Swansea Council is working with tourism providers to support them in reopening safely.
As pandemic restrictions are gradually eased by the Welsh Government, the council wants local hospitality and tourism businesses to be able to reopen safely.
It is planned that residents and visitors will be able to enjoy their leisure time responsibly and with confidence.
Officers across the council are offering businesses vital support and this includes the council’s tourism team who are working with the Welsh Government’s Visit Wales team to give businesses the tools they need to reopen safely in line with latest guidance.
When Wales’ five-mile “stay local” travel restriction was lifted on Monday it meant that the area could welcome back day visitors. Then, dependent on Welsh Government restrictions, some tourism operations will be allowed to reopen from July 11.
The council’s new tourism campaign theme is Visit Swansea Bay Responsibly. It follows on from Visit Swansea Bay Later which has kept the destination in peoples’ minds during travel restrictions.
Robert Francis-Davies, the council’s cabinet member for investment, regeneration and tourism, said: “Swansea’s tourism sector is crucial to the wellbeing of people who live here and to the local economy.
“We want business to return and we want it to do so safely so that we can continue to fight the pandemic.
“We ask everybody – businesses and the public – to act in a responsible manner so that everybody can play their part in keeping our communities safe and ensure that businesses continue to remain open.”
The council is promoting the new Visit Wales We’re Good to Go accreditation campaign for the tourism industry. This will boost visitor confidence that a business has all the necessary hygiene and safety protocols in place before the customer visits.
Lindsay Glover, executive manager of Gower’s Oxwich Bay Hotel, said: “We’re so excited to be able to welcome guests back, and we’re aware of all the additional safety precautions we need to take to keep customers and staff protected.
“We’ve worked hard getting social distancing and sanitising measures in place, in line with the We’re Good to Go scheme, so that everything is ready for opening. We can’t wait to welcome guests back safely.”
Cllr Francis-Davies added: “Our tourism team supports the industry all year round and this has been especially important during the pandemic, ensuring businesses are able to access all the support they’re entitled to.
“It’s equally important to help those businesses that can, under the current rules, to safely open again.
“So, we are also launching our new campaign to encourage our customers to start planning their visit to Swansea Bay. When we do reopen our doors, hopefully on July 11, visitors will already have made contact with our local operators to make preparations.”
