1. The Economy Futures Fund – Tourism Investment Support Scheme (EFF-TISS)
The Scheme was available for medium to large businesses, with 50 or more full time equivalent (FTE) employees.
EFF-TISS was an investment fund comprising a mix of repayable and non-repayable finance, targeting eligible capital investment projects in the tourism sector in Wales. It can be used either to upgrade existing, or create, new high quality product.
Support was considered, in order to:
- create and safeguard jobs
- realise economic benefit and growth
- deliver quality, innovation and a sense of place.
Projects Supported as part of the Tourism Investment Support Scheme
Offers made 1 April 2016 to 31 March 2017
Offers made 1 April 2017 to 31 March 2018
2. Regional Tourism Engagement Fund (RTEF)
The Fund (RTEF) was a revenue fund, supported through the Welsh Government Rural Communities Rural Development Programme 2014-2020.It was funded by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD), and Welsh Government.
The purpose of the fund was to work with partners at the destination level to deliver the 10% growth target set out in the strategy by supporting activity which would:
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meet the strategic objectives of Welsh Government’s tourism strategy 'A Partnership for Growth'.
- support destinations across Wales to promote and develop distinctive, high quality visitor destinations through the delivery of their destination management plans to extend the season and increase spend.
- enable destinations to maximise the benefits of aligning with the Year of Discovery 2019, future thematic years and The Wales Way.
- reflect all or any of the three key themes for promoting tourism to Wales: adventure, culture and landscape.
3. Tourism Product Innovation Fund (TPIF)
The Fund (TPIF) was a revenue fund, supported through the Welsh Government Rural Communities – Rural Development Programme 2014-2020. It was funded by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD), and Welsh Government.
The purpose of the TPIF fund was to work with tourism sector partners across Wales to deliver the 10% growth target set out in the tourism strategy by supporting activity which would:
- encourage closer joint working between trade partnerships to improve the product offer and help grow the tourism economy in Wales in a sustainable way
- enable the private sector to maximise the benefits from aligning with the Year of Discovery 2019, future thematic years and The Wales Way
- reflect all or any of the three key themes for promoting tourism to Wales of adventure, culture and landscape
4. Tourism Amenity Investment Support (TAIS)
This fund was supported through the Welsh Government Rural Communities Rural Development Programme 2014-2020, funded by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD), and Welsh Government.
The scheme was available for public, third sector and not for profit organisations.
TAIS was an investment fund targeting amenity projects in the tourism sector in Wales.
Support of between £25,000 and £128,000 would be considered. The cap on total eligible project expenditure was £160,000. Our aim was to:
- develop quality sustainable tourism facilities
- add value to visitor experience
- deliver quality, innovation and a sense of place.
5. Micro Small Business Fund (MSBF)
This fund was supported through the Welsh Government Rural Communities Rural Development Programme 2014-2020, funded by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD), and Welsh Government.
The Micro Small Business Fund (MSBF) was available for micro to small size businesses with fewer than 50 FTE employees.
MSBF was an investment fund targeting eligible capital investment projects in the tourism sector in Wales. It was used either to upgrade existing or create new high quality product.
Support of between £25,000 and £500,000 was considered, in order to:
- create and safeguard jobs
- realise economic benefit and growth
- deliver quality, innovation and a sense of place.
6. Brilliant Basics Fund 2021-2022
Brilliant Basics was a Wales wide fund that supported public, third sector and not for profit organisations to:
- deliver basic small scale tourism infrastructure improvements, and
- ensure that all visitors to Wales have a positive and memorable experience throughout their stay.
This fund was built on the previous rounds of funding via the Tourism Amenity Investment Support scheme (TAIS). TAIS was launched in 2017, and supported through the Welsh Government Rural Communities Rural Development Programme 2014-2020 (RDP), funded by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD), and Welsh Government.
Under the previous TAIS funding rounds, only rural wards in Wales were eligible under the RDP rules. With the addition of non-EU funding, the scheme was extended to those areas outside of the rural wards as part of Brilliant Basics. This ensured that all parts of Wales were able to benefit from the fund. For those projects located within the eligible wards, Brilliant Basics continued to be part funded through the Welsh Government RDP EU Programme.
Funding Objectives
Funding of up to £10m for 2020 to 2025 was available to prioritise projects that would:
- develop quality visitor experiences with a Welsh sense of place
- enable a wide range of visitors to access and enjoy new wellbeing opportunities
- improve access to facilities and project an inclusive view of Wales
- invest in facilities that enhance Wales’ adventure offering
- contribute to key WG tourism initiatives including the Year of Outdoors campaign 2020 – 2021 and The Wales Way
- encourage clean, green destinations for example through sustainable infrastructure improvements
- proactively promote a sense of place, culture and language
- provide year-round facilities across all parts of Wales
- invest in world-class experiences and events facilities
Support of between £25,000 and £128,000 was available for projects with a total eligible expenditure of £160,000, with a maximum intervention rate of 80%.
7. Brilliant Basics Fund 2022-2023
Brilliant Basics was a capital fund for 2022-23 to deliver small-scale tourism infrastructure improvements across Wales.
Who could apply?
This year’s scheme was open to:
- Local Authorities
- National Park Authorities
The objectives of the fund were to:
- Invest in small infrastructure projects that benefit both communities and visitors in strategically important tourism locations.
- Develop high quality infrastructure projects that support the wider tourism offer in destinations giving visitors a memorable experience throughout their stay.
- Support basic facilities to remain open all year and cater for visitors well into the evening.
For this round of funding, the priority was focused on 4 key areas:-
- Alleviate pressure points. Find infrastructure solutions to overcome pressure on areas as a result of increased visitor numbers.
- Environmentally sustainable destinations. Develop new or transform existing infrastructure to make the destination more environmentally sustainable, thereby helping to reduce the carbon footprint.
- Inclusive Tourism / Accessibility. Support projects that remove obstacles and barriers within a destination and improve access to facilities for all.
- Enhancing national or regional signature products, for example, projects that enhance and raise the profile of the Wales Coast Path on its ten year anniversary.
Level of funding available
This was a capital fund. Revenue costs were not considered.
Total grant available was £250,000 with a maximum intervention rate of 80%. There was no minimum grant amount.
The closing date for this round was 4 March 2022.
8. Wales International Inbound Tourism Fund (WIITF)
The WIITF Fund was a targeted revenue fund, designed to support the vital supply chain following the pandemic.
The focus of the funding was to ensure that Wales retained and built on the supply chain links with valuable international markets provided by a small sub-sector of:
- Destination Management Companies (DMCs)/incoming operators
- professional tourist guides
- accredited English language schools located and operating in Wales.
It was to support the inbound sector to develop and update
- sustainable inbound itineraries
- language courses and bookable programmes
- destination promotion aimed at starting to recover Wales’ profile and business in international markets.
It was a competitive revenue fund with awards up to £50,000. Funds were allocated to eligible companies:
- according to an agreed programme of activity against set criteria
- considered most likely to promote resilience and economic recovery for tourism in Wales in a sustainable and responsible way.