From David Eves.
WHILE former Deputy, now Senator Maclean, has shown great promise in his role as Assistant Economic Minister, and now the actual Economic Minister, he needs to take serious note of your heading of 20 December ‘Two more hotels to become housing?’ in view of his responsibility towards tourism.

Some of the most telling comments were made by hotelier Andy Barnes in that JEP article in which he commented on turning his beloved Beau Couperon Hotel into housing. He said: ‘I’m very sad. Every member of my family has been involved in the Jersey hotel industry and it was never our intention to go down this path.

‘The market forces were against us. We never intended to close the hotel. It was something we intended to pass on to our children. ‘But when push came to shove, with the demise of the tourism industry, we had to consider what was more valuable for the site. It is a terrible testimony to how tourism has been dealt with politically.
‘I don’t think the government has ever, in my father’s or my career, supported the industry. I believe this is rather shortsighted because we are left with finance.’

He can say that again. Truer words about the Island’s tourism industry have not been spoken in years. Presided over, as it has been during the last 40 years at least, by people who hadn’t got a clue about tourism, who had no history, background or experience in it.

Apart from Dick Shenton’s connection to transport, those responsible have spent most of the time driving tourism into the ground, driving the small man out of business and reducing a once thriving, bustling, exciting industry to its knees.

It is pathetic, feeble and sad. It is a tragic testimony to those long since gone, to those still around but no longer involved, and those civil servants still involved who appear to have no idea what to do.
61 La Collette Flats,
Green Street,
St Helier.