Fáilte Ireland has detailed a business continuity scheme that will aim to support tourism businesses that were not eligible for the Covid Restrictions Support Scheme payment or previous Fáilte Ireland continuity grant schemes.
Applications for the Business Continuity Scheme will be accepted from February 11 and grants of between €3,750 and €200,000 will be available to eligible businesses such as outdoor activity providers (e.g. bike tours, surf schools and walking tours), cruise hire, tourist boat and certain bus tour operators, visitor attractions not eligible for CRSS, and caravan/camping providers.
Other eligibility criteria for the scheme require monthly turnover from October 2020 to January 2021 to be less than 25% of its average monthly turnover in 2019. Eligible businesses must also have a minimum annual turnover of €50,000 and minimum fixed costs of 10% of turnover.
Businesses applying for the scheme must not be eligible to apply for the CRSS or have received funding through the Fáilte Ireland Coach Tourism Business Continuity Scheme, or Ireland Based Inbound Agents Business Continuity Scheme.
Fáilte Ireland CEO Paul Kelly (pictured) commented; “This has been the most challenging year tourism has ever faced. The sector’s revenue has declined by a massive €6 billion and tens of thousands of jobs have been lost..
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“Domestic tourism will be the first to return and we plan to invest significantly in domestic marketing once domestic tourism can restart. Our research tells us that the ‘Keep Discovering’ campaign we launched prior to the Covid-19 pandemic resonates even more strongly with people now, and we will be rolling the campaign out at both a national and county level to drive domestic tourism when the country re-opens.
“We are also launching two new funding schemes in collaboration with our local authority partners to improve the quality of outdoor dining spaces in our key tourism destinations and enhance urban areas to make them more appealing to visitors."
Rates Waiver
Separately, the government announced another commercial rates package for local authorities totalling €160m for the first quarter of 2021, allowing them to implement commercial rates waivers.
This Q1 2021 commercial rates waiver is more focused than the previous nine-month waivers, with support to businesses targeting those most severely impacted, such as hospitality, leisure, childcare, personal care, entertainment, retail (excluding large supermarkets), airports, health and service stations.
The government said that the waiver of commercial rates beyond the first quarter of 2021 will be kept under review and considered in the context of public health guidelines.
Minister Peter Burke said: “This measure will assist local authorities to balance their obligations to levy rates with the vital need to support employment and economic activity."
