Everything you need to prepare and improve for your visitor attraction's re-opening in 2021

First, here are 4 useful resources for improving your visitor experience as you prepare to re-open:

1. The Access Group’s Creating the New Visitor Experience guide explores the opportunity to reinvent how your visitors interact with your attraction during and after Covid-19 restrictions. Download the guide for practical advice on welcoming your visitors back after lockdown, mapping the new visitor lifecycle and creating an experience that evokes an emotional response, even in a world with coronavirus.
   
   
2. Read these Visitor attraction trends for 2021 for insight on what to expect from your visitors in the coming year.
   
   
3. Kids In Museums has created a useful guide to how museums can provide quality experience for children and families when they reopen with social distancing measures.
   
   
4. Tourism for All offers accessibility training and advice to tourism businesses, plus this interesting piece about the ‘3Ms’ for tourism recovery later in 2021, which makes some interesting points about the need for access to public transport for visitors with disabilities.

The Access Group has also published several blogs worth revisiting in light of the new roadmap. For many attractions, the late spring/early summer re-opening dates outlined in the roadmap mean another shortened season. Here’s a guide to extending the tourism season for visitor attractions.

Get ahead of the curve and prepare to cater for some of the visitor attractions trends we’re anticipating in 2021. Find out how to make your visitor attraction more dog friendly in 2021. We’ve also covered 3 ways to make your visitor attraction more sustainable in 2021 and outlined 5 positive ways the pandemic is changing domestic travel and what they mean for attractions.

The roadmap cautions that normality won’t necessarily return even after Step 4. Survival tools you learned earlier on in the pandemic still apply, such as growing your visitor attraction’s local audience and remaining flexible. It’s also worth checking out these 5 digital innovations that improve your visitor experience in the new normal and beyond.

Useful resources for the latest information, support and advice:

In some cases, these haven’t yet been updated so check back regularly; it takes time for organisations to get clarity on the roadmap requirements that affect their sectors.

• VisitBritain: The latest information and advice for tourism businesses during the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic. The national tourist board also has an active Covid-19 guidance and support hub, which includes funding information and business recovery webinars.
• VisitScotland: The latest Coronavirus information and advice for Scotland’s tourism businesses, including reopening guidance. 
• Tourism Northern Ireland: Covid-19 resource centre, webinars, support helpline and updates for Northern Ireland’s tourism industry.
• VisitEngland: Covid-19 guidance and support is available on the England Business Advice Hub.
• Business Wales (VisitWales): The latest Covid-19 bulletins for Wales’ tourism industry.
• Association of Independent Museums: AiM’s coronavirus resources outline the roadmap out of the current lockdown in England and include links to the different rules in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. AiM is also in the process of seeking further clarification on the reasoning behind the decision to delay the re-opening of indoor museums and galleries until step 3.
• Association of Leading Visitor Attractions (ALVA): Covid-19 resources, news and a series of lockdown webinars to support the UK’s VA industry.
• Association of Scottish Visitor Attractions: Regular sector-specific updates.
• British Association of Leisure Parks, Piers and Attractions (BALPPA): Covid-19 updates and safety bulletins (members only).
• British & Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums (BIAZA): BIAZA’s Covid-19 guidance for zoos and aquariums is available to all, not just members.
• The Heritage Alliance: You’ll find The Heritage Alliance’s useful compilation of the latest Covid-19 guidance, advice and funding for organisations across the heritage sector in this live document. It also coordinates Rebuilding Heritage, a UK-wide free support programme, funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund, to help the heritage sector respond to the ongoing impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and plan for a sustainable future.
• Museums Association: Fighting to ensure museums get the support and investment they need to see them through the pandemic by lobbying government to extend the UK furlough scheme and permanently remove the Museums and Galleries Exhibitions Tax Relief sunset clause, among other aims.
• The Tourism Society: Covid-19 clarifications and updates on the latest news and data.
• Wales Tourism Alliance: News and updates affecting Welsh tourism, but follow them on Twitter for the most recent developments.
• Scottish Tourism Alliance: Check the Coronavirus Support Information Hub for the latest information and funding, plus industry guidance, in Scotland.
• Northern Ireland Tourism Alliance: The private sector-led “voice” of the tourism industry in Northern Ireland has published a report on the scale of the crisis facing tourism in NI (this dates from October but still makes for an interesting read). Download it here.
• Scottish Tourism Emergency Response Group (STERG): A long-term, single, joined-up, phased plan to combat the current issues and look at how the industry could effectively restart and recover as restrictions are eased. Download the plan.

Also, check Gov.uk, your local council website and your local DMO for the latest coronavirus updates, support and advice in your region.

Outline of roadmap to easing restrictions, for visitor attractions:

Step 1

• From 8 March at the earliest: Recreation or exercise outdoors with household or one other person permitted; weddings still limited to 6 attendees but no longer limited to exceptional circumstances.
• From 29 March at the earliest (in time for the school Easter holidays): Groups of up to 6 people (the Rule of 6) or two households allowed to meet outdoors; outdoor sport and leisure facilities reopen;

Step 2

• From 12 April at the earliest (at least five weeks after Step 1): Most outdoor settings and attractions including outdoor hospitality, zoos, theme parks, drive-in cinemas, performances, events reopen (rules on social contact outdoors will apply in these settings); all retail re-opens; outdoor service at hospitality venues resumes with no curfew and no requirement for a substantial meal to be served alongside alcoholic drinks (table service requirement remains); self-contained accommodation re-opens (household only); weddings and wakes limited to 15 attendees and allowed in premises permitted to re-open.

Step 3

• From 17 May at the earliest (at least five weeks after Step 2): Remaining outdoor entertainment, such as outdoor theatres and cinemas re-opens; indoor entertainment and attractions, such as museums, cinemas and children’s play areas re-opens; remaining accommodation re-opens, such as hotels, hostels and B&Bs; domestic overnight stays allowed; gatherings of 30 maximum to mark significant life events allowed; some large events allowed; indoor hospitality allowed (table service requirement remains); international travel permitted (subject to review)

Step 4

• From 21 June at the earliest (at least five weeks after Step 3): Nightclubs re-open; no legal limits on social contact; larger events, including theatre performances, allowed.

Some measures may still be required even after all adults have been offered a vaccine. Each step must meet four criteria before we progress; the Government will announce one week in advance whether restrictions will be eased as planned.

Read the full roadmap.