Despite the gloom, brighter picture on horizon for tourism

From the beginning of January until the end of June, 148,886 tourists came to Jersey – the highest number for the first six months of the year since 2010.

The statistics, which were released by Visit Jersey – the organisation set up to promote the Island to tourists – show that 8,700 more holidaymakers visited in the first half of the year than during the same period in 2014. It represented a 6.2 per cent increase and placed Jersey ahead of Visit Britain, which saw growth of about three per cent.

And with 44,000 people coming in the sixth month of the year, the sector enjoyed its best performance for June in four years.

Keith Beecham, the chief executive of Visit Jersey, said that the surge in visitor numbers was due to a combination of factors – including the UK’s improving economy giving tourists more confidence to take holidays, the Island receiving greater exposure on television programmes such as Coast, Countryfile and Tony Robinson’s Walking Through History and an increased number of charter planes coming from Europe.

Mr Beecham, who took up the role as head of Visit Jersey in March, having formerly led Visit Britain, added that the industry had benefited from the NatWest Island Games and positive reviews on travel sites such as Tripadvisor.

‘The signs are very encouraging,’ he said. ‘You have to go back a long way to find six per cent growth in visitor numbers. We are actually outperforming the UK in that respect, as they are experiencing about three per cent growth, so it’s very, very pleasing.

‘We had 220 accredited members of the media at the Island Games, which allowed us to tell the world a bit about Jersey.

‘We have had some great exposure on television recently, and earlier in the year Tripadvisor members voted Jersey as the best holiday island in the British Isles and sixth in the whole of Europe. It seems Jersey is performing well because visitors are enjoying their time here.’

However, despite the success, Mr Beecham said that the industry needed to push on in order to achieve its target of bringing in one million tourists a year by 2030.

And he says that Visit Jersey will soon be publishing a detailed plan on how to create further growth.

‘We are trying to understand the drivers that make up successful tourism in the Island,’ he said. ‘Visit Jersey have been creating a consultation document which we will be sharing with our industry partners.

‘It will have 21 recommendations that will suggest how we can work together to increase the number of visitors and will set out the direction that we want to go for tourism in the Island.’

• 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 Island’s 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 Tourism’s 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.