DO we make enough of Christmas? Well that’s a strange question from someone who has threatened violence if he ever again hears ‘Simply having a wonderful Christmas time’ .

But I’m not referring to the excesses of Christmas trivia, naff ‘music’ and commercial greed. I’m actually talking about sharing, because it appears that we don’t seem to want to share our Island at this special time. We are happy to keep it to ourselves, if the number of visitors is anything to go by.

Of course I’m talking from ignorance here, because I haven’t a clue how many visitors have been attracted to visit the Island this year to enjoy our Christmas decorations, seasonal shopping, and La Fête dé Noué. The figures will be out eventually, but if previous years are anything to go by, fewer people will visit Jersey in December than in November.

Perhaps there’s something special about Jersey in November that makes more people want to visit then rather than during all of the razzmatazz of Christmas. Certainly visitors were as scarce as red-nosed reindeers at the Christmas Battle of Flowers parade which took a lot of effort and enthusiasm and which was much enjoyed by the many spectators, the vast majority of whom were local.

So isn’t this another example of the tourism industry missing a trick? It may be that those involved in promoting and marketing the Island think that Christmas is too special a time for it to be sullied by crude commercial considerations. But then someone might tell me that Father Christmas is a figment of my imagination.

It’s not as though there isn’t great potential for attracting tourists during the lead up to Christmas. You only have to look at the huge growth in the number of British tourists visiting Christmas markets in Europe and even within the British Isles.

People enjoy a few days break either before or even over Christmas, where they can stay at a nice hotel at out-of-season prices, enjoy the Christmas atmosphere, take part in some of the festivities and, of course, shop and eat. In other words all of the attractions the Island has in spades.
All it needs is a bit of ingenuity and some clever marketing (or perhaps just more marketing).

I’m no expert when it comes to the arcane world of marketing, but I have tried to put myself in the place of someone looking for a pre-Christmas break that’s a bit special. Obviously the internet is the first place to look, but you try to Google ‘special interest break in Jersey’ or ‘Christmas breaks in Jersey’,and see what you come up with.

I couldn’t find a mention of La Fête dé Noué, which everyone has put so much effort into organising. The only evidence I found that it was actually taking place was on the Jersey Tourism website which is quite helpful, although not very.

Anyone looking for a special Christmas break would probably go elsewhere.
This is not only a problem for Jersey at Christmas time – it’s a problem all year round. While great emphasis is put on creating events and themes which will interest particular groups at various times of the year, success to date has been minimal. I know that this effort is still a work in progress, but how long do we have to wait?

For example, I may be badly informed, but to this day I don’t know how valuable our premier event – the Battle of Flowers – is to tourism. Someone must know, otherwise how do they decide how much taxpayers’ money to give to the Battle?

Is the air display worth subsidizing from a tourism point of view? I know it’s a fantastic local attraction, and that might be enough to warrant financial support even in these straitened times, but does it contribute to the tourism industry? For example, I don’t know of any short breaks for aircraft enthusiasts who might like their visit to coincide with the air display.

The display on its own might not be enough to attract them, but combine it with some other themed events or exhibitions, and it might just appeal to them.

Then we are supposed to have a third major event in the tourism calendar. I’m never quite sure whether this is supposed to be Liberation Day, but if it is, then it’s not working for tourism. Of course Liberation is not about tourism, but there’s no reason why it can’t be interesting to visitors without losing the solemnity of the occasion.

Events around food, gardening, the sea and music have all failed to make an impact as tourism events, but perhaps there’s the makings of Jersey’s next major attraction somewhere amongst these numerous and varied activities.
Indeed I have to admit to my shame that I have so far written off our home-grown film festival as largely a non-event for tourists.

But following publicity in a national magazine, I watched the video of the audio-visual presentation which was projected onto the walls of Mont Orgueil during the festival, and I was blown away. It’s just the kind of innovative and eye-catching event which can make Jersey stand out amongst the competition.

It will need more than a few minutes of an audio-visual display, but that could be one of the ingredients which will help the festival develop into something really special.

So there are some very positive signs for event-lead tourism in Jersey. That’s just as well, as hoteliers and others who have invested millions in the industry have to recoup their investment, and the summer season on its own isn’t enough.

The developers of the St Brelade Bay Hotel have got the right idea, for example. They are providing fitness and leisure facilities to keep tourists happy all year round and, incidentally, provide full-time employment opportunities, not just jobs for those who can only stay for the season.

So more interesting and more professional events will not only attract people to the Island who will want to stay in hotels, but the events will also help keep visitors happy who are attracted to the Island by new hotel facilities. It’s as important as that. Happy Christmas.

Peter Body is editor of Business Brief magazine