Important news for tourism and hospitality businesses

August 17, 2020

Tourism is an important sector for the economy of the Norfolk. A new £2.225m Tourism Sector Support Package has been launched by Visit East of England and is led by Norfolk County Council in partnership with all seven district councils. The funding package is being put in place to help the tourism sector to recover from the impact of COVID-19.

The project aims to make Norfolk as safe as possible for both visitors to the county and local residents. Funding will be used to help create a quality visitor experience whilst maintaining key public health messages to ensure we continue to keep Covid-19 figures as low as possible. Immediate activity will include improving the presentation, cleanliness and hygiene of key locations and communication with visitors in advance and, for example, through marshalling.

A small grants programme is being developed for businesses to support the costs of adapting to the ‘new normal’ and to make the changes needed to extend the season.

Local businesses can get free toolkits to help them communicate public safety messages to staff and to visitors. You can find these at: www.norfolk.gov.uk/coronavirustoolkit

There are more resources for businesses at http://www.norfolk.gov.uk/business-toolkits

Businesses in Breckland are being encouraged to apply for grants to help them implement measures which help them continue safely trading despite Covid-19. The Breckland scheme has around £140k available and forms part of the wider £2.225m Norfolk-wide package of measures (above) to support the hospitality and visitor economy, which has been identified as one of the hardest hit by Covid.

The fund is available to local businesses in the tourism and hospitality sectors and could see them receive up to £5,000 to help put in place safety measures, and invest in ways to keep trading successfully over the winter months. The money could be used by businesses to put in place safety changes, including:

Grants of between £250 to £3000 are being made available and will cover 50% of costs incurred by businesses backdated to 23 June 2020.

The other element of the funding can be used by businesses to help businesses innovate or future-proof ahead of winter, perhaps funding outdoor heating and lighting, temporary structures to increase space and capacity at their venues, and online/mobile-based interventions to reduce queueing. 

To apply, see: https://breckland.gov.uk/article/15232/12-08-20-New-grants-available-for-Breckland-tourism-and-hospitality-businesses

Coronavirus Financial Support

In addition to the new grants announced above, there is an overview of a whole range of financial support for businesses that have been affected by the Coronavirus, including Government schemes and help with business rates for retailers. You can see the complete list of these here: https://www.breckland.gov.uk/article/14478/Coronavirus-Financial-Support