Urgent - Omicron Business Support Fund - Tourism Recovery - Fund Closes At 5pm On 30 March 2022

24th March 2022

What does this involve?
The fund is now open. This fund supports businesses which were not eligible to receive previous COVID-19 recovery funding through the 6 original tourism funds available in 2021.

It was established to provide support for businesses operating in the 6 sectors identified as having been most affected by Omicron, following feedback from the industry and in recognition of a funding gap for a small number of tourism businesses in Scotland,

The eligible sectors are coach operators, day tour operators, hostels, inbound tour operators, marine/outdoor and visitor attractions.

The Omicron Business Support Fund is delivered by VisitScotland on behalf of the Scottish Government. VisitScotland is supported in this process by industry bodies involved in the development of the original funding rounds for their sectors (ASVA, Sail Scotland, Wild Scotland, CPT, SIGTOA, SITOA, Hostelling Scotland).

Am I eligible?
Tourism businesses in the 6 sectors most affected by Omicron are eligible for this fund if they were not eligible to receive support through the previous tourism funds available in 2021.

The 6 eligible sectors are coach operators, day tour operators, hostels, inbound tour operators, marine/outdoor and visitor attractions.

Businesses in these sectors may be able to apply if they did not receive previous funding in 2021 because they:

were not established or trading until after 2019/2020
were unable to provide the financial evidence required, for example, because they were a new business and were unable to provide published accounts for the required time period
had a change in ownership
were temporarily closed due to renovations, improvements or development
To be eligible, businesses must:

still be trading
have been open and operating during the Omicron disruption period
have experienced a negative impact to their business due to Omicron
Applicants must also meet all eligibility criteria detailed in the guidance on the VisitScotland website, including the sector-specific criteria detailed in the relevant appendix.

What does this cost?
This is a free service.

Who is this for?
Tourism businesses which were not eligible to receive previous COVID-19 funding in the following sectors: coach operators, day tour operators, hostels, inbound tour operators, marine/outdoor and visitor attractions.

How long does this take?
Applications opened Wednesday 23 March 2022 and close 5pm on Wednesday 30 March 2022.

Any applications received after this period will not be considered.

Important information
As part of the process, VisitScotland will contact the applicant.

Businesses will have to show that they were open between 8 December 2021 and 21 January 2022 and were impacted directly as a result of the COVID-19 Omicron restrictions during this period.

The grant award is a single flat rate payment of £6,800.

Applications will not be assessed on a first come, first served basis. 

If your application is rejected, you can appeal this decision as set out within the rejection email.

Next steps
Go to the VisitScotland website to read the full eligibility criteria and submission instructions before you complete the application form.
To apply go to https://www.visitscotland.org/supporting-your-business/funding/omicron-support-fund