiences.
The campaign brief includes the following elements:
The Power of Events to Inspire (covering product launches, brand experiences)
The Power of Events to Educate (covering conferences, conventions, exhibitions)
The Power of Events to Celebrate (festivals, music, weddings, sport, culture)
The Power of Events to Support Society (third sector, charity, government)
The Power of Events to Grow (to show our value to GDP, regional/national economy, jobs, exports,
global leadership)
Moving at pace we have assembled an Action Group which met on Wednesday and are fine tuning a
brief that will be used to select a PR agency to devise and deliver the campaign. Several other work
streams have also been established to help share the load.
The initial target for the campaign was £30k and we have already secured pledges for that amount,
which can now been made via our recently launched just giving account at:
https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/oneindustryonevoice
Many thanks to the team at the HBAA for organising this for the campaign - get your donations in
and please share as widely as possible. I’m pleased to report that several of our partners are already
actively involved in the campaign and I look forward to keeping everyone else up to speed with
developments.
Question from DCMS re: Insurance
This just in – verbatim from the email:
The Treasury is interested in gathering evidence on the impact of Covid-19 on events insurance.
We would be grateful if you could please share examples and intelligence on the impact of the lack
of Covid-19 insurance cover in the events industry, in particular for planning for 2021.
Please could you provide information by COP Thursday, 13th August so that I can share it with
colleagues in the Treasury.
If there are any questions, please let me know.
My immediate question was to ask why they were interested and what context is this information
going to be used in. So as usual a rather short lead time – but as I know that the team are working
flat out on spending review stuff, they can be forgiven. Just.
Insurance issues have of course been a massive challenge, so I’m confident that we can supply some
useful intel on this.
Survey Results
Thanks to everyone that completed the survey – such a good response we are still working our way
through the data and will share as soon as we have completed that.
Hope you all have a very good weekend. Stay safe in the sunshine too!
Simon Hughes
Chair
TIER Update - 6 August 2020
20-07-30 Press
News UK travel update 060820
Filming and broadcasting at permitted visitor economy venues update
The Business Visits & Events Partnership has sought guidance on filming and broadcasting at permitted visitor economy venues and can share that both can take place subject to those using the premises following the guidance issued for filming from the British Film Commission or in the case of TV production the BBC. The number of persons allowed on site will be in accordance with the filming or TV production guidance. However, arrangements for meetings, accommodation or food and refreshments will need to follow the relevant visitor economy guidance. Exhibition and conference centres are not permitted venues presently and therefore not able to use their facilities for these purposes.
VisitBritain’s Overseas monitoring report
Covid-19 Consumer Tracker Report
The latest Covid-19 Consumer Tracker Report for week 11, based on fieldwork from 27-31 July.
These latest results may be being influenced by some of the negative publicity, both domestically and overseas, around the pandemic. We’ve seen lockdown measures being re-introduced in Leicester and the Manchester/Bradford regions, while the spikes in cases in some parts of Spain resulted in holidaymakers returning from the country having to self-quarantine for 14 days. This has manifested itself in just 16% of UK adults now thinking the worst has past (compared with 31% back in Week 4 of the survey).
Only 22% are now expecting ‘normality’ by the end of this year and confidence in the ability to take a domestic trip continues to slowly decline. For those lacking confidence around winter trips, concerns around catching coronavirus is a major factor (with 52% citing this) but in second and third positions we see people saying ‘it’s not responsible to travel’ and ‘general unease about travelling’, which suggests reassurance is going to be a major factor in encouraging trips during this period.
More positively, over half of Summer Intenders have already planned their trip while 44% have committed to booking it. Of course, the broader challenge is encouraging more bookings from Winter Intenders (for trips between October ‘20 – March ‘21) which currently stands at 17%, although this is +5 points up on Week 10.
Please see the full report for further details.
Other Government updates
Situation update 6 August 2020
TOURISM ALLIANCE UPDATE – 6 AUGUST
CBI CJRS Factsheet
CBI have produced an extremely comprehensive factsheet for businesses on the changes to the CJRS and how it applies. This covering everything from the simple questions regarding rates through to how it interacts with the Apprenticeship Levy. It is an excellent reference guide for businesses.
Here’s a link to the new consultation on changes to the planning regime that has just been published. The main proposals are:
The trick with this consultation will be to balance the need for appropriate tourism development with the need to protect the natural and historic resources on which the UK tourism industry depends. This consultation runs for 12 weeks from today.
International Retail Campaign
The Association of International Retailers has launched a campaign to get government support for retailer impacted by the fall in inbound tourism which has impacted many retail businesses. The asks of the campaign include
TIER Update - 4 August 2020
Updated Visitor Economy guidance for England
20200803 2025 UK Border Strategy - Visitor Economy Working Group
The Visitor Economy guidance for England has been updated to reflect the current permissions. Of note:
For the events, in summary the guidance shows:
Also to note, the dining provision for groups of up to 30 would have applied to weddings only, more widely we advise against extended sit down meals for large groups. Allowing wedding receptions of up to 30 will be kept under review with the earliest start date of 15 August. Guidance will be shared as soon as it is available and cover dining provision for these specific events.
Receptions, award ceremonies, examinations, filming, fashion shows, product launches, team building exercises are not expected to take place until restrictions on business events are lifted. The current provisional date for this is 1 October, if public health assessments allow. It is expected that risk assessments in line with Visitor Economy and AEO guidance will need to be undertaken. The pilots will assess whether that guidance is sufficient or needs updating in anyway. We will keep you updated. Venues may also need to consider mitigations depending on specific aspects of their events (e.g. performing arts guidance on singing/dancing if relevant).
Other Government updates
Travel industry updates
Situation update 1 August 2020
TOURISM ALLIANCE UPDATE – 4 AUGUST 2020
At the meeting with the Tourism Minister today we were informed that more guidance was being developed on how the restrictions apply in a tourism context. We’ve already sorted out a few issues such as whether two families from within the area can holiday together outside the area (they can’t) and whether there are any additional restrictions on people travelling in and out of the area using public transport such as coaches (there aren’t) and are sorting out whether two households from outside the area can still holiday together within the lockdown area. So if you have a query, please let me know and I can feed that through into the development of this further guidance.
On the issue of local lockdowns, the Government has also announced that the next date for considering the easing of restrictions in Leicester will be 14th August.
The Government has produced badges (available in print or mobile phone versions) that can be used by people who have concerns regarding social distancing so that they can signal to others around them that they need to pay attention and be given space.
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/please-give-me-space-social-distancing-cards-or-badges
Not specifically Coronavirus related but certainly something that should be viewed within the context of what need to be done to help support the UK’s international tourism industry recover from the Coronavirus outbreak, the Government is consulting on a new border strategy for the UK. Attached is a copy of a presentation we were given on this today.
The consultation is open until 25th August and one of the main issues I’ll be pushing is the introduction of a low-cost 5 year visa as per the paper I sent round last week. If you have other issues that you would like included in the Tourism Alliance submission, please let me know.
Here’s a link to the consultation paper itself
https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/2025-uk-border-strategy-public-consultation
The Government has produce guidance for Government Departments on how to operate in a Covid Safe manner. This mirrors the process that businesses have been asked to undertake as part of working with employees on how to ensure that staff returning to the premises are able to do so safely. It’s also worth being aware of how Government departments will be operating as we slowly get closer to returning to in-person meetings.
DCMS has just published new data on consumer participation in Arts, Sports, Heritage and Digital. The survey was conducted in June – which is slightly ancient history now – but it is interesting to see the relatively high levels of public engagement on heritage and arts. In particular, 27% of people said that they had engaged with heritage and 17% of people had said that they had visited a place of interest. Although what really strikes me as impressive is that:
2025 UK Border Strategy List of Workshops
Workshop | Focus | Date | Time | Booking link |
Logistics | Improving the user-experience for the trade of goods for the logistics industry | Monday 10 August 2020 | 15:00 – 16:30 | https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/115501771909 Password: BPDG2025 |
Ports and Rail Freight | Improving the user-experience for the trade of goods for ports and the rail freight industry | Tuesday 11 August 2020 | 15:00 – 16:30 | https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/115506612387 Password: BPDG2025 |
Aviation / Air Freight | Improving the user-experience for the trade of goods via air | Wednesday 12 August 2020 | 15:00 – 16:30 | https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/115510447859 Password: BPDG2025 |
Businesses and trade associations | Improving the user-experience for the trade of goods for businesses of all sizes | Thursday 13 August 2020 | 15:00 – 16:30 | https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/115511330499 Password: BPDG2025 |
Customs | Improving customs processes through the 2025 UK Border Strategy | Tuesday 18 August 2020 | 15:00 – 16:30 | https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/115511701609 Password: BPDG2025 |
Passengers | Improving the user-experience for passengers and travellers | Wednesday 19 August 2020 | 15:00 – 16:30 | https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/115512534099 Password: BPDG2025 |
Data and technology | Improving the use of technology and data to deliver the 2025 UK Border Strategy | Thursday 20 August 2020 | 15:00 – 16:30 |