Tourism to cash in on weak pound
Thursday 18th December 2008, 3:25PM GMT.
TOURISM has got a new ally in its fight to attract tourists – the weak pound.
Industry leaders have said that they intend to market the Island using the message that a pound still holds value for British visitors to Jersey while making a holiday here cheaper for European tourists. With a pound currently worth a little more than a euro and about 1.45 US dollars, more Britons are likely to look to holiday at home next year.
The politician with responsibility for the industry, Economic Development Minister Alan Maclean, said that there was no doubt that 2009 was going to be a challenging year. However, he said that the exchange rate could be an opportunity to attract more people to Jersey.
‘It is likely that the UK market will be less attracted to travelling to the American and Spanish sunshine resorts next year so Jersey has to do what it can to maximise the opportunities the weak pound presents,’ he said.
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A weak pound may or may not attract new Tourists. What happens when they get here and find out everything is considerably more expensive than the UK, thus negating the initial ‘bonus’.
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A fairly obvious move – but please keep it simple!
”
a pound still holds value for British visitors to Jersey while making a holiday here cheaper for European tourists” – is a little long winded, I hope the message will simply say:
A pound means a pound in Jersey!
I have so often been asked if we use euros in Jersey – ties with France in advertising have certainly caused some confusion.
A shorty, punchy advert, with no floaty music, aerial shots etc. would be perfect!
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Mistershifter don’t be so negative.
I have a shop dealing with tourists on a daily basis & they love the place,yes in certain areas we can be expensive but the beach,sand dunes & all the things that kids love about the Island don’t have to cost the earth.
The thing we all have to focus on is that now the population is realising the importance of tourism to our economy that everyone gives the “Welcome” that we are famous for so that they go home & do our advertising for us!!
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What happens when those visitors come here and find there’s nothing to do?
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its to expensive to get there,£380 for a week in march(thats just for two people and our car)
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Mistershifter – I think the point is it will still be cheaper than before. This can only be good.
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Exactly cheaper to get here but once here its costs a small fortune to do anything. also what is there to do for tourists when the weather is bad….
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The Pound may be weaker, but the Jersey Prices are still up there! Somehow I think that IF people do holiday here in Jersey chances are, it will be their first and last time! I agree with you mistershifter.
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The pound may be weak but it isnt as weak as the flights to and from the uk.The way to get tourists here is to get a quality, cheap airline and not Flymaybe.Ask Prague, it has never been so popular, thanks to regular cheap flights that fly as and when they are supposed to.Not as when the airline fancies.
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true! a weak pound is great news for uk mainland, but jersey fails with higher prices and cost of living, enough to put you off. also add the lack of things to do especially for the kids.
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EXCEPT, somone has put GST on, and it is still cheaper for me to travel to and spend a week in Belgium, or France, or Spain, or……….
Until something is done about the cost of travel to the island weack pound or no, it just won’t happen.
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This is a tremendous opportunity for Jersey to get back on the places to go map. Every effort must be made to take advantage of the weakness of the pound.If marketed correctly it should give us a bumper start to a very early season.
What we need now to give it that extra bang is a reduction of airport landing charges to woo the tourist here. The extra money spent in the island will more than cover the revenue lost. We may have a Golden Goose in our hands !!!
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Are we still going to be ripped off on extortionate ferry prices.I ask you, over £600 for a car and 4 adults travelling in MAY!
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Debbie says there is nothing to do over here. There’s loads. My children and I love living in Jersey because there is just so much to do.
Beaches, surfing, kayaking, fishing, scuba diving, rock climbing, cliff path walks, the sand dunes, any number of the parks, woods, and that’s not mentioning the numerous tourist atrractions such as the castles & museums or the world class conservation centre. We have a good bowling centre, a swimming pool a decent swimming centre and now (at last), much to the delight of my son, the new skateboard ramp. and I am sure there is plenty of other things that I haven’t mentioned here either.
Granted we don’t have the number or standard of shows, concerts or sporting events in the island (Jersey Live aside), but then that’s what makes weekends away to the UK or Europe so appealing.
And Yes, we could do with a decent nightclub. Depends what your standards are and mine are high!
My children and I can’t remember the last time we sat around and had nothing to do. I believe anyone who claims that they are bored in Jersey lacks imagination.
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Mr Nightingale
Your shop may be the exception in Jersey where you don’t rip off tourist’s and locals alike.
but unfortunatly that is not the case with other shops, why do you think that the so called small retailer’s do not want a primark? simple becouse of the prices that they charge will show up when a fair retailer comes to town, also I can get most of my own things from shopping online and it is still cheaper than jersey, so yes we might have nice beaches but what about when it rains what is there to do for the tourist then,no entertainment places, no cabaret halls any more, even the old fort at one time had day time entertain ment, so even if the pound is good for a pound jersey as lost a lot of beds over the years and even more to be lost with the 2 hotels in the press closing for houses so its a losing battle. we need a strong head for tourism someone who is not afraid to go out and fight for the people who are still involved in the tourist trade, not like what we have now all slapping each other on the back in there new glass palace, bring back the entertainment value along with the beaches we might just and i say might get a few more holiday makers here. perhaps Mr nightingale you should start up a private enterprise to take on the back slapping politions who run tourism and maybe a few good business men may support you then we might get our golden goose back.
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Yes the weak pound will help but 1 million more unemployed in the UK and a recession worse than the 90s will totally over shadow it 2009 will be the worset year for tourism yet. Don’t kid yoursleves
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I can see more bad economic news on the horizon. 2009 will be a tough year all round, despite the weak pound.
2010 will the year that we start to see some recovery.
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Dear mr i’mrightyourwrong
regarding shows I know full well my wife is a cabaret singer that sang at the Fort shows & Inn on the Park but now has no cabaret show to appear in,though she does sing in certain local hotels mainly for residents.The shows died out through lack of support by the paying public & there is no point putting on a show to lose money as some individuals found out to their cost!
Inn on the park would have been ideal to convert to a casino that would have had entertainment included as most casinos around the world provide,but, another opportunity missed.
As I said previously though the ones I meet still love the Island but we must do all we can to make sure it is a value for money destination.
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I could not agree with you more Mr Happy.
Not only is there plenty to do, you can do more in a day because you don’t have to travel far between destinations.
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Mr Happy
A family living in Jersey and finding things to do is quite different to a family on a limited budget holidaying in Jersey. Beaches, woodland/cliff path walks and parks might be considered good free entertainment for some, but not many will enjoy those types of activities if the weather is bad.
Also, IF Jersey were to become a popular holiday destination, where are these holiday makers expected to stay? Many hotels and guest houses have closed down, camping is no longer the economical choice it used to be and there is limited evening entertainment on offer to families with young children.
Sorry to put a dampener on the subject, but if I were on a limited budget due to the recession, Jersey wouldn’t be on my list of holiday destinations, I’d be looking for somewhere where I’d get the best for what little amount of spending money I might have. If money were no object, then the world’s my oyster and I’d be sure to holiday somewhere more exotic than Jersey.
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ed wright I entirely agree with you,in september got charged £124 return fare as foot passenger way over the top and they were charging £26 day trip from weymouth to either jersey or guernsey ha nearly all day trippers got off at guersney we almost had the boat to ourselves,all 20 or 30 of us.serves them right,seems to think its fair game to rip us off and is less than half of this price from st.malo to weymouth or portsmouth.my sister can go for£5 return dover to calais.about time they got a decent company who would have our interests at heart instead of those in uk,even the timings are against us as most times are late at night,who wants to land at weymouth at 1am much better flying to liverpool with easyjet at £38 return
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We have zero unemployment and a far better standard of living than many places in the UK, and yet people moan about finance, travel costs etc.
The more tourists we get the cheaper the transport whether by plane or air. I think what puts tourists off the most, is the level of moaning they get about the island before they even reach their hotel!
Jersey has the most expensive stretch of water in the world, and any island community will have higher costs. There is definitely an element of people who take the mickey with prices, but the good thing about an island is that we tend to find out fairly fast.
Be glad that we aren’t a third world community making the clothes for Primark, we would certainly have something to moan about then!!
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Sod the tourists! when are the states going to do something about the cost of geting off the Island, we are going back to the sixties when only the rich travelled.
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Jersey is expensive to get to, and very expensive when you get there.
Until you get competition on the ferry routes, and cometition on the air routes, people will not come in large numbers.
COMPETITION is the word that Jersey does not like.The cost of travelling by boat should be controlled if there is no competition.
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To Mr Happy- you are a very lucky man to have children who enjoy the activities listed in your comment rather than sitting in front of a computer screen all day like zombies-congratulations!However from a tourism point of view a lot of those activities are not so enjoyable in poor weather which is where other “resorts” prove to be more reliable.Since leaving Jersey I have met countless people who ask me about the island.Many have never been to the island and don’t have any intention of going as they either go abroad or stay in the UK for holidays.Of those who have been the most common comment is that they found it too expensive(especially for families) or saw it all in one trip and so no need or desire to return.In my opinion Jersey isn’t a place that would appeal for a fortnights family holiday as it may have done thirty years ago when people were wary of foreign shores/flying long distances but is more a place for weekend breaks (reasonably priced flights permitting!)
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Its no good attracting tourists overs when the States have ignored the industry and allowed beds to disappear.
Where are the influx of tourists going to stay?
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Going back to the sixties?
Its more like the 50,s over here.
According to the Daily mail the city bankers are going to share a £6.4 billion bonus!
Im no einstein, but that dosent sound like a recession to me.
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I agree with Mr Happy
there is loads to do here. I first came to Jersey as a tourist 2 years ago, and loved it so much I have since moved here.
It strikes me that the worst thing about the Island is the attitude of some of it’s residents. People who live here love nothing more than a good old moan about everything!
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The pound might be weak, but, try getting to the island without it costing an arm and a leg. Dispite lower fuel/oil costs, the savings have yet to be passed along to the consumer…. suprise, suprise. Trans-Atlantic fares are as high as ever, and the airport B/S is a drag.
With the 5 degree weather in the island, the dollar/pound exchange rate might be the only attractive thing on the menu right now !
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People aren’t getting the point – yes Jersey is expensive to get to but no more expensive than a year ago when those travelling from the Eurozone were only getting £1 for every €1.5. Now they can get £1 for every €1. That means everything in Jersey, including travel will be roughly 1/3 cheaper than it was then!
So, all things being equal, a £1000 family holiday to Jersey for the week now only costs them £666. That’s a big difference.
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Its been said in these posts a few times that there is nothing to do when you get here *especially for the kids*,
I think there needs to be a big attitude to how this island is run, bring more things for children and teenagers to do and will get a lot off the street corners where they just hang around- wouldn’t you if you had nothing to do?
The skate park is a move forwards, but i think this island should not just be thinking about the tourism, but about the youth of the island.
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