Royals were good value at a quarter of the cost of Jersey
Jersey’s government spent four times more than Guernsey’s on the Royal visits this summer.
King Charles III and Queen Camilla’s visit to the island in July cost the States of Guernsey £110,600, compared to the £485,000 bill which Jersey footed.
The local cost included staging a special sitting of the States of Deliberation and ceremony of homage, displays of Guernsey’s culture heritage, produce and environment, and a tea party for invited guests on the Crown Pier.
There was also public entertainment at Cambridge Park and events at Les Cotils, and the total cost included preparation, setting up the sites and clearing away.
The States said that many staff worked unpaid overtime to prepare for the visit and some voluntarily assisted during the day, and were given a day off in lieu rather than paid.
The visits of people from Sark and Alderney to the island to see the royals, and the islands paid their own costs.
It is estimated that 15,000 people gathered in St Peter Port and at Cambridge Park to see Their Majesties and more lined the roads to catch a glimpse.
Ben Tustin of Guernsey Seaweed was one of the business ventures to meet the monarchs and said that the money spent on the royal visit was certainly worth it.
‘There are lots of reasons to have a royal visit, for us at Guernsey Seaweed, it provided legitimacy to our business and our plans more trustworthy,’ he said.
‘We promote the fact that we have met the King and Queen, and to do that we had to prove that we were an established business.’
He said that immediately there was not a huge increase in business, but in the longer term, the company has created national business in the UK.
‘It definitely increased sales for us in the UK as a result of the visit, but overall it was massively worth the cost for the island and a great opportunity,’ said Mr Tustin.
‘There was a general feeling of community and I think for a lot of people it didn’t just make their day, but it made their year.’
There was extensive coverage of the visit in the national media, with more than 300 pieces of online, TV, radio and print coverage identified, reaching 3m. international print media readers and 50m. online views.
Visit Guernsey reported a spike in the number of visits to its website immediately after the visit.
Jersey hosted the day before Guernsey, some of it in the pouring rain, and went £85,000 over budget.
The island spent £135,000 on contractors and £115,000 on communications, including live-streaming as in Guernsey.
