FSB Wales has called on the First Minister to outline a roadmap for business reopening for all sectors, but to particularly bear in mind that tourism firms must be able to start taking bookings with confidence if they are to successfully reopen at Easter.
The First Minister has intimated that he hopes that holidays within Wales would be possible this summer, but for this to work in reality tourism firms need advance warning from Welsh Government so that they can prepare to open.
In FSB’s manifesto for the Senedd elections Our Business is Wales – FSB’s vision for 2021 – 2026 the business organisation has called on Welsh Government to recognise the value of the Welsh tourism industry – which is primarily made up of small businesses – and develop it as a strategically-important sector.
Ben Francis, FSB Wales Policy Chair, said:
“In 2020, tourism firms in Wales found that their opportunities for trading profitably were decimated in many cases.
“On top of the repeated closures and restrictions that have made it incredibly difficult to run a small business and sustain jobs and investment, tourism firms are in the dark about what the coming months could hold for them. These businesses need to be able to plan ahead if they are to take advantage of the spring and summer season.
“We’re calling for the First Minister to work with tourism businesses to give them some kind of route out of lockdown. We understand that things might change and that the course of the virus has been unpredictable at many times during this pandemic, but we still believe that the First Minister must bring business owners into the conversation about their future.
“This situation is urgent; successfully reopening Welsh tourism firms really could be the difference between them being able to survive this stage of the pandemic and not.
“Furthermore, tourism in Wales is inextricably linked to other industries such as hospitality, farming and food production. Therefore, Welsh Government should work closely with the industry to work out how a successful recovery from Coronavirus can be achieved, and how the recovery can be built on the foundations of a more secure, sustainable tourism industry.
“Tourism is a sector of our economy which not only provides a shop front for all Wales has to offer but also experiential opportunities and of course, a chance for people to relax, escape and come together with those we love. The ability to do that will be so important as we hopefully begin to recover from the dark and difficult times of the last year.”
Frankie Hobro, Director of Anglesey Sea Zoo, said:
“A co-ordinated re-opening roadmap must be in place immediately, providing sufficient advanced notice for planning, and clear sector-specific Covid compliance and safety measures to support owners and managers with adequate guidance in place to implement them in as clear and stress-free a manner as possible.
“It is essential that the reopening of the sector matches that elsewhere in the UK so that Welsh tourism and hospitality businesses are not left playing catch-up and suffering huge numbers of cancelled bookings due opening weeks after our neighbours in England, or frantically scrabbling around at the last-minute to meet legal requirements for Covid guidance and safety whilst facing a sudden, but very welcome, insurgence of visitors.”
Christopher Frost from Manorhaus, based in Ruthin and Llangollen, said:
“Last year, our industry worked extremely hard by investing in our buildings and our people to make the experience of staying with us as Covid-safe and Covid-aware as possible; this included significant investment in screens, sanitising stations and portable ozone sanitisers. We can operate safely and give customers confidence in our product as soon as it is safe to do so.
“We need to be bold and confident that the vaccine roll-out can help us contribute to the Welsh economy once again and aid the acceleration of the tourism economy after an extremely difficult period for the industry. We need to support businesses to survive until it is safe to trade again and measures like the VAT reduction and an extension of the Business Rates holiday are important strategic tools to help us plan for the future and grow our businesses.
“I am mindful that there is a fine balance between public health and getting the economy moving again, but if we can put a plan in place to re-open and work hard to support each other then I am confident that the tourism industry here in North Wales can once again thrive, grow and continue to place North Wales firmly as the adventure capital of Europe.”