Get real, Jersey, or you’ll lose your tourists
Wednesday 22nd April 2009, 2:59PM BST.
From Jennifer McCloud.
I TOOK the opportunity to look at Jersey during my trip to attend a reunion with the idea of measuring its suitability for a family holiday later this year.
Before I give my impressions of your lovely isle, I have got to say I was appalled to see so many people working on the most solemn of religious days, Good Friday. The majority of these workers were on building sites and scaffolding – my goodness, don’t you have a lot of scaffolding?
Your coastline and winding lanes, with kamikaze pheasants, are enchanting, not to mention your beautiful cows and the gloriously tasting Jersey Royals.
With my husband and two children of five and seven, I am looking at omore than £2,000 for a ten-day holiday. Your airline costs are obscene. Dare I mention that in late August I can have a similar holiday in Ireland in a lovely self-catering cottage for £890, ferry included?
You have a nice product, but when I seen adverts in your local paper for lunch in an hotel at £29.50 and pubs charging £12.99 for a bottle of wine (£4.90 in our local Morrisons), I think these people are killing their own tourist industry.
You need to get real, Jersey, or you won’t attract families when you are charging such over-the-top prices.
Sorry, your lovely Island is not for us.
Carshalton,
Surrey.
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you,re lucky mrs.mccloud.some of us living here have no choice but use this over-priced transport other than swim out.you can go on a day trip to calais from folkestone some days for £1 return or £18 with car &6 passengers we are lucky if we can get £25 return to st.malo,which an hour against nearly 2 hours to calais
as for builders working good friday some have to as our cost of living is so much higher than yours. basic food prices and fuel are through the roof.eating out is a luxury for many,rents are something else.i don,t blame you not coming here,there are many places in uk and eire just as beatiful and a whole lot cheaper.
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Yup, that’s Jersey.
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Will Tourism listen? Will the Airlines listen? Will the States listen?
Nope.
They don’t give a monkies, as long as their pockets and bellies are stuffed full of money and food.
Greedy Jersey.
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It looks like Jersey’s tourism industry is going down the pan fast and the airlines seem to be doing their best to turn people away, when their travel insurance doesn’t cover anyone aged 65 or over (Flybe)! How many people aged 65 or over usually visit Jersey every year I wonder? Does anyone in the Tourism department even realise this problem?
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Your comparing table wine found in a Pub (and may i say our pubs in jersey a lot better than those in England when it comes to food) to a cheap bootle of red found in a supermarket Maybe you should get real.
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Im still amazed people are actually shocked quite frankly. This has been happening for years and nothing has been resolved, Jersey States Members have happily stood back and watched the Tourist Industry being flushed down the toilet.
My partner and I went to Mont Orgueil Castle not long ago and were absolutely appaulled when we were charged £18.00 for the two of us, and unfortunately the most entertaining part of our day (or should I say whole hour before getting inconceivably bored) was looking through the binoculars over Gorey beach. There is no value for money in this island. Not only are the Tourist Attractions over priced but they are limited.
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Comparing like with like would be more revealing. Four return flights vs a car on a ferry with four adults ? In any event we can hardly be surprised if accommodation costs in a country the size of Ireland are less (in some places) than those in a small densely populated island like Jersey.
There are lots of return flights from the mainland UK to Jersey for under £150 (inclusive of taxes) and quite a few for around £100. So the accommodation for two adults and two children for ten nights is costing say £1,500 ? There are definitely cheaper options in Jersey it just depends what you want and Jersey has a vast range of places to eat catering for most budgets – you certainly don’t have to spend £30 on your lunch.
That said no one who lives here would dispute that Jersey is in many respects expensive.
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Mistershifter – Like so many you say that somebody else should do something. It would be better to say what would you do.
As I see it there are two options:-
1. The States pass legislation to enable them to dictate what businesses are permitted to charge? This has been tried in the past and resulted in businesses closing or reducing the quality of the service to the level the price dictates?
2. The States subsidise business which is fine if you want GST at 20%+
3. The States nationalise all the business and trade at a loss – Again fine if you don’t mind paying loads of tax.
What is the solution and why are you not in the States?
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One of the problems is that visitors to Jersey get hit, like the rest of us, with the effects of Jersey’s avaricious mentality. So many people and organisations are out to fleece you on every transaction.
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Do we want tourism.
I can remember the days when you couldn’t drive in Jersey without being stuck behind some 15mph rubberneck, or get served a drink for half an hour because a coach had just called in.
No give me the finance option any day.
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having worked in jersey for 10 years 1964-74 as a coach driver and reading now of the doom and gloom within the industry how sad to learn that the momory of those heady days with the Sarnia mail boat Tantivy motors and honky tonks(Holidays Tours)are gone forever.
i know the prices were raised to keep out the riff raff but the golden goose seems to have laid its last egg. Get a grip or lose the tourists
Keith Burge..
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