Support for tourism and event businesses during COVID-19

Please see our operating during COVID-19 page for the latest guidance on business closures during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Read a summary of existing financial support measures on Gov.uk.

New 5 January:

On 5 January the Chancellor announced:

• businesses in the retail, hospitality and leisure sectors are to receive a one-off grant worth up to £9,000
• a £594 million discretionary fund will also be made available to support other impacted businesses
• Read the 5 January statement.

Guidance for local authorities on the business support package for the January 2021 lockdown has now been published.

New 17 December:

On 17 December the Chancellor announced the furlough scheme would be extended until the end of April 2021. Loan schemes, including Bounce Back Loans and Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Schemes, will also be extended until end of March 2021. Read the 17 December statement.

New 9 December:

The Communities Secretary announced that business owners affected by the pandemic will be protected from eviction until the end of March 2021. Read the 9 December statement.

New 1 December:

The Prime Minister announced that wet-led pubs will receive a one-off payment of £1,000 in December. Read the Prime Minister's 1 December statement.

Read the guidance on wet-led pub payments for local authorities. The guidance defines a wet-led pub as a pub that derives less than 50% of its income from sales of food.

New 20 November:

The Government announced that businesses will be allowed to opt into a new VAT Deferral scheme next year, allowing any deferred VAT to be paid in up to 11 installments over the course of the year so that the total deferred VAT is paid by March 2022. The online opt in process will be available in early 2021. Read guidance on the new VAT deferral scheme.

New 11 November:

• The Government announced an extension to temporary freedom for pubs, restaurants and cafes to provide food takeaways by another year; freedoms enabling outdoor markets have also been extended
• New protections have been put into place for cultural venues, by protecting theatres, concert halls and live music venues from demolition. 

Read the 11 November announcement.

New 5 November:

The Chancellor announced the following further support measures on 5 November:

• the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) will now run until the end of March, with employees receiving 80% of their current salary for hours not worked
• support through the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS) will be increased, with the third grant covering November to January calculated at 80% of average trading profits, up to a maximum of £7,500
• Cash grants of up to £3,000 per month for businesses which are closed
• The ability for businesses to top-up Bounce Back Loans

Read the Government press release from 5 November.

New 31 October:

The Prime Minister announced that the furlough scheme has been extended and further economic support will be available:

• Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) - also known as the Furlough scheme - will remain open until 2 December, with employees receiving 80% of their current salary for hours not worked, up to a maximum of £2,500. Under the extended scheme, the cost for employers of retaining workers will be reduced. This means the extended furlough scheme is more generous for employers than it was in October.
• The Job Support Scheme will not be introduced until after Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme ends.
• More generous support to the self-employed and paying that support more quickly
• Cash grants of up to £3,000 per month for businesses which are closed
• £1.1 billion for councils to enable them to support businesses more broadly over the coming months, as a key part of the local economy
• Plans to extend existing Loan Schemes and Future Fund to the end of January and an ability to top-up Bounce Back Loans

Read the statement from 31 October

New 22 October:

The Chancellor announced that the Government will significantly increase the generosity and reach of its winter support schemes, including:

• open businesses which are experiencing considerable difficulty will be given extra help to keep staff on as government significantly increases contribution to wage costs under the Job Support Scheme, and business contributions drop to 5%
• additional funding to support cash grants of up to £2,100 per month primarily for businesses in the hospitality, accommodation and leisure sector who may be adversely impacted by the restrictions in high-alert level areas, delivered by Local Authorities. Check if you're eligible for the coronavirus Local Restrictions Support Grant.
• grants for the self-employed doubled to 40% of previous earnings

Read the Chancellor's statement from 22 October.

New 9 October:

• The Job Support Scheme will be expanded to support businesses across the UK required to close their premises due to coronavirus restrictions. Read the press release on the expansion of the Job Support Scheme
• £445 heritage organisations in England have received a share of £103 million from the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport to help them through the coronavirus pandemic. The funding is part of the £1.57 billion Culture Recovery Fund which was announced in July. Read the press release on the Culture Recovery Fund.

New 2 October: businesses in Bolton to receive grants of up to £1,500

New 24 September - Winter Economy Plan: The following measures were announced by the Chancellor on 24 September:

• Job Support Scheme, from 1 November – 31 April, in which the Government will contribute towards the wages of employees who are working fewer than normal hours due to decreased demand
• Extension of the the Self Employment Income Support Scheme Grant (SEISS)
• Extension of the temporary 15% VAT cut for the tourism and hospitality sectors to 31 March
• New Payment Scheme for VAT bills, with businesses to be given the option to pay back in small instalments during the 2021-22 financial year rather than paying the full lump sum at the end of March
• 12 month extension of HMRC’s “Time to Pay” self-service facility
• New Pay as You Grow flexible repayment system for Bounce Back Loans, which have been extended from six years to ten. Interest-only periods of up to six months and payment holidays will also be available to businesses. 
• Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme lenders will be given the ability to extend the length of loans from a maximum of six years to ten years if it will help businesses to repay the loan
• Extension of the application period for the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme, the Coronavirus Large Business Interruption Loan Scheme, the Bounce Back Loan Scheme and the Future Fund

• Read more details in the Chancellor's 24 September statement.

• 18 September: small businesses in England can now find somebody to apply to the Kickstart Scheme grant on their behalf. The Kickstart Scheme provides funding to employers to create job placements for 16 to 24 year olds.
• 10 September: businesses in England that are required to close due to local lockdowns or targeted restrictions will be able to receive grants worth up to £1,500 every three weeks under the Local Restrictions Support Grant.
• 22 August: guidance has been released on all the funding opportunities available through the Culture Recovery Fund
• 11 August: details have been announced of a £40 million Green Recovery Challenge Fund. The fund will help charities and environmental organisations to deliver "shovel-ready" projects across England to restore nature and tackle climate change. Funding will be distributed by The National Lottery Heritage Fund on behalf of DEFRA
• 30 July: a £20 million business grant fund for SME businesses has been announced. Businesses will be eligible to receive grants of £1,000 - £5,000 to help them access technology, equipment or professional advice as they plan for recovery. 
• 14 July: a ministerial statement has been issued to support the culture and tourism sectors by both preventing the loss of theatres, concert halls and live music performance venues, and encouraging local planning authorities to exercise their discretion in relation to planning conditions for caravan and holiday parks.
• 8 July: 'Plan for Jobs' support measures, including a VAT reduction from 20% to 5% on most tourism and hospitality-related activities and an 'Eat Out to Help Out' discount scheme which will provide a 50% reduction for sit-down meals in cafes, restaurants and pubs across the UK from Monday to Wednesday every week throughout August 2020
• 5 July: £1.57 billion investment to protect Britain’s world-class cultural, arts and heritage institutions
• 3 July: £10 million Kick-starting Tourism Package, to be delivered via local Growth Hubs.
• Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme
• Business Rates Holiday for Retail, Hospitality and Leisure
• Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Grants Fund
• Small Business Grant Funding
• Local Authority Discretionary Grants Fund, aimed at small businesses with ongoing fixed property-related costs such as bed and breakfasts that pay council tax rather than business rates, allocated at the discretion of local authorities. Businesses who are eligible for the Self-Employed Income support scheme (SEISS) are eligible to apply for this fund as well.
• Bounce Back Loans (micro loan scheme)
• Statutory Sick Pay Rebate
• HMRC helpline for tax payment issues due to COVID-19 (‘Time to Pay’) – 0800 024 1222. You can also register to receive HMRC email alerts for upcoming webinars.
• COVID-19 Corporate Financing Facility
• VAT Deferral (now closed)
• Income Tax Deferral for the Self-Employed
• Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme and step-by-step guide for employers. You can check the availability of the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme website. It has also been announced that from 1 July employees in the scheme can return to work part time
• Confirmation that furloughed employees will receive full parental leave entitlement
• Self-employment Income Support Scheme
• £750 million package for frontline charities
• An additional 3 months to file accounts
• Restructuring and insolvency advice
• Measures to protect businesses from aggressive rent collection (now closed)
• Corporate Insolvency and Governance Bill, which amends insolvency and company law to support businesses through this period of instability 
• A temporary service by Companies House that allows businesses to upload documents that previously had to be sent in
• The extenson of certain planning permissions

Other rules have also been relaxed, including regarding destroying spoilt beer and pub/restaurant takeaway operations.

Please note all grants made under the above schemes are subject to tax should the business make a profit during the current financial year.