Arrivals down by thousands
Saturday 3rd July 2010, 2:58PM BST.
BMI pulled out of the Heathrow route
AIRLINES pulling out of Jersey last year reduced the number of holidaymakers coming to Jersey by tens of thousands.
Arrivals from London and the Midlands were down by over 20,000 travellers because of cancelled air routes, notably the Heathrow and Luton services, which were operated by BMI and easyJet respectively.
The only two regions to see an increase in air traffic to Jersey was Northern Ireland and Yorkshire.
Figures were revealed in Jersey Tourism’s annual report based on information from a year-long exit survey that cost £65,000 to produce.
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What came first the chicken or the egg, did the airlines pullout because falling passenger numbers or are the passengers not coming because there are no planes? I know which I think is right.
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That sounds very bad. I realise that these companies must have found the routes unprofitable.
Would a solution be for the States to buy some of the planes and operate them as a ‘not for profit’ operation?
The UK government did something similar with Railtrack a few years ago.
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Its too expensive to get here and greatly overpriced when you are here! People are voting with their feet and pockets and opting for better value for money locations.
In my 25 years ‘On the Rock’ the once vibrant tourism industry has declined ten fold. The sad thing is the States have done nothing to halt its decline.
The cash cow of finance has started to wain, and there is not another viable option to hold up the economy.
No tourists = no money being spent at base level which means prices rise to cover the shortfall, ergo less tourists.
Best get another expert to produce a report costing £250k to tell us what we know already!
Jersey is sadly an ex-destination.
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AIRLINES pulling out of Jersey last year reduced the number of holidaymakers coming to Jersey by tens of thousands. ?????
I cannot imagine the airlines turning fare paying passengers away! It is much more likely that Jersey, alias Jersey Tourism and the tourist industry , failed to attract the customers in the first place. This is just another bleat from a failing industry and their civil service cronies.
Spot on Jerseyjag (1).
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We need a much better marketing campaign, not just “how good our beaches are” as there are many good beaches to be found ALL OVER THE WORLD! think of something else to offer!!!
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Didnt tourism just get that amount extra from the good old tax payer. Well you could have found all that out by going to the airline and asking for there figures and do you know what it would not of cost 65k ,know wonder this island is in a mess (jobs for the boys comes to mind)
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Why worry we’re only spending Sixty thousand a week up there on air traffic control trainings…it is utter insanity……….
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how the hell can it cost 65,000 for the airport and harbour to write down on a piece of paper to say how many were on a plane or ship
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the only direct flight from Glasgow was only 3/4 full on the first week in July it takes 2 hrs to get here where as 25 years ago it came every day with a breakfast on board in 1hr 15mins now that’s progress for you !!!!
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It’s all very well counting the arrivals as a bench mark to Jersey’s economic status and the ever declining travel industry. Has anyone been counting the departures?
Perhaps the airlines can stick around a little longer so we can all get off!
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Have a tourism based retail business & am closing down end next season when lease expires.This has been the worst start to a season in 15 years & cannot see getting any better,thankfully my internet & local side of business is holding on,but if any jobs going @ air traffic would retrain quite willingly as money doesn’t seem too bad!!
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Even if tourists did start to come back, where would you put them ?
In 1966 you had approximately 800 hotels and guest houses registerd. Today…. just over 100.
What are you doing to your once lovely island? Sorry to say, but St Helier looks like a dump.
(Former member ‘The Bucket and Spade Brigade’)
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They blamed the ash cloud, the World cup, and everything else they can think of, the truth is, people are voting with their feet, the airlines reduce the amount of their flights as no one can afford Jersey any more, a large percentage of the people who arrive in Jersey are here to visit relatives.
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My wife and I had been comming to Jersey and spending loads of money since 1968 until 2005, I now spend far less money in Sydney Australia, weather better, people politer, shopping cheaper,food excelent…must I say more?
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With the advent of very cheap airfares and the whole world now at the tourist’s disposal it’s totally impossible for Jersey to compete. To be brutally honest the Island now has very little to attract the average tourist. Tourism are in a no win situation,
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Re ‘long year visitor’, Sydney NSW is one of the most expensive cities in the world – the cost of hotels, meals, property is (with an exchange rate of 1.60) in excess of London, judging by my three trips there this year.
Jersey ceased to be a mainstream tourist destination many years ago, but I can attach little credence to your mis-spelt comments.
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How much of a financial incentive are airlines given to start a new route to Jersey? When the financial incentive ends do we automatically lose our most recent routes?
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I wonder why??? Jersey life enriching? circa 1966!
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Truth (17)
A fairly substantial amount if the powers that be decide they want a route. bmi’s subsidy to operate Jersey-Heathrow was in the order of millions, amounting to many thousands of pounds per flight. Easyjet would have also got a substantial amount to start routes to Jersey.
Alas, once the incentives dried up, so did the routes. bmi dropped Jersey-Heathrow even before the subsidy ended as they were making losses even on that. Easyjet’s Jersey-Luton also never lasted.
A new route to Jersey is practically impossible to make money on without subsidy. The majority of major cities in the UK have a Jersey route. The rest are no more than an hour or two away by car/train. There are also a finite number of people that actually want to come to the island, spreading them across more airports will never work.
Therefore Jersey needs to stop concentrating on finding new routes that will never make money, and concentrate on keeping what we have. Show a little leniency for keeping the runway open for delays at night (which costs thousands of pounds per hour) for example and keep landing fees as low as possible.
However, airlines need to play their part too. Stop the ridiculous baggage/check in charges (BA do neither of these and are consistently very profitable out of Jersey). Offer decent schedules (bmibaby offering a 3xweekly service to Bournemouth was never going to work). They also need to advertise effectively, us beans are like sheep: The first place we go to when we need to book a flight is flybe, no matter what else is available.
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16.anon
Posted July 4, 2010 at 3:10 pm
Re ‘long year visitor’, Sydney NSW is one of the most expensive cities in the world – the cost of hotels, meals, property is (with an exchange rate of 1.60) in excess of London, judging by my three trips there this year.
Yes, but take a look at The Quality between Jersey, very boring after 18:00hrs . I have never been ripped off in Sydney.
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The UK, where most of the tourists come from is in recession. VAT is going up to 20%, people have lost their jobs or are working for lower wages to keep their jobs. Huge numbers of civil servants are going to be laid off.
Hardly the reciepe for an increase in UK tourists.
People with money have the whole world to choose from – why come here with our overcrowded roads,
drunken violence in the slum that is St Helier and rubbish thrown all over the countryside?
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Why spend GBP 200 to come to Jersey when you can fly to the states for GBP 400 for example.. Don’t get me wrong, Jersey is a lovely place to visit but there needs to be better incentives that are cost effective to entice people to spend their hard earned cash to come here. One example previously debated, the cost of parking at the airport… does this go towards some failed air traffic controller sitting behind a desk earning GBP 65,000 a year?? I cant see where else it’d be going.
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The experience on arriving at Jersey airport prepares the visitor for what is in stall for the rest of their holiday. A 15 minute wait in a stark arrivals hall with no facilities whilst the reception party queues for the only car park machine – or suffer the wraith of security if they get picked up outside. Then they arrive in St Helier and find that the Constable has placed hundreds of signs telling them that they are not welcome as it is for “Residents only”.
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As a french normand living between Granville and Carteret ,I used to fly to America from Jersey , it was much more convenient and cheaper than from Paris. It s not true anymore : you need to plan a 3 hrs time between the moment you land in Gatwick and your departure time from heathrow, the coach is expensive and not flexible.
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tens of thousands!!! when, last time there was tens of thousands coming to jersey it was because it was reasonable to get here, you only have to look at the number of hotels over here that have closed down to realise we dont get the tourists like we used to so it has nothing to do with Airlines pulling out of Jersey, its just far to exspensive to come here, you only have to ask the tourist that come here to find that out and many of them say they wont come back again!!…come on Jersey, sort yourself out…
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If all the tourists came back to Jersey some people on here would all be whinging about the fact that Jersey’s natural beauty and unspoilt areas were becoming overcrowded and no longer appealing to the ‘locals’! And as for the air traffic controllors believe me i dont mind contributing towards the £65,000 a year they recieve to do a damn hard job – people are navigated around the world by people doing this job which requires 100% concentration at all times – so no wondering off to see what comments have been put on This is Jersey! They dont just sit there and watch the planes landing! Jersey is not that expensive to get to as long as you follow the airlines – sign up to the newsletters and make sure that you receive your reward points when booking flights these are all schemes provided to help, and also dont forget the boat! Jersey is once again becoming more popularw with younger people, with working in a Town Centre hotel i have seen over the last 2 seasons alot of younger people coming to enjoy Jersey also with Jersey Live being advertised as one of the top 25 festivals Jersey is attracting a ‘younger’ crowd…….i guess everyone will be moaning about that when its Jersey Live in september!
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i recently visited Jersey using BMI from Bournemouth – it was a half empty plane – and i cannot blame BMi for cancelling such a loss making route – but would it be too difficult to get a BMi plane from say the Midlands to land and pick up in Bouremouth – after all its flying virtually overhead.
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#24
‘I used to fly to America from Jersey’
In N900NS or something similar?
http://www.airliners.net/photo/Dassault-Falcon-900EX/0935520/&sid=3dbfc75e97537f79da79599db613dbbe
Perhaps not, he mentioned ‘cheaper’!
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Island economies should be far more concerned about UK coalition government plans to add punitive and substantial taxes to air travel,in the guise of green taxes, when we, as islanders surrounded by the sea, have no choice and will reap no benefit.
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reduce cost of flights etc, Condor has the monopoly for ferries to your island, and then we might all come back!
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Re. 20 “long year visitor”
Your intital point was that Sydney was better value than Jersey – St Helier is a small town on a tiny Island, whereas Sydney is the largest city in the Southern Hemisphere; a comparison of the nightlife is hardly like for like.
I agree Jersey has it’s faults and can be expensive to visit, but those of my friends and family who have visited in my 12 years living here are always delighted to return.
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Not surprising, Jersey been on the decline for years with regards to tourists, Jersey has out priced it self for the every day tourist Jersey only wants the rich where will it all end?
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Perhaps there are no more tourists because they have been before and decided to live here! The more people we let in to this overcrowded rock the fewer tourists we will have. Obvious isn’t it?
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… I bet departures are up though
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#33 Natalie.
Many a true word is spoken in jest. I am surprised that nobody else has picked up on this.
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#33 Natalie makes a valid point
People don’t choose Jersey as a weekend city break, they choose Jersey for some relaxation.
If there’s too many people living here it takes away the enjoyment for the visitors
My daughter left Jersey when she went to Southampton University. Every time she returns, she reckons the roads are busier than her last visit
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‘My wife and I had been comming to Jersey and spending loads of money since 1968 until 2005, I now spend far less money in Sydney Australia, weather better, people politer, shopping cheaper,food excelent…must I say more?’
With all due respect, it still cost a lot more for a couple to fly to Sydney than it does to Jersey… and knowing Sydney (having lived there for a year), its an expensive place as well.
Had you said you now went to Spain then that would make more sense. But Australia is a leap to far for a financial comparison.
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@37
Had you said you now went to Spain then that would make more sense
No thank you, far too many beer drinking English,
too many full English cafes, too many fights at night at the fish and chip shops, far too crowded during the day.
A bit like Jersey really…
In the late eighties or early nineties while visiting the Island with wife and children
it was mentioned many times that ” We in Jersey don´t want the Visitors really, we do not need them, we´re very rich you know, we have the Finance people”…. And I am not surprised that no one will come to your over priced, boring but beautiful Island, and to tell you the truth, I think your Government are running down the tourism industry on purpose..
to anon @ 16 I apologize for my spelling, English is my second language how many do you speak ?
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I have to say as a regular visitor to Jersey (2-3 times a year) I have noticed many changes, the rise in the cost of flights mainly. I am fortunate that I have family and am able to stay with them as the hotels are disappearing and its certainly not a cheap place to stay.
Jersey would be a perfect destination for a city break but to do that there needs to be better flight times with better prices and also more accommodation at a reasonable price.
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Long time visitor:
”It was mentioned many times that ” We in Jersey don´t want the Visitors really, we do not need them, we´re very rich you know, we have the Finance people”
Spot on! Unfortunately, Jersey has backed the wrong horse. What has recently happened to the finance industry is only the beginning. It is all about to get much much worse and Jersey has put itself in a very vulnerable position.
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I never quite understand why the JEP sensationalise statitics to try to “trash” Jersey tourism. There was a significant fall in numbers between 1997 and 2003 (by around 200,000 visitors) but contrary to popular belief the tourism numbers have actually been pretty stable for the last 7 years. Yes, there was a 3% drop in leisure numbers in 2009 but given this was on the back of the worst recession in living memory surely isn’t actually that bad! Leisure visitor numbers dropped from around 370,000 in 2008 to 355,000 in 2009 – that’s 15,000 by my calculations – not quite the “tens of thousands” in the headline!
Also I strongly suspect that the £65,000 figure quoted is actually the salaries of a couple of staff who spend the whole year collating data from every hotel on the island. EVERY visitor has to fill out a registration card which each hotel must send to tourism. I imagine that summarising the relevant data and compiling a report off all 355,000 registration cards to determine where they are from, how old they are and how long they are staying is very definitely a full time job for 2 or 3 people.
I suggest you actually pick up a copy of this report, or read the pdf version on the tourism website. It makes for very interesting reading beyond the doom and gloom headlines which the JEP seems to have brainwashed everyone with. It is also a very valuable tool for those in the tourism industry who take their business seriously.
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To .38
Three – but that’s not really the point of the exchange is it ?
Enjoy your holidays abroad.
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@38
I am VERY rich and am certainly glad to see the back of many “Bucket & Spaders” AKA the grey hair brigade. Coming over here and spending “Loads of money”….. What will we do without you buying a cup of tea and doughnut and a portion of chips every day!!! You are only right about one thing, we are running down the tourism industry deliberately, its a vain attempt to get rid of your type of tourist, so PLEASE stay in OZ and let me be the first to say Adios, Auf Wiedersehen, Au Revoir (although that one means until we meet again), see, i speak 4! Love & Hugs XXX
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My wife is the ledger controller for one of the bigger hotels. She has seen a significant rise in the last year in arrivals from France – the message seems to be getting out (no thanks to Tourism) that Jersey is a good place to visit.
They have two choices: fly from Paris, or suffer that Condor moment if they are more local.
Is it really beyond the wit of Economic Development (we know it’s beyond Tourism) to get a route from Jersey Airport to (say) Rennes or Nantes?
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We need regular Heathrow flights, without this route international visitors will not come.
If not another international flight hub.
The coach trip from Gatwick to Heathrow is not good.
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Perhaps we should make St Mary a nudists’ colony, attracting a new type of tourist. How say you, Deputy Dan?
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Truthseeker, you may seek the truth and that is: how much is France, UK etc putting in Jersey’s coffers for the air traffic controllers, because as you may realise this traffic control tower is a very important tower for the flights passing over Jersey and surrounding areas and you can be sure Jersey is being paid for this!!!!! As I lived in Jersey for over 50 years I know full well why visitor numbers are down – just too expensive to visit and to live, as much as I will always love Jersey!!!
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hilarious, i am jersey born but left 4 years ago, and have been trying to get home with my children to see family and friends, a week in a self catering cottage with flights from london for 2 adults and 2 infants, costs nearly 1500.00… we have now decided to go on a proper holiday instead, the prices to get to and stay in Jersey are insane…
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I am surprised there are ANY visitors to Jersey, its cheaper to travel to anywhere in Europe then it is to come here. And worse, look at what is costs us to leave this rock. Also, Its a massive conspiracy, has anyone else noticed that trying to book a holiday from here to Uk and Uk onwards is a nightmare, never a connecting flight on the same day. WHY don’t we have the privilege of cheap direct flights to Europe. Maybe the airlines should consider that and guess what would happen. We might get visitors. And have I wasted my time in writing and posting this, Well we all know the answer to that one!
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Everybody just conflicts themselves on this Island:
You all whinge flights are too expensive, and refuse to pay the amount of money an airline needs to make a route profitable. You whinge when they get a States subsidy, to help make your flights cheaper. And then you whinge when they drop the route because they never made money anyway.
You whinge because certain local airlines charge you a bit for excess baggage/checking in at a desk. You then whinge that Ryanair don’t operate here, when they will be the worst of the lot.
Also Remember that the ‘arrivals’ data also includes locals returning home (who think they are owed a 5xdaily Heathrow Route for £1.50 return) and no doubt these are travelling less.
The tourism market has changed; Jersey is likely to lose more routes in the future. Flying planes around is hugely expensive and the Island is not a charity case. If an airline isn’t going to make money, they won’t fly here. Simples.
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And just to add to the mix: Tried to book a short break to Edinburgh (never been and thought th family would love it) over £1000 for three nights.
It isn’t just Jersey the world is so much smaller now
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baz
Posted July 7, 2010 at 6:53 pm
@38
I am VERY rich and am certainly glad to see the back of many “Bucket & Spaders” AKA the grey hair brigade. Coming over here and spending “Loads of money”….. What will we do without you buying a cup of tea and doughnut and a portion of chips every day!!! You are only right about one thing, we are running down the tourism industry deliberately, its a vain attempt to get rid of your type of tourist, so PLEASE stay in OZ and let me be the first to say Adios, Auf Wiedersehen, Au Revoir (although that one means until we meet again), see, i speak 4! Love & Hugs XXX
This is the attitude that is keeping the visitors away from Jersey, As someone who works in the Tourist trade I find your post offencive, the sort of post would put anyone from visiting the Island.
Please think before you post.
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The highest airport taxes in Europe (maybe even the world!) are probably one of the biggest issues.
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I have friends over at the moment, staying in a Jersey Hotel with their children. They say it’s the best holiday they’ve ever had. Perfect location, great hotel, best food, fantastic staff etc, and they are coming back for a longer break next year.
But since it’s not a sterotypical whinge and rant it won’t interest anyone here, will it?
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What we all have to admit is, Jersey is not a tourist destinaion anymore, It hasn’t been for the past 10 years or so. Because of the lack of tourism, hotels have had to close as well as some theme attractions, Fantastic tropical gardens for one, As a kid i used to love that place.
tourists and tourism go hand in hand, without the touists, tourism can’t work, Without tourism, tourists wont come. Are we wasting our time trying to get tourist numbers up even though they keep falling year on year.
The old saying flogging a dead horse comes to mind. Sad but truthful
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It’s amazing how film & television can dramatically boost tourism in areas. We know that through Bergerac, but there’s plenty of other examples – Goatland in Yorkshire (Heartbeat)being one.
Therefore, perhaps the States should consider providing money for a film, TV drama or some sort of documentary
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@52
I can assure you i did think before i posted…. I thought, how can i get rid of the “Bucket & Spaders” AKA the grey hair brigade.
And I certainly do hope this is the type of attitude that is keeping the riff raff away from my island, otherwise i am wasting my time! I have begun a Worldwide advertising campaign with that sole intention. To support the cause please visit http://WWW.jerseydoesntneedlosertourists.com.
Love & Hugs XXX.
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Euan Mee 54.
I have friends who come from a slum, they say the same thing.
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56 Jean…they recently have been offered a beauty and turned their noses up to it….
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Flights if you book from STN – JER with Aurigny well in advance work out reasonably cheap; roughly £70 GBP for a week which I find fair.
However, what Jersey needs is a Premier Inn or Travel Lodge as accommodation is incredibly expensive. Jersey doesn’t even offer a youth hostel “/
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Checking my diaries for 2006-2010 I note that I have made 33 visits to Jersey. – purely for tourism and a love of the place.
But I will not be returning to your island again. The reasons for this are:
1. High cost of air fares.
2. High cost of hotel accommodation.
3. A notable decline in hotel standards.
4. A totally inflexible public transport system that seems to be geared more for the convenience of the bus company rather than the passengers.
5. The cost of meals at local food outlets (at all levels) is way beyond what they are worth.
6. The apathy of so-called “service” staff in Jersey. (This links directly with points 4 and 5.)
7. The general “take it or leave it” attitude displayed by so many Jersey folk, or – as you would put it, “There’s a boat in the morning”.
I have got the message; I have taken that boat – and I will not be coming back. You people just do not care.
And that is a tragedy.
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“I have got the message; I have taken that boat – and I will not be coming back. You people just do not care.”
Why would they care, S.L.L.?
To them, your 33 visits were a nuisance. the place is overcrowded. at weekends the facilities are bulging to the brim and visitors take up valuable space which is needed by residents to fully enjoy life in their fools’ paradise.
The only people who are tolerated from elswhere are family loved ones (for the proverbial three days before they overstay their welcome) or anyone who represents a temporary change of eating, drinking, socialising or sporting partners.
Forget the need for bringing money to the island. As we are constantly reminded, the finance industry is the great provider of schools, hospitals, night clubs, alcohol abuse, recreational drug culture…
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