From Senator Paul Routier, Assistant Minister, Economic Development.
I AM writing in response to the recent letter by Cally Noel (JEP, 3 September) and wish to clarify some of the points she raised in relation to the Island’s cruise market and European air services.

As Miss Noel correctly points out, the cruise market is of great economic benefit to Jersey and I would like to reassure Islanders that despite the logistical restraints we face and the required infrastructure needed to facilitate cruise ships, a lot of work is being undertaken by the Port of Jersey in attempting to attract cruise business.

The Port of Jersey has been a member of the Passenger Shipping Association for a number of years, where we actively promote the benefits of Jersey as a potential destination.

Jersey was due to welcome seven cruise ships this year, but due to poor weather conditions only four were able to visit. However, I am pleased that we have already secured nine vessels to visit our shores in 2011, including the five-star operator Regent Seven Sea Cruises, P&O’s new vessel Adonia and the Hebridean Princess, which will be berthing in the Island for two and a half days in July.

Furthermore, in 2012 we currently have three confirmed vessels, including Holland American Lines premium vessel Prinsendam, which is visiting Jersey for the very first time.

I acknowledge that our sister island does welcome more cruise ships, but this is in part due to its natural deep water anchorage at Little Roussel, rather than a more pro-active approach to marketing on their part.

I also agree that the idea of island hopping does sound appealing and it is something that we have considered and discussed with industry members. Unfortunately, no cruise operator is prepared to take the risk of calling into Guernsey and in the hope of good weather be able to offer a day excursion to Jersey, as not only would it be too expensive to operate but very time consuming, taking into consideration the amount of time the ship is moored.

Unlike Guernsey, which is a ten-minute tender ride into St Peter Port’s cruise tender pontoon, for those ships that do visit Jersey our anchorages are a 20 to 30 minutes tender ride to shore, with no natural shelter. Unfortunately, as there are currently no charter operations in Jersey able to provide suitable tender vessels, cruise ships have to use their own, resulting in multiple trips and, therefore, making it a very slow process.

Finally, Miss Noel makes mention in her letter about the loss of European air services from the Island. While I admit Jersey is not immune to the tough economic conditions globally and disruptions beyond our control which have impacted on air travel, the Airport continues to explore all route options.

We have had notable success in recent years and for an Island of our size we are fortunate to have such a comprehensive network of air routes available across the British Isles and Europe. These include services to Paris and Nice, Geneva and Zurich, Rotterdam, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt and Hanover. If there is interest on the part of the airline, coupled with public demand, we would certainly like to see an even greater range of services to Europe, including Scandinavia and Poland.

I hope this letter has given some reassurance that contrary to what was suggested, both the Port of Jersey and Jersey Airport are taking an active role in exploring all opportunities for the mutual benefit of the local community and our incoming visitors.