| The Power of Audio Webinar With over 10 million people spending a combined 59 million hours a week listening to podcasts in the UK, the success of podcasting is undeniable. Join us on Tuesday 11th August at 10.30am, as we discuss how to harness the power of audio for the tourism and hospitality industry, creating an audio strategy to engage new and existing customers. The free webinar will cover: – Why are brands using podcasts? – Content – getting the message right – Relevance – examples of how branded content can work as a business to consumer channel – Reaching the right audience – distribution and discoverability – What’s all this going to cost me? We’ll discuss the production process and services within our pricing strategy. To book you place on the webinar or to find out more, please click here. Updating your Details Our website www.gonorthwales.co.uk continues to grow with web traffic to our site from all over the world providing not only an in-depth source of visitor information but also generating even more business for our members. Please login and update your entry – remember this is your opportunity to showcase your business through the GoNorthWales website. If you require a reminder of your login details please contact Anthony Woodhouse on 01492 539051 or email digital@nwt.co.uk. If you would like any advice on any aspect of your digital activities please let us know by emailing digital@nwt.co.uk – we’re here to help! Facebook/Twitter – Do you Follow Us Don’t forget, if you are on social media you can follow us on both Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @nwtbiz @gonorthwales If you have content that you would like us to share, let us know and we’ll promote it to our audience! Closed NWTBiz Facebook Group – For NWT members only – an NWTBiz Facebook Group has been created to share information and network online. To join simply search NWTBiz through facebook and request to join. Offers / Deals / Promotional Campaign When businesses do eventually return to normal we would like to be ready with a campaign with offers/deal/promotions etc, for marketing on our social media and website channels. If you would like to be part of this campaign please submit your offer by following this link http://submit-offer.gonorth.wales/. We will concentrate on inbound tourism only for the remainder of this year, we all know North Wales has a proven track record for the best in fresh air, country walks, rural locations and beaches etc. and I think we all know how much everyone is appreciating this right now. Calling All Accommodation Members All accommodation operators you are aware we do not do bookings on our website however we encourage the customer to GO DIRECT to you, as we feel you pay enough to the booking channels in commissions, we kindly ask if you would be happy to show the GO DIRECT banner on either your website or at the foot of your email etc, in fact please promote it in any way you feel fit. To download this logo please click here Updated UK Hospitality Guidelines Updated guidelines for Wales from UK Hospitality that we should all now be working from from today. https://northwalestourism.com/coronavirus-covid-19/uk-hospitality-updated-guidelines/ Register your establishment for the Eat Out to Help Out You can use the Eat Out to Help Out Scheme to offer a discount to diners and encourage them to eat at your restaurant. You can use the Eat Out to Help Out Scheme: all day, every Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday from 3 to 31 August 2020 to offer a 50% discount, up to a maximum of £10 per person, to diners for food or non-alcoholic drinks to eat or drink into claim the money back from the government There is no limit to the number of times customers can use the offer during the period of the scheme. Your customers cannot get a discount for someone who is not eating or drinking. Alcohol and service charges are excluded from the offer. The service you’ll use to register will be available from 13 July 2020 and will close on 31 August 2020. https://www.gov.uk/guidance/register-your-establishment-for-the-eat-out-to-help-out-scheme https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/get-more-information-about-the-eat-out-to-help-out-scheme We’re Good to Go Award North Wales Tourism have made some updates on their Go North Wales website to make it easy for you to communicate COVID-19 response information to visitors. Providing this information is going to be increasingly important so changes have been made to the platform which will allow us to display essential information including new awards and COVID-19 related facilities. * Awards – We have added the Visit Britain ‘We’re Good to Go’ (https://goodtogo.visitbritain.com) Award to the site so that it can be assigned to your product entry. The new logos will appear on the product detail page with any other awards that your business has. Please let us know when you have gained this award as we will need to upload the logo onto your product detail page for you be emailing digital@nwt.co.uk. * COVID-19 Response Facilities – A list of facilities has been compiled based on the guidance and schemes that are relevant to the industry. The facilities are now visible in the DMS for all product types and they can be assigned to product records. Once the facilities are assigned to your business they will automatically pull through on to the product details on the website. All of the facilities can have notes assigned to them which means that it is possible to add some additional information should you need to do so. As the COVID-19 guidelines are being frequently updated it is likely that the facilities will also need to be updated, so it is possible that some new facilities will be added at a later date. You will be notified if this is the case. You are able to update this information via your Extranet login details. If you have mislaid your login details or need assistance in updating your facilities information please email digital@nwt.co.uk. A series of changes will be made to the coronavirus regulations over the next 3 weeks From 3 August: – The restrictions preventing more than two households or extended households meeting outdoors will be changed to allow up to 30 people to meet outdoors. Physical distancing must be maintained at all times. – Pubs, bars, restaurants, cafes will be able to re-open indoors. As will indoor bowling alleys, auction houses and bingo halls. – Licenced wedding venues will be able to re-open to provide wedding ceremonies. However, indoor receptions will not be able to take place for the time being – they will be considered as part of the changes for August 15. From 10 August: – Swimming pools, indoor fitness studios, gyms, spas and indoor leisure centres will be able to re-open. – Children’s indoor play areas will be able to open. The Welsh Government is also exploring whether changes can be made to the rules to enable people to meet indoors with other people who aren’t part of their household or extended household from August 15. https://gov.wales/family-and-friends-at-the-heart-of-new-coronavirus-regulations “Addo. My promise to Wales” – Industry toolkit now available As Wales’ tourism industry starts to re-open, Visit Wales communication message is ‘Visit Wales. Safely’, which includes the pledge that they’re encouraging everyone travelling around Wales to get behind, to do the little things that make a big difference. To make a promise together, to ‘Addo’ as we prepare to start exploring again, to care for each other, our land and for our communities. The pledge can be signed virtually on www.visitwales.com/promise. Visit Wales have developed an industry toolkit to make it easier for you to get involved and to share your pledges on social using #Addo#VisitWalesSafely. https://assets.wales.com/assets?tags=Visit%20Wales%20Safely%20Toolkit New points based immigration system to take effect 1 January 2021 The Home Office has announced the new points based immigration system that will take effect from 1 January 2021. It will treat EU and non-EU citizens equally. Irish citizens will continue to be able to enter and live in the UK as they do now. Relevant for tourism: EU, EEA and Swiss citizens and other non-visa nationals will not require a visa to enter the UK when visiting the UK for up to 6 months. All migrants looking to enter the UK for other reasons (such as work or study) will need to apply for entry clearance in advance. EU, EEA and Swiss citizens will also be able to use ePassport gates (this will be kept under review). Until at least January 2026, the UK will continue to recognise identity cards used for travel by EU citizens and their EU family members who are both resident in the UK before the end of the transition period and hold status under the EU Settlement Scheme. The UK will also recognise ICAO-compliant identity cards from this group beyond 2026. For newly arriving migrants, UK intends to phase out the use of insecure identity documents and will set out further details on this shortly. Points based system: From January 2021, the job a migrant is offered will need to be at a required skill level of RQF3 or above (equivalent to A level). Migrants will also need to be able to speak English and be paid the relevant salary threshold by their sponsor. This will either be the general salary threshold of £25,600 or the going rate for their job, whichever is higher. If a migrant earns less than this – but no less than £20,480 – they may still be able to apply by ‘trading’ points on specific characteristics against their salary. For example, if they have a job offer in a shortage occupation or have a PhD relevant to the job. Find more information on the points based system here. (https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/899755/UK_Points-Based_System_Further_Details_Web_Accessible.pdf) Visa applications: New immigration routes will open later this year for applications to work, live and study in the UK from 1 January 2021. Migrants will be able to apply and pay for their visa online. EU, EEA and Swiss citizens will need to provide a digital photo of their face using a smartphone app. They will not have to give their fingerprints. For a small number of low volume routes (to be confirmed later this year) they will need to go to an overseas visa application centre to have their photo taken. Non-EU citizens will continue to submit fingerprints and a photo at an overseas visa application centre. https://www.gov.uk/guidance/new-immigration-system-what-you-need-to-know Bank of England Summary The latest Bank of England Agent’s Summary of Business Conditions has been published. The following link is to the pdf file https://www.bankofengland.co.uk/agents-summary/2020/2020-q2 Useful Websites North Wales Tourism Trade Website – https://northwalestourism.com Go North Wales Website – https://www.gonorthwales.co.uk/ Business Support – https://businesswales.gov.wales/coronavirus-advice/ Financial Support (loans) – https://developmentbank.wales/ Advice for Employers and Employees – https://www.acas.org.uk/coronavirus Visit Britain latest industry update – https://www.visitbritain.org/covid-19-new-coronavirus-latest-information-and-advice-for-businesses Government information for Tourism and Hospitality Businesses – https://gov.wales/tourism-and-hospitality-businesses-guidance-phased-reopening Guidance for Food Businesses – https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-guidance-for-food-businesses/guidance-for-food-businesses-on-coronavirus-covid-19 Wales Tourism Alliance – https://www.wta.org.uk/ |
