- Changes in Behaviour
ONS has published a report on public perceptions now that all coronavirus restrictions have been removed. Some of the key findings which have implications for tourism businesses are:
- 32% of people in Great Britain felt it would take more than a year for life to return to normal
- 12% of people thought that life would never return to normal, while 9% felt that it had already returned to normal.
- People who are disabled or struggling financially are less likely to think that life will ever return to normal
- Four-fifths of people reported frequently washing or sanitising hands (81%), 76% wore face coverings and 57% avoided crowded places (on a personal note, these numbers seem high)
- Only 33% of adults aged 16 to 24 years reported avoiding crowded places, compared with 50% of those aged 25 to 34 years and 71% of those aged 70 years and over.
- Government Response To Outdoor Weddings and Civil Partnerships Consultation
The Government has published its response to the consultation on outdoor weddings and civil partnerships. The proposals in the consultation would enable businesses to provide a greater choice of locations to customers for holding these ceremonies.
The good news is that the Government has responded to say that it intends to make the current temporary covid-related relaxations permanent with the current SI expires on 5 April 2022. The amendments to the Marriages and Civil Partnership (Approved Premises) Regulation 2005 made by this further SI will be substantially similar to those made by the temporary SI.
The Government has also responded by saying that submissions that the they received were also in favour of the proposal to extend the provision of outdoor ceremonies to religious marriages, on a permissive basis via an LRO and it will therefore take these proposals forward.
- VB CEO Reminder
A reminder if you are thinking about putting your hat in the ring to be the new VB CEO, you need to get you CV dusted and in by midnight on the 20th March