£6.5 million pledged to tourism-reliant businesses

Monday 10 August 2020

A new grant scheme to support visitor accommodation businesses in Guernsey and Alderney has been announced by the States of Guernsey.

Applications will be open from August 10 to August 31, with grants to be awarded on October 1 once claims have been assessed. The scheme aims to provide roughly £6.5 million in funding, to provide support between 1 October 2020 and 31 March 2021.

A grant scheme was originally announced on June 26, to begin on July 1 as a replacement for the Payroll Co-funding scheme.

However, Policy and Resources chose to delay the implementation, and the Co-Funding Scheme has been extended for certain sectors. The value of the grants awarded will be influenced by the support received from the co-funding scheme.

Recent changes to border restrictions mean that travellers coming to Guernsey from lower-risk countries can choose to isolate for only seven days, with a corona virus test on the seventh day. However, Chief Minister Gavin St Pier said in the most recent media briefing that Guernsey was still “closed for tourism.” Even if the borders were to reopen, he said, hospitality would not see a return to normal operation, and as such needed continued support.

Businesses who wish to make a claim for this scheme will need to complete the online form, available at covid19.gov.gg/guidance/visitor-accommodation from Monday.