- Five Jersey Tourism employees joining Visit Jersey, with another in talks about joining.
- Read the full background on the organisation which takes over at the end of the month.
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FIVE employees at Jersey Tourism have accepted roles with the company that is due to take over from the department at the end of the month, according to the States’ HR team.
Another member of staff is still in talks about transferring to Visit Jersey, while a number of other employees declined roles with the new organisation.
Eleven other members of staff are being considered for redeployment to other States departments, and two workers have found jobs elsewhere in the public sector.
The details emerged after Reform Jersey criticised the appointment of business ‘fixer’ Kevin Keen to a panel charged with making the States more efficient.
The Island’s only political party claimed that Mr Keen had a reputation for cutting staff and wages and alleged that 18 Jersey Tourism employees had been made redundant.
But a spokesman for the States HR department said that none of the 18 full-time and one part-time employees had been laid off.
‘Our focus is on redeploying all affected staff and, to this end, significant effort continues to be made to redeploy staff to suitable roles elsewhere within States of Jersey departments,’ the spokesman said.
‘This process will continue and redundancy will only be used in cases where staff cannot be redeployed by the end of May 2015.’
Roles at Visit Jersey not filled by Jersey Tourism staff would be advertised locally, they added.
Visit Jersey is due to take over the promotion of the Island from 30 March.
It will be run by an independent board of directors and a new chief executive, Keith Beecham, who has been appointed from the UK.
John Henwood, chairman of the Tourism Shadow Board charged with setting up Visit Jersey, said that concerns had been raised by some about how the transfer of staff had been managed but that ultimately the process had gone well.
‘Given the circumstances in which we had to work, I believe the process went, and is going, as well as could be expected,’ he said. ‘Could it have been better from the point of view of Jersey Tourism staff? From reports received the answer is yes, it probably could have been.
‘That said, it must be emphasised the staff of Jersey Tourism are employed by the States of Jersey and the TSB / Visit Jersey could not and cannot unilaterally interfere in arrangements between employer and employee.’
He added: ‘It must be emphasised that Visit Jersey is not Jersey Tourism by another name. The minister had called for a clean-slate approach and we created an organisational structure from scratch, describing the jobs within it.
‘No position with Visit Jersey is the same as any in Jersey Tourism.’
- The creation of a new, independent organisation called Visit Jersey was recommended by the Tourism Shadow Board last March, after they produced a report about the best way forward for the industry.
- The tourism sector has seen visitor numbers decline almost every year since 1997, when 985,000 people visited the Island. By 2012 that number had fallen to 688,000, with similar figures in 2013.
- The board’s report said that the Islands current tourism model had failed to halt the decline in visitor numbers and that a fresh start was needed.
- It found that there had been a breakdown in the relationship between the industry and Jersey Tourism, that poor and inconsistent communication with some parts of the industry had led to a lack of engagement and that there was no viable overall strategic tourism plan.
- But the board said that with drastic changes the Island could be attracting one million people each year.
- Prior to releasing their report, the board, interviewed more than 100 people and organisations to look at what was needed. It found that many members of the tourism sector wanted urgent change and had little confidence in Jersey Tourisms ability to turn things around.
- The Tourism Shadow Board was chaired by former JT chairman John Henwood and members included Ports of Jersey chief executive Doug Bannister, managing director of La Mare Wine Estate Tim Crowley, Bosdet Foundation general manager Mike Graham, Economic Development chief officer Mike King, Seymour Group chief executive David Seymour and public relations consultant Sam Watts.
- Between 2014 and 2015, local ‘business fixer’ Kevin Keen was drafted in as interim chief executive of Visit Jersey. Mr Keen has now taken up a new role making the States more efficient with the aim of saving millions of pounds for the taxpayer.
- In January it was announced that staff at Jersey Tourism had been given the option of applying for jobs within Visit Jersey, or being redeployed within the civil service. Mr Henwood confirmed that the application process had been carried out by the States human resources department since October and November last year.
- Educated at St Helier Boys School
- Trained at accountancy firm Alex Picot
- Joined Le Riches in 1985 as an accountant, worked up to finance director and then head of supermarket business.
- Moved to Jersey Dairy in 2003
- Interim chief executive of Visit Jersey between 2014 and 2015
- Joined Jersey Post as chief executive in 2011
- Finance director of the Jersey Battle of Flowers since 2007
- Married 32 years, to Christine and has three grown-up daughters
- Non-work interests old motorcycles and cars
