Could we have our own arts-led renaissance?

THOSE of us living in Guernsey know that it is a great place to work, live and play. However, the ‘Guernsey lifestyle’, while brilliant and unique, in itself isn’t enough to act as an international tourism drawcard.

Why is being a drawcard important? It’s important because connectivity with the outside world is vital for Guernsey’s prosperity, yet there are indicators that Guernsey is becoming less popular as a visitor destination.

Since 2010, the number of passengers travelling to Guernsey by air has been falling. More telling is the fact that of total air passengers, 65% are local residents and only 35% are from outside Guernsey. It’s clear that unless Guernsey repositions itself as a destination to the outside world, passenger numbers will continue to be challenged adversely and with it any prospect for increased flights and reduced air fares. To arrest this trend, Guernsey needs to reposition itself internationally to become a ‘must see’ tourist destination.

In October the Institute of Directors Guernsey branch is holding its annual convention where it will be exploring what Guernsey’s place is and should be in the world and how good we are at telling this story.

The convention’s keynote speaker, Simon Anholt, is the world’s pre-eminent expert and authority on countries, culture and globalism. In a recent meeting with Simon, he observed that the international perception of a country is reality with delay. In the context of a country, if it has no image then it ceases to be important and in fact becomes irrelevant and over time suffers economically.

In this light, one interpretation of the declining passenger numbers to and from Guernsey is that Guernsey is becoming less relevant to the outside world. This may be viewed as a harsh assessment, however, in my opinion, there is ample evidence that unless Guernsey can identify a common purpose which it can articulate to the world, its place in the world will become increasingly less relevant and its prosperity will decline.

The challenge for Guernsey is to create a reality that will help shape perception as a progressive, vibrant and must-see destination. This is where identity, art and tourism coincide.

I believe that an arts-led renaissance could be a way for Guernsey to reposition itself as an international tourist destination.

There is a reputable body of research that supports the proposition that investment in arts and culture is an economic driver that can help reposition the international reputation and image of a city or country, especially a country the size of Guernsey. International real estate development consortium ULI in its report ‘Arts and Economics Prosperity III’ concluded that ‘looking at data collected across numerous studies, along with a broad array of recent arts and culture plans and projects, one will likely conclude that the right strategy and implementation approach, whether initiated by the public sector or by private interests, can result in significant increases in property values, revenues and jobs’.

The same report found that the non-profit arts and culture industry in the US generates $166bn in economic activity, provides 5.7m. full-time jobs and generates billions of dollars of revenue for government annually, where government spends less than $4bn annually to support the arts.

A possible idea to help drive visitors to Guernsey is a world-class Museum of Art. We could aspire to have a Guggenheim or Louvre art gallery combined with a Victor Hugo museum that would be an international tourist drawcard and destination for short-stay visitors from the UK and Europe. It would also be a ‘must see’ attraction for the 130,000 cruise ship passengers who descend upon Guernsey annually looking for things to do during the day visit.

If you want to see how it’s done, look at the Tasmanian Mona (Museum of Old and New Art). It is privately owned and has an eclectic collection that is a destination attraction for some 400,000 visitors per annum. Tasmania is very much like Guernsey in that it is an island off a much larger mainland – getting there requires a flight of one hour from Melbourne.

Closer to home, St Ives in Cornwall has a Tate art gallery which attracts over 250,000 visitors to the town each year, adding over £11m. annually to the local economy. The indirect economic benefit for the local St Ives community is tenfold this figure. Importantly, the Mona and Tate attract visitors to Tasmania and St Ives year round, not just during the peak tourist season.

Local art entrepreneur David Ummels is a strong believer in the vision of Guernsey successfully establishing a modern museum of art, of a standard and standing that would become a ‘must see’ destination for locals and tourists from the UK and Europe. These visitors are generally well heeled and looking for an experience.

They’re not price sensitive and, in fact, would cherish the experience of flying or ferrying to Guernsey as part of the adventure. Such tourists are looking for short-stay vacations where the initial focus would be visiting the Guernsey Museum of Art and then combining the visit with everything else that Guernsey has to offer, including its world-class natural environment and renowned hospitality industry. If as few as 200,000 additional air passengers could be attracted, Aurigny would operate ‘in the black’, saving the States of Guernsey some £4m. per annum in subsidies.

The waterfront precinct would be the ideal location for the proposed Guernsey Museum of Art. David Ummels has already had concept architectural drawings commissioned for the Guernsey Information Centre building. This would be an excellent location allowing ease of access for cruise ship visitors as well as being brilliantly positioned for tourists arriving by ferry. If such a gallery were to come to pass, it would be an economic boon for Guernsey. It would ignite an explosion in supporting capital investment in hotels, hospitality and retail. The project would also motivate and embolden the States to finally kick off their long-awaited waterfront revitalisation plans. Given Guernsey’s renowned links with Victor Hugo, an arts-led recovery for Guernsey seems fitting and too good an opportunity to let go by.

The challenge is now for the States of Guernsey to take a leadership role to make this a reality. A good start would be to appoint a committee made up of government and private individuals tasked with the challenge to have a gallery space created in the Guernsey Information Centre building within the next 12 months. An exciting arts-led renaissance awaits Guernsey, if only it has the vision and courage to go for it.

Dr Stretch Kontelj has lived in Guernsey for three years. He is vice-chairman of the Guernsey branch of the Institute of Directors and takes a keen interest in local politics.

Originally from Australia of Slovenian heritage, he is a former mayor and councillor of Greater Geelong, a city in Victoria, Australia, of some 250,000 people.

@StretchKontelj