welsh government tourism grants

Five year tourism plan for Wales backed by £60m funding pot for businesses

The Welsh Government has published Welcome to Wales: Priorities for the Visitor Economy 2020-25

• 14:33, 23 JAN 2020

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The Welsh Government has published its five-year plan to support the visitor economy - backed by a £60m funding pot for tourism businesses and other organisations.

Under the plan – Welcome to Wales: Priorities for the Visitor Economy 2020-25 it aims to increase off-peak visitor numbers, boost spending and see tourists visit new parts of the nation.

This will be supported by the new £10m fund - Brilliant Basics, which will go towards small-scale tourism infrastructure improvements.

There will another £50m Wales Tourism Investment Fund - delivered in partnership with the Development Bank of Wales - focusing on high-quality, “reputation-changing” products.

First Minister Mark Drakeford said: “Over the past decade, tourism in Wales has been transformed, but there’s room for further growth in our visitor economy and we want to support that.

“Our new plan, with its priorities, strike the right balance between economic growth and our wider wellbeing as a country.

“We want to develop high-quality, year-round experiences, which are good for visitors and host communities. Sustainable growth can deliver health, environmental and cultural benefits by protecting and promoting our strengths.”

Other proposals:

■ Event Wales will be set up to develop, grow and attract cultural, business and sporting events.

■ Visit Wales will focus on products and on developing experiences, which reflect Wales’ stand-out strengths as a country. It will also focus marketing efforts on growing off-peak tourism, encouraging people to spend more and spread the benefit of tourism.

■ Two new themed years will be announced for 2022 and 2024

Nearly one in 10 people in Wales works in tourism.

The sector is on track to meet the 10% growth target set seven years ago.

Wales has welcomed record numbers of UK visitors over the last five years and the value of domestic tourism grew by 14% last year.

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Financial Support and Grants

Development Bank of Wales – The Welsh Government and the Development Bank of Wales have announced the £100m Covid-19 Wales Business Loan Scheme to support businesses affected by the Covid-19 outbreak. The Scheme will be available from the Development Bank of Wales for a limited period. It is intended to provide support to businesses who are experiencing cashflow difficulties as a result of the pandemic.

The loan scheme will work alongside the UK wide Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme, other Welsh Government and UK Government support offers, providing more vital options for Welsh businesses. Loans of between £5,000 and £250,000 are available to businesses who have been trading longer than 2 years and can demonstrate that they were able to service that level of debt before the outbreak.

Fund Details: • £100m fund • Loans between £5,000 to £250,000, maximum loan levels apply • 12 month capital and interest repayment holiday • No arrangement or monitoring fees • 2% interest fixed for 6 years (includes the 12 month holiday)

Details of the fund, eligibility and application process can be found on the Development Bank of Wales’s website https://developmentbank.wales/

Economic Resilience Fund – Businesses can also benefit from a £400 million emergency pot providing:

• Grants of £10,000 for micro-businesses employing up to nine people. This includes sole traders employing staff. Qualifying businesses will be able to apply by mid-April. • Grants of up to £100,000 for small and medium sized firms with between 10 and 249 employees. Qualifying businesses will be able to apply from next week. • Support for larger Welsh companies, which are of critical social or economic importance to Wales. This element will be open to qualifying businesses within the next two weeks.

Details of the application process and eligibility are being finalised and will be published shortly.

https://businesswales.gov.wales/financial-support-and-grants

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Further details on £200m to support Welsh businesses

Rhagor o fanylion am £200 miliwn i gefnogi busnesau cymru.

The Welsh Government has revealed further details of the £200m 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.

It brings this latest phase of Welsh Government support to £650m and will help businesses with operational costs through to the end of March.

Businesses with a rateable value of £12,000 or under will be eligible to receive a payment of £3,000.

Businesses with a rateable value between £12,001 and £150,000 will be eligible to receive a payment of £5,000.

The Welsh Government is also extending the £5,000 grant through to businesses with a rateable value of up to £500,000.

Supply chain businesses will be able to apply for support if they have had a reduction in turnover of more than 40%.

The combined package provides eligible businesses with an NDR rate of £12,000 or under with a £6,000 grant towards their operating costs, and an eligible business with an NDR rate of between £12,001 and £150,000 with a £10,000 payment.

This does not include, where eligible, businesses who have accessed the ERF Sector Specific Fund which would see a typical hospitality, leisure and tourism business with 10 employees receive up to an additional £15,000 meaning a £25,000 grant in total for the period.

A further £30m 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.

Welsh Government support is in addition to that available from the UK Government.

Local authorities, who have been absolutely vital in getting money to businesses quickly, will again be administering and distributing these payments. Businesses that pay non-domestic rates and have already received a payment since the firebreak in October do not need to take action. However, businesses that have not registered with their local authority, should take action now to ensure they receive the financial support they are entitled to.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, the Welsh Government has ensured that more than £1.7bn of business support has reached the bank accounts of Welsh firms.

This help has been crucial for businesses across Wales throughout the pandemic and has protected tens of thousands of jobs that might otherwise have been lost.

Economy Minister Ken Skates said:

“The coronavirus pandemic continues to have a severe impact on our economy and our businesses, particularly those in the leisure, tourism, hospitality and retail sectors. “The additional £200m we are making available will provide reassurance to firms across Wales and help them with their operating costs through to the end of March. “Our support is in addition to that available from the UK Government, including the Job Retention Scheme and the Self Employment Income Support Scheme, and I encourage businesses to explore those options as well. “I am also calling on the UK Government to provide further certainty to businesses and individuals by assuring that support available through interventions such as the Job Retention Scheme will not be withdrawn before the economy is ready. “Local Authorities have been crucial throughout the pandemic in supporting our efforts by administering and distributing this funding to firms in their area and I would like to once again thank them for their fantastic work and everything they continue to do to help our businesses when they need it most.”

Local Government Minister Julie James also paid tribute to the efforts of local authority staff:

"I know that staff across Wales have worked incredibly hard to make sure support was available to their local businesses as quickly as possible. “They have done this while continuing to ensure local services are delivered and while playing an essential role in many other responses to the pandemic from test, trace, protect to supporting those self-isolating."

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Cook Government Lotterywest grant supports crisis shelters

• Indigo Junction Incorporated receives significant Lotterywest grants towards crisis and housing support
• Funding support will help create a safe space for young people experiencing homelessness and victim survivors escaping family and domestic violence

The Cook Government, through Lotterywest, has today provided more than $5.3 million to support Indigo Junction's Youth Crisis and Transitional Housing development project and its Koolkuna Women's Shelter.

Currently, Indigo Junction Youth Crisis Accommodation Service in Midland offers six bedrooms. The $5 million commitment will boost the number of beds available for young people in crisis from six to 36 (16 crisis beds and 20 transitional units). The grants will also contribute to landscaping, IT systems, project management and project fees for the youth facility.

A further $357,573 grant to Indigo's Koolkuna Women's Shelter will also provide play equipment and enable a new fit out of the shelter. These upgrades complement the Cook Labor Government's more than $150 million in Community Housing Grant funding.

Lotterywest has been a long-term supporter of Indigo Junction with 58 Lotterywest grants totalling $8.6 million delivered over the past 35 years.

Comments attributed to Homelessness Minister John Carey:

"For more than 40 years Indigo Junction has created meaningful impact by assisting the most vulnerable members of our community.

"Our Government, through Lotterywest, is proud to support Indigo Junction's role in creating a welcoming and culturally appropriate environment for young people experiencing homelessness and women and children escaping family domestic violence."

Comments attributed to Prevention of Family and Domestic Violence Minister Sabine Winton:

"There is never any excuse for violence. Every woman and child fleeing family and domestic violence has the right to feel safe in a supportive environment.

"This Lotterywest grant will provide important upgrades to the Koolkuna Women's Shelter, ensuring victim-survivors have access to a modern and comfortable safe space."

Comments attributed to Midland MLA Michelle Roberts:

"For more than four decades Indigo Junction has been providing vital support to the most vulnerable members of the Midland and surrounding communities.

"I'm proud to be a part of the Cook Government who continues to support this credible and vital service right here in Midland."

Hon. John Carey

Hon. Sabine Winton

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More than 5,500 businesses apply for £100 million business development grants

The £100 million business grants element of Welsh Government’s Economic Resilience Fund (ERF) has been fully subscribed with more than 5,500 businesses applying for support.

This was published under the 2016 to 2021 administration of the Welsh Government

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Businesses can still however benefit from the £200 million available from the third phase of the fund.

Demand from businesses of all sizes across Wales has been received since the latest round of the ERF Development Grants opened to applications at 3pm on Wednesday. The eligibility checker for this round of the fund was launched earlier this month.

The £100 million business grants are part of the £300 million made available in the third stage of the ERF by Welsh Government to support businesses continuing to be affected by the coronavirus pandemic. £20 million of this is ring-fenced for tourism and hospitality businesses.

Welsh Government has confirmed that applications will now be processed as quickly as possible and it expects to start getting support out to businesses from the middle of November.

Businesses can still benefit from the £200 million available from the third phase. Retail, hospitality and leisure businesses that are required to close and which occupy a property with a rateable value of between £12,001 and £51,000 will be eligible for a share of the £200 million funding and all businesses eligible for small business rate relief will also receive support. Businesses will need to register and update their details via Business Wales or their local authority to receive financial support.

Eligible firms that do not qualify for business rates linked grants are able to apply for awards of up to £2,000 from a £25 million discretionary fund via their local authority.

Economy Minister Ken Skates said:

“The importance of the Economic Resilience Fund to Welsh businesses is evident in the sheer number of applications that have been received. We know that businesses have been preparing for this for some time, ever since the eligibility checker opened earlier this month. “We know this is an incredibly difficult and challenging time for companies. We will work hard to get this much needed funding out of the door and into the bank accounts of businesses that need it as quickly as we can. “We would remind those firms who do not qualify for business rates linked grants that they can also apply for help through their local authority. “As a Welsh Government, we remain absolutely committed to doing all we can to support our businesses, our workers and our communities through these incredibly difficult times.

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