‘Whole island needs to get behind tourism strategy’
THE author of a report which sparked weeks of division in the tourism industry has appealed for the whole island to get behind the controversial new Tourism Management Board.
When former UK tourism chief Keith Beecham, pictured, was hired as a consultant by the Economic Development Committee last year, he recommended taking politicians and civil servants out of Visit Guernsey.
He proposed turning it into an independent agency with its own chief executive and between six and 10 staff employed outside of government.
But the committee rejected his key recommendation, instead keeping Visit Guernsey within the civil service and appointing the part-time board to try to bring the industry together and create a tourism strategy.
The Guernsey Hospitality Association – which claims to represent about 85% of the accommodation sector – is refusing to participate. It wants tourism to be run more independently from the States.
‘Of course it would have been wonderful if the full package in the report could have been implemented, but we live in the real world. You have to play with the cards in your hand,’ said Mr Beecham yesterday.
‘What I see is that the new board is committed to real engagement with industry. This arrangement is superior to the old arrangement. What is needed is a tourism strategy for the island which is supported by the community, backed by government, agreed by the industry, and then delivered by the industry.
‘Tourism will develop with the public and private sectors working together.
‘The TMB’s role in that is leadership and co-ordination.
‘I encourage everyone who has ideas about developing tourism – everyone – to come forward and assist in this.’
The new board is chaired by Island Coachways’ managing director Hannah Beacom, and includes representatives from various sectors of tourism. It held its first open meeting with the industry yesterday.
Mr Beecham, previously chief executive of Visit Jersey, which he joined from Visit Britain in 2015, is now acting as an adviser to the board.
He said the new group would use this year to consult with industry, and decide what it needed to change and what it wanted to achieve.
‘This is the first opportunity to engage broadly with the tourism and travel industry. We’ll take this year to get the thinking right. Let’s see where we are in a year’s time,’ he said.
‘All that we have heard today will be taken back to the board, and then we will come back to the industry with more developed ideas.
‘We need to work with the industry and the community. We want to develop tourism in a way which is supported by the community.
‘In all my business life, I have known the importance of momentum. We are moving in the right direction.’
