Welsh hospitality to receive extra £150m in support

The Welsh government is making an extra £150m available for hospitality and tourism businesses still unable to trade.

It will be used to top-up non-domestic rate grants, meaning operators will be eligible for a third payment of £4,000-£5,000 to help with costs.

Speaking today, first minister Mark Drakeford also confirmed that self-contained holiday accommodation in Wales will be able to reopen from 27 March if case numbers remain low.

He said this would include hotels that can offer room service or where guests have ‘all the facilities they need’ in their room.

But reopening outdoor hospitality and the wedding sector will not be considered until the end of April if coronavirus case numbers continue to fall.

From 13 March the 'stay at home' rule in Wales will be replaced with 'stay local', and it is hoped that this will be lifted on 27 March to allow travel and begin the reopening of self-contained accommodation.

But Drakeford warned business owners not to take bookings from areas such as England, where self-contained accommodation will not reopen earlier than 12 April.

Drakeford said: “I am making the rules for people in Wales and it’s very important that owners of self-contained accommodation don’t take bookings from outside Wales in Easter because the arrangements that apply across our border, for example in the prime minister’s roadmap, will not allow people in England to travel to stay overnight away from their own homes.”

He was unable to confirm a date for the wider opening of hospitality, but said Wales was able to begin taking ‘real steps forward’ towards reopening.

This is despite Welsh hospitality owners expressing frustration at the lack of clear opening date, warning they are struggling with the financial cost and face losing bookings to operators in England.

Drakeford added: “I understand everybody wants a definitive date so they can plan ahead. Unfortunately there are very few guarantees in this pandemic.”