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.
Grants were administered as top-up payments of £6,800 to businesses in six sectors which had previously received VisitScotland funding and were most severely impacted by Omicron.
Following feedback from industry sectors and recognising a funding gap for a small number of tourism businesses in these six sectors, the Omicron Business Support Fund has been established to support those who have missed out on former 2021 funding.
About the Fund
The Omicron Business Support Fund is being delivered by VisitScotland on behalf of the Scottish Government.
The Fund has been designed to support businesses which were not eligible to receive any previous COVID-19 recovery funding through the six original funds. It was open to businesses operating in the respective sectors:
- Coach operators
- Day tour operators
- Hostels
- Inbound tour operators
- Marine / outdoor
- Visitor attraction
These are the sectors which, following discussion with STERG (Scottish Tourism Emergency Response Group), sector leads and the Scottish Government, were agreed to have been the most severely impacted by Omicron.
Businesses in these sectors could apply for the new payments, worth up to £6,800 each, if they did not receive previous funding in 2021 because they:
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Were not established or trading until after 2019/2020;
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Were unable to provide the financial evidence required, for example, due to being a new business and unable to provide published accounts for the required time period;
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Had a change in ownership;
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Were temporarily closed due to renovations, improvements, development.
Businesses had 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 application process
Please note that applications for the Fund are now closed.
If you have successfully applied and received the automated confirmation of your application, please note, we will be unable to provide individual progress updates. You will be informed of a decision in due course.
Read the full guidance document for the Fund's eligibility criteria.
If your application is rejected, you can appeal this decision as set out within the rejection email. Any appeals should be submitted in writing to [email protected] together with a justification for the appeal.
Questions about the Fund
If you have any queries about the Omicron Business Support Fund, please contact [email protected]