Taking care of tourism

It goes without saying that finance remains our principal source of wealth, but tourism and agriculture are still vital, not only in terms of the contributions they make to the exchequer, but also because of the way in which they help to give shape to the community. Agriculture helps to make this a green and pleasant land. Tourism helps to make sure that we have an environment and services that are attractive to visitors and of value to residents.

All too often in recent years, a vociferous defeatist lobby has asserted that tourism is dying on its feet, that competition from other centres which are cheaper, sunnier and have better transport links cannot be resisted, and that our offering will soon cease to be a major pillar of the economy.

But this is not the case. There are still first-rate reasons for visiting Jersey, as the annual footfall of legions of holidaymakers from the UK, the continent and further afield confirms.

Nevertheless, tourism must remain reactive – or proactive, if you prefer that odd word. It must adapt to survive, conscious that the bucket-and-spade, cheap alcohol and cheap cigarettes model of the 1960s and 70s is as dead as Durrell’s dodo, which, ironically, is symbolic of the need for forward thinking to prevent catastrophe.

It is against the background of much-needed vision that the States voted in favour of a tourism board whose members will include industry experts from the private sector. The possibility of creating such a body has been talked about for many years, but the plan has finally been realised – to the obvious satisfaction of the overwhelming majority of Members who supported the proposition.

Ironically, more tender loving care is currently being lavished on the tourism sector than for a long time. Many of those in the hospitality interest are desperately eager to boost the Island’s offering and, as Economic Development Minister Alan Maclean told the States earlier this week, 30 to 40 per cent of his department’s funds are spent on tourism development.

In spite of this the board – or shadow board as it has been dubbed, even though there is no other body for it to shadow – has a valuable role to play, not least as a catalyst for the process of shifting fuller responsibility for tourism marketing from the public to the private sector.