Visit Jersey’s new CEO, who starts this month, has to navigate the island’s tourism industry through unchartered territory. But embracing change will be the key to success, says Simon Soar of the Jersey Hospitality Association.
‘Before stepping down last week, Keith Beecham was at the helm of Visit Jersey for five years and, as CEO, he did a remarkable job. Keith resurrected Jersey’s tourism industry, he really did.
‘We saw the numbers increase, we saw the changes happen that we wanted to happen, and we saw tourism in Jersey move in the right direction. Then Covid-19 hit and it pressed the factory re-set button.
‘Visit Jersey’s new CEO, Amanda Burns, probably expected to build on Keith’s solid foundations. What she didn’t probably expect was to have to go back to the beginning and start from square one.
‘While it’s not exactly a blank canvas, the world has changed. Covid has changed how people travel and how they enjoy their holiday. It’s unchartered territory for us. But it’s a great opportunity for the new CEO to plot a new path for the island.
‘As the Visit Jersey annual report shows, 2019 was a great year for tourism but it’s a bit like losing unsaved work – we’ve got to start again. Now is the time for us to look at this difficult situation, look at our new operating procedures and figure out who our new clients are.
‘Now is the time to embrace the change, move forward, and ask what does the future of our industry look like?’
(Feature image by Jose Antonio Gallego Vázquezon Unsplash)