Jersey’s tourism sector is misunderstood and undervalued, believes Visit Jersey’s non-executive chairman Kevin Keen.
At a Chamber of Commerce lunch, Mr Keen told an audience that the island’s key decision makers, and general public, did not understand the wide-reaching benefits created by the industry, and a more intelligent approach was needed to judge its contribution.
He also called on policy-makers and residents to do more to support tourism in the island.
‘Compared to something like financial services, tourism tends to get overlooked and dismissed as a low value sector, and this is reflected in policies which create huge problems for an industry that I believe is very important to our community,’ said Mr Keen, who joined Visit Jersey in 2016.
‘In Jersey, we’re very concerned by the size of our population, and our sector is often viewed as responsible for increasing the number of people on the island. But our population is ageing, a huge number of people are retired, and this is what’s driving the population up. Yes, we need a population policy, but getting it wrong risks real damage to our community and our economy. Before you can solve a problem, you have to properly understand it.’
‘We need a much more intelligent approach to judging the contribution of tourism’
Mr Keen argued that using gross value added (GVA) alone was too simplistic a way to assess tourism’s contribution to Jersey and its economy. It might only account for 8% of the economy, according to GVA statistics, but its indirect impact was much bigger, he said.
For example, locals benefit from the taxes paid by visitors, which are used to support public services. Visitors paid around 14% of the total GST of £93 million in 2018. Without visitors, Mr Keen said, the income the rate would need to increase from 5% to 6% .
‘We need a much more intelligent approach to judging the contribution of tourism, and the visitor economy more generally, to the welfare of our island ,’ said Mr Keen.
’62% of the 2.3 million passengers through the airport and harbour in 2018 were visitors, most of them coming for leisure . Locals benefit from this through a greater choice of travel options and someone else contributing to the costs of our ports.’
How can Jersey residents get behind tourism?
Mr Keen said he was proud of Visit Jersey’s achievements and acknowledged it was working harder than ever to attract tourists in an increasingly crowded marketplace.
‘So there are holiday destinations that are cheaper. There are some places that are sunnier but, I truly believe, taken in the round, there is no place better than Jersey. We are close to our key markets, the island is beautiful, it is safe, we have great food, we have incredible history, the list goes on and on,’ he said.
‘What we’re asking for from Jersey residents is recognition of what the sector brings to the island and what they can do to support it. One of the things, for example, is to give our visitors a special welcome; say how pleased you are to see them, help when they ask for directions, be courteous in your interactions. It’s the little touches that can make a big difference to people’s experience. We all benefit from the industry, so it’s in our interest to protect it.’
Sharing Visit Jersey’s marketing material, like social media posts, and helping spread the word about Jersey are effective ways of helping to support tourism, said Mr Keen. He also warned the island’s government against knee-jerk measures to control population that could have devastating consequences for the industry.
‘We can only serve our guests if we have the staff to do that. One day we might be able to use robots rather than people, but not for a while,’ he said.
‘What will our biggest sector be in 50 years? Nobody knows. The only thing we know is that the world is constantly changing. Jersey needs to stay flexible and be prepared to take a few risks and, like any prudent investor, we should not keep all its economic eggs in one basket. As in all things, diversity is important.’
