Eligible businesses can now apply for financial support from the Government’s Visitor Attractions and Events Scheme, which opened today.
The scheme will support events and attractions providers who have experienced financial hardship as a result of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, and enable them to continue trading in 2021. It will meet up to 80% of fixed business costs incurred between October 2020 and April 2021.
Before making a formal application to the Government, businesses should read the guidance to ensure they are within the scope of the scheme. They will then need to contact Jersey Business to undertake a Business Health Check.
Once the business has completed this step, they will be able to apply for funding. A step-by-step guide to the application process is available on gov.je.
Businesses are eligible to apply if they:
- Have suffered a detriment of 50% to their turnover as a result of public health restrictions
- Have a minimum turnover of £300,000
- Are registered for GST purposes
- Have tried to borrow to support itself, either through commercial lenders, or through the Businesses Disruption Loan Guarantee Scheme
- Have completed a Jersey Business Health Check
The full list of eligibility requirements is available on the Government of Jersey website.
The Minister for Economic Development, Senator Lyndon Farnham, said:
“The COVID-19 pandemic has had a devastating impact on the ability of various industries to operate, with events and visitor attractions experiencing some of the most serious disruption and challenges because of the nature of their work.
“This scheme focusses on preserving those businesses that play a key role in underpinning our hospitality and tourism sectors. These include Jersey’s core visitor attractions and the companies that provide the specialist equipment and expertise that is essential to operate the larger scale events.
“Given the continuously changing circumstances, the scheme will be kept under review. We need to support these businesses now so that we maintain a viable visitor economy infrastructure for the future.”
More information is available on:
Government of Jersey News Release.