There are calls for a recovery fund to be set up to help North Wales’ tourism and hospitality industry survive the pandemic.

Jim Jones, chief executive of North Wales Tourism, said it was also essential existing financial support is extended.

The recovery fund is among a package of measures being sought by members of North Wales Tourism who responded to a survey.

Other ideas included mortgage holiday extensions and pegging VAT to 5 per cent especially for accommodation providers.

It was also crucial that the Job Retention Scheme, the Self Employment Incomes Support Scheme and business rates relief were extended through the 2021/22 financial year.

They are also seeking assurances from the Welsh Government that the tourism and hospitality industry will be allowed to open over Easter, with the rollout of vaccines providing hope that this was a realistic possibility.

Mr Jones said: “The tourism and hospitality has seen a disastrous loss of £2.17 billion to the economy of North Wales. That’s a loss of 63 per cent and a shrinkage in the sector to levels from over 20 years ago.

“This is a huge hammer blow. Prior to the Covid crisis, we were celebrating that in 2019 tourism had attracted record numbers of visitors and revenue had risen to an all-time high of £3.6 billion.

“To add to our economic woes, the recent research commissioned by the North Wales & Mersey Dee Business Council and North Wales Tourism showed up to 80 per cent of business owners are experiencing a deterioration in their mental and physical health. The stresses for many in this sector are taking a real toll on individuals and families.

“Many people in the Industry have applied for the new round of Economic Resilience Fund with no glitches reported with the process this time. It appears to have been relatively straightforward. This is really good news and I’m pleased lessons have been learnt because this is so important to get right. Hopefully, businesses won’t have to wait long to find out if they were successful and to get the help they need.

“However, there are still a lot of businesses and business people falling through the cracks for eligibility and access to help. I urge the Welsh Government to put a package of support together to help them also.

“On a more positive note, there is a lot to be optimistic about in 2021. The multiple vaccines being rolled out are obviously a source of great hope with the number of people across North Wales receiving the vaccine now being increased significantly.”

A Welsh Government spokesperson said: “We understand the concerns of the sector and we hope we will see businesses trading again as soon as it is safe to do so. We are committed to doing all we can to protect businesses during this very challenging time. Our package of support is the most generous in the UK and more than £1.7bn of Welsh Government financial assistance has reached businesses since March.

“Money is already reaching tourism, hospitality and leisure businesses from the £180m sector specific fund which opened on Wednesday, 13 January.

“Wales will remain in Alert Level 4 until infection rates are under control. We review the Wales-wide measure in place at least every three weeks.”