Tourism sector and travel operators ‘stuck in limbo’

That was the overwhelming message at yesterday’s Chamber of Commerce lunch, which saw Condor’s CEO Paul Luxon, Aurigny’s managing director Nico Bezuidenhout and the States’ Trading Supervisory Board president Deputy Peter Roffey on a panel at the OGH, with Visit Cornwall’s chief executive Malcolm Bell on video link.

Around 100 industry professionals attended the lunch and heard how the ‘bucket and spade families’ that frequently came to the island in the 80s and 90s were no longer the sole target demographic.

Instead, Guernsey should market itself to older visitors or those with a keen interest in nature, wildlife, walking and history, as already 35% of visitors are over 65.

Due to the more expensive nature of the island, Guernsey should also look to target shorter-term breaks, becoming a safe staycation destination for people in the British Isles, particularly in the era of Covid-19.

For hoteliers and owners of tourist attractions, there was not enough confidence in 1 July actually being the date that Guernsey would fully open up.

And Aurigny and Condor felt the same.

Mr Bezuidenhout said one of the biggest frustrations was that no-one seemed to know when they could go. ‘We have got the marketing and business plans, but when can we get started?’ he said.

‘I don’t think there’s an answer sitting in this room.’

Mr Luxon agreed, saying the industry needed to stop thinking about what tourism used to be like and focus on this summer, and when commercial travel providers could tell people to come to Guernsey.

When it came to how Guernsey marketed itself, questions were raised over whether the States was best placed to do this.

In short, Deputy Roffey said no.

There was some criticism over how Visit Guernsey had been managed over the last seven years, particularly from Economic Development president Deputy Neil Inder in the audience.

But promises were made that within the next two years, there would be a public and private partnership aimed at serving the tourism industry to its best potential.

Mr Bell explained how Visit Cornwall received no funding from the government and was fully funded by the industry itself. This, he said, meant opportunities that came up could be seized, such as those in TV, film and radio that have recently put Cornwall firmly on the map.