COVID-19 Marine and Outdoor Tourism Restart Fund

COVID-19 Business Support and Continuity (Tourism) top-up fund

In January 2022, funding of up to £9 million for tourism was announced by the Scottish Government to mitigate the impact of public health measures introduced to limit the rapid spread of the Omicron variant. The money was designed to recognise the economic impact of the steps people were asked to take and the loss of revenue specifically between 8 December 2021 and 21 January 2022.

Businesses which were previously supported by VisitScotland under this Marine and Outdoor Restart Fund were contacted directly by email and asked to confirm basic information before payments were made. This process has now closed and eligible businesses will receive a top-up payment of £6,800 under the Fund.

About the fund

The Marine and Outdoor Tourism Restart Fund: Round Two

The £800,000 COVID-19 Marine and Outdoor Tourism Restart Fund: Round Two was delivered by VisitScotland, with development input from Sail Scotland and Wild Scotland, on behalf of the Scottish Government. VisitScotland is the awarding body for this Fund.  

The Fund was intended to provide support to marine and outdoor tourism businesses who have been significantly affected by Coronavirus (COVID-19).   

Round Two was designed to specifically support Scottish-based businesses in the marine and outdoor tourism sector that have faced hardship due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and to help keep them in business as they recommence operations. 

This money was part of the original £104.3 million Scottish Government funding package – no new money has been provided for funding. 

The Fund was open to marine and outdoor tourism businesses that met the eligibility criteria as set out within the guidance notes.

Please note that applications for the COVID-19 Marine and Outdoor Tourism Restart Fund  – Round One and Round Two are now closed.

If you have any queries about the Marine and Outdoor Tourism Restart Fund, please contact [email protected].

Find out more about funding opportunities in our funding section.

The Marine and Outdoor Tourism Restart Fund: Round One

In February, we launched the £4 million Marine and Outdoor Tourism Restart Fund with grants of up to £15,000 per company for responsible tourism operators providing sustainable outdoor-related activity to visitors on land and in the marine environment. The Fund was developed in collaboration with sector bodies Wild Scotland and Sail Scotland. 

Round One of the Fund was open for applications between 2 February – 9 February 2021 to operators in Scotland whose turnover in 2019/20 from tourism activity was more than 75% of their total turnover.  

Following feedback from industry and recognising a funding gap for marine and outdoor operators, Round Two has been created to support marine and outdoor tourism operators in Scotland who meet the eligibility criteria set out in the guidance document. 

If a business applied for and was successful in Round One of this Fund, it will not be eligible for additional funding under Round Two.  

Businesses who applied to Round One but were rejected because they did not meet the eligibility criteria for Round One can apply for Round Two if they meet the eligibility criteria set out in the guidance document. These businesses will need to submit a new application to be considered for Round Two. 

Businesses can only be successful and receive a grant award from one of the funds announced by the Scottish Government on or since 15 December 2020, regardless of the body who is administering the fund. The tourism announcement was made by the Scottish Government on 21 December 2020.