Jersey Tourism

JERSEY TOURISM SUSPEND ADS - Channel 103 News
(see story below)

Might it be that the Jersey ads never had much of an impact on tourism anyway? I remember Eric Young of Time Jewellers, in King Street, had a nil budget for advertising, because he just didn't think it would work. He had become, of course, a millionaire from his Jewellery business! Sometimes, it seems, it does not pay to advertise.

Anyway, it seems that the major way people explore tourism destinations in the first place is through the internet, rather than newspapers, unless they are looking at specific package tours. As most of the visitors to Jersey are not on package holidays, I would question if there was likely to be any major impact on tourism. Having a properly performing web-site - and the Jersey one was disgracefully out of action in the Christmas and post-Christmas bookings season - is much more effective. People like to go online, and if they want brochures, email or click a form for them.

Quite what impact the abuse inquiry will have on Jersey tourism, it is too early to say. On repeat bookings, I would say none at all. The important thing which tourists will note, if they think about it, is that the abuse was institutional, within a "care" system, and not the same kind as when Edward Paisnel ("the beast of Jersey") was on the loose - 1960-1971.

If that was the case today, I think people would have thought twice about coming to Jersey, in the same way as they may have avoided Yorkshire when the so-called Yorkshire Ripper was on the loose. But it is clearly not the case, and even if standards in current care homes still need improving, most tourists can see that that cannot impact on the safety of the Island as far as the "family holiday" is concerned, any more than standards in care homes or homes for the elderly impact on them in the UK (and it should be noted that the UK homes for the elderly are often being reported as abusive to residents).

Of far more import to tourists would be crime statistics for violence in St Helier and elsewhere if those were high, and they are much lower than UK cities.

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JERSEY TOURISM SUSPEND ADS - Channel 103 News

Jersey Tourism says it's suspended all its television and newspaper advertisements.

It doesn't think it's appropriate to run ads whilst the investigation at Haut de le Garenne remains in the headlines.

The decision will be reviewed week by week.

So far the case doesn't seem to have had an impact on tourism.