Kathy Bechelet, general manager at the tunnels, said she was doing everything in her power to keep the attraction open after the Covid-19 pandemic and subsequent decline in travel decimated visitor numbers.
This October half term the tunnels are running a series of special events and offers in an effort to get people through the doors. And Ms Bechelet is appealing to Islanders to show their support for the attraction, which brings to life stories of the Occupation in the underground tunnels carved into the hillside.
She added that the attraction was now a Visit Safe site and all recommended steps had been taken to protect against the spread of Covid-19, including requiring visitors to wear masks, as the tunnels are underground.
‘We have done absolutely everything for when we did open on 2 July,’ she said. ‘And we do encourage Islanders to come and see us to support one of Jersey’s top attractions. It is not just us that has been affected – all the attractions have been – but I personally feel like we have been hurt the worst. People have this £100 to spend and it is great to go into town and spend it but there are other places that could do even with a little bit of money.’
Liberation Day, which should have been a busy time for visitors to the tunnels, was a ‘wash-out’, according to Ms Bechelet, and even the ‘good’ month of August was down by more than 10,000 visitors on last year.
The number of French visitors to the attraction is down 94%, German visitors 98% and English visitors 84%, she added.
‘Last week was extremely quiet. We have really dropped off the edge, I’m afraid,’ she said. ‘I am just doing everything in my power to keep us open. We are open and we just need people to come and see us.’
During the October half-term, which takes place from 26 to 30 October, the tunnels will be offering two-for-one entry to Islanders and a quiz for children to complete as they go around the attraction will be provided. On the evenings of Wednesday 28, Thursday 29 and Friday 30 October, it will be open from 6pm to 9pm to allow visitors to experience the tunnels as those during the war would have done – mainly in the dark. Some parts will be lit but others will be in darkness and visitors are advised to bring a torch.
‘It is nothing to do with Halloween,’ said Ms Bechelet. ‘I just thought, let’s think outside of the box.’
Tickets for those visits cost £15 and can be booked by calling the Jersey War Tunnels on 860808.
A Liberation Day exhibition telling previously untold stories of the Occupation from Islanders is also currently on display outside the tunnels.
