REACTION: North Antrim politicians welcome announcement of re-opening dates for hotels and other tourist accommodation

Minister Dodds said: “Covid-19 has presented an unprecedented challenge for our tourism industry, as it has for tourism markets around the world.

“I believe the time is right to provide the tourist accommodation sector with clarity about opening dates.

“I want to build upon the positive progress in managing the spread of the virus and begin to re-open our tourism industry in a safe and managed way.”

Causeway Coast and Glens Councillor Darryl Wilson, of the UUP, told the Inside Politics Q&A podcast people getting to visit beauty spots is one stage of the process of recovery and called for “the application of common sense” on 20 July when caravan parks and hotels are due to reopen.

The DUP’s Mervyn Storey told the podcast caravan owners believe they can put social distancing in place and respect the health guidelines.

Sinn Féin MLA Philip McGuigan said it was imperative that the executive’s decision making should be based on public health interests.

TV leader Jim Allister told Inside Politics Q&A that the Covid-19 regulations had to be logical and the restrictions on static caravans had been unnecessarily oppressive.

The key dates agreed by the Executive today for re-opening tourist accommodation are:

20 July 2020 – holiday and home parks; caravan sites; self-catering properties. As they are self-contained and may require less advance notice before opening, the opening times for these types of accommodation may be advanced to earlier than 20 July depending on scientific advice;

20 July 2020 – guesthouses; guest accommodation; B&Bs; hotels; hostels. The Tourism Steering Group will be asked to work with the sector to explore what facilities and amenities can safely be made available by hotels and recommendations will be brought to the Executive in due course.

The Minister did stress, however, that progress on re-opening will depend on controlling the rate of transmission of the virus.

She said: “These dates are conditional on the continued containment of the spread of Covid-19.”

Further work is under way to assess the potential to re-open pubs and restaurants and all other parts of the tourism sector.

The Minister continued: “Tourist accommodation will operate in a new, and challenging, world when it begins to emerge from Covid-19.

“We need to enable businesses to plan ahead to ensure social distancing and hygiene practices are in place and staff are trained. These practices will also be essential to reassure customers and employees that establishments are Covid-19 safe.

“Enabling accommodation businesses to generate essential revenue will help to protect individuals and livelihoods which support families and communities across Northern Ireland.”

The Tourism Recovery Steering Group, which the Minister chairs, and its supporting Working Group, will take relevant UK safe working guidance and make it specific to NI as overarching tourism sector guidance. A safety charter mark is also being considered.

The proposals have been informed by engagement with the tourism industry through the Tourism Recovery Working Group.