Grants of up to £50,000 are now available to tourism and hospitality businesses in Northumberland, Newcastle and North Tyneside.
Businesses in both sectors are being invited to apply for grants of between £10,000 and £50,000 as part of the North of Tyne Combined Authority's Hospitality, Innovation, Tourism Supply (HITS) project. which was launched as part of the authority's first Time Out Tuesday event this week. The grant will represent 50% of a total project cost with match funding needed for the remainder.
The innovation grant is open to tourism, hospitality and supply chain businesses for undertaking innovation projects that can contribute to delivering business growth, supporting the safeguarding and creation of good quality jobs and driving economic impact in the tourism and hospitality sectors within the North of Tyne area. The HITS programme is being delivered by NewcastleGateshead Initiative in partnership with Food and Drink North East and NBSL, who aim to support businesses in the region to access grants and mentoring.
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Jamie Driscoll, Metro Mayor for the North of Tyne, said: " This is all about backing our local tourism and hospitality businesses. It's about working together to provide visitors with the best possible experience and it's about doing this in a way that helps companies grow, create jobs, and protect the environment."
Ian Thomas, Destination Director at the NewcastleGateshead Initiative, hopes that HITS can bring like-minded people together and create new ways of working with the aim of benefitting the sector and its visitors, saying: " We know the impact recent challenges have had and are still having on this sector, so it is imperative we start working together to grow our businesses and drive more visitors. There are some huge opportunities for the region including developing our food and drink offer, marketing to new international markets, working with partners such as the BBC who have made a phenomenal investment into the North East in terms of film and TV production, so we need to ensure our businesses are in a position to take advantage of these opportunities."
Chris Jewitt, founder and CEO of Food and Drink North East added: " With the trifold impact of Brexit uncertainty, the global pandemic and the current cost of living crisis, the past three years have hit the food, drink, hospitality and tourism sectors hard here in the North East. From food producers to restaurateurs, hoteliers and visitor attractions, business leaders have had to dig deep to navigate through these challenging times.
" What we have seen is an upsurge in collaborative entrepreneurship, hard graft and invention come to the fore as businesses from across the supply chain have battled to remain open and operational. The HITS programme is a unique opportunity to cement that spirit of innovation and provide the potential funding that can help unlock some of the solutions that will help these businesses not just survive but thrive."
The HITS programme was launched earlier this year with the aim of help support businesses in the tourism and hospitality sectors embed innovation into their ways of working. Time Out Tuesday will be a monthly event open to members of the programme, with only programme members eligible to apply for a grant.
To find out more about the project and to sign up to become a member, click here.
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