At the beginning of May Visit Britain announced that it was working on a new industry standard with the Government in response to the Covid-19 pandemic. Its purpose was to provide tourism with ‘a ring of confidence’ for both businesses and consumers. On 25 June, the ‘We’re Good to Go’ standard was launched by VisitEngland in partnership with the national tourist organisations of Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.

To be able to display the industry standard mark in premises and on websites businesses must demonstrate ‘that they are adhering to the respective Government and public health guidance, have carried out a COVID-19 risk assessment and checked that they have the required processes in place.’

Customers seeing the mark should be able to use that business in the knowledge that the business is adhering to Government guidelines to minimize the risk of infection by the Covid-19 virus.

Tourism Minister Nigel Huddleston said: 

“I want to encourage the public to experience a great British holiday this summer and be confident that they can do so safely. 

“This new industry standard will show people that tourism businesses, destinations and attractions are adhering to the guidance. It puts safety first and is an important move in getting this industry back up and running.”

VisitEngland Director Patricia Yates said:

“With millions of jobs and local economies across the country reliant on tourism it is essential that businesses can get up and running as soon as the respective Government advice allows to capture the peak British summer season.

“We want visitors to be able to enjoy their holidays and to support businesses to be confident they have the correct procedures in place. Our priority is to make sure tourism rebounds to once again become one of the most successful sectors of the UK economy and this ‘ring of confidence’ is a crucial step on the industry’s road to rebuilding.”

Alongside the industry standard VisitEngland is putting the onus on visitors to help the tourism industry open up successfully with the launch of its Know Before You Go public information campaign, which asks visitors to check what it is safe to do and when and to be informed about destinations and available services before travelling.