TIMES are hard and some Islanders are apparently having to resort to waiting on tables to find a job. They are replacing immigrant labour which is no longer wanted in Jersey because of the recession. Let’s just hope that the locals do as good a job as the immigrants.

However, there aren’t going to be that many tables to wait on, thanks to continuing problems in the tourism industry. The latest figures show that gross arrivals were down nearly 8% at the end of July.

That’s not bad when you consider the dire predictions a few months back, when many were expecting the recession to hit like a bombshell. But it’s still not good. The Big Question is, could it be better?

Unfortunately we have yet another convenient excuse for the long-delayed revival in our second (or is it now third or fourth?) most important industry. Previous excuses have included exchange rates, terrorism, bad weather, football, fuel prices, mad cow disease, poor marketing (no ,scrub that one – we never admit to that), or any number of other factors dissuading people from getting on a plane or ferry.

Times always seem to be hard for tourism.It’s true that we haven’t had much luck of late, but as Thomas Jefferson, who was a great believer in luck, said: ‘I find the harder I work, the more luck I have.’

It is obvious that bad luck and adverse factors are going to affect the number of people wanting to come to Jersey, particularly if nearly all our efforts are put into one market, and really only one part of that market, as well. If there is gloom in the UK, the UK tourism market for Jersey suffers and the whole industry is down.

But this is the 21st century, not the 19th, and we don’t have to rely on British Rail steamers any more. People can get to us from other countries, and here we are sitting on the edge of the biggest market in the world, and the latest arrivals figures show we had more people arriving by air from Manchester than we did from the whole of the continent of Europe.

I know that it’s all down to air links and that a lot of work is going on trying to persuade airlines to operate between European cities and Jersey. But we don’t have much money to spend on developing the UK business, which is still very much the number one focus, so there is very little left over to help kick-start new European routes. But that is precisely what we have to try to do if we want a more diversified tourism industry, which surely we do.

That doesn’t mean that we should let up on our efforts in the UK. Indeed, the industry will tell you that we need to spend more on attracting UK tourists (at least on a par with what we used to spend). But we should definitely be spending a lot more on developing European business. After all, we are no longer a mass-tourism destination, we’re a niche player, and there are plenty of niche markets in Europe.

The chances of it happening are remote, of course. In these desperate times we are struggling to be able to afford all the services that the public demand. However, I’m sure the public fully understand that we need economic growth as well, and we can’t just rely on financial services and its various spin-offs. So what other way could we best make a living?

Well, tourism provides plenty of opportunities, particularly as we’re already pretty good at it and we’re even getting better. If you look at all the very attractive brochures produced by the tourism department, you will see a remarkable choice of things to see and do. Certainly it is much more varied than even a couple of years ago, and is aimed at a much greater variety of age-groups, not just the Empty Nesters we tend to concentrate on.

The hotel offering has also improved dramatically, particularly at the top end, where too many beds are now chasing too few customers. But there have also been improvements in many of the smaller, very attractive properties. The restaurant scene is also pretty lively, although it’s not quite such good value as some people make out.

And there are quite a lot of interesting events throughout the year, although more effort needs to be made in this area to ensure that they really are special.

It is of course an absolute scandal that we still haven’t decided on a future for Fort Regent. That huge space should obviously be used for some kind of all-weather activities.

Hopefully Jersey Heritage will get over its current cash crisis, because the Island has a fascinating tale to tell. And the Europeans particularly appreciate the novelty value of tiny British islands close to the coast of France. Or at least they would do if they knew about them.

It’s just the visitors who are missing. Perhaps things will improve when the much-
delayed public private partnership replaces the tourism department. Unfortunately, the current notorious States Business Plan reveals the States’ attitude to this significant development for the industry. It appears to be not much more than a money saving exercise.

The Business Plan reveals that by introducing a PPP, the Economic Development department expects to save £1m over three years, followed by £500,000 savings a year after that. That’s a lot of money. Where is it coming from?

The private part of the PPP is unlikely to contribute that kind of money, so it either means cutting back on the marketing budget, or a reduction in staff, who will not have to be paid civil service salaries. That would simply mean the loss of a tremendous amount of expertise built up by the current staff over many years and who have done a very good job despite being starved of sufficient funds.

One thing is for sure: those savings won’t be ploughed back into the Island’s second (or is it fourth?) most important industry.
Peter Body is editor of Business Brief magazine