A National Art Gallery for Jersey – it’s time for the industry to respond.

On Friday last, Jersey’s Education Sport & Culture Minister, Senator Mike Vibert, published his Strategic Plan for a National Gallery for Jersey and requested interested parties to respond with comments on the proposal. You can download a copy by clicking here

Along with the Strategic Plan, the Minister published yet another report from Locum Consulting (the third of substance from these consultants in two years – Jersey has served them well!). This Concept and Impact Assessment Report outlines the cost of building the Gallery (almost £10million) and offers solutions as to how this capital cost together with the annual running costs of c. £500k will be financed – without asking taxpayers to cough up.

Leaving aside the benefit to the local community – it is difficult to argue against this – I would focus attention on the Gallery as a contributor to the visitor economy. Locum has produced various revenue projections based on different admission charges, ranging from free entry to a £9.00 entry fee. Based on current staying leisure visitor numbers, they suggest between 28,000 and 50,000 visitors would put the gallery on their ‘must see’ list in one year – plus a few more day trippers, business visitors and even 2000 visiting yachtsmen! This would make it the third most popular attraction for visitors after Durrell and the Jersey War Tunnels.

Locum go into a huge amount of detail in their projections and suggest that the Gallery will even produce additional visits to Jersey from tourists, as images of the Gallery will ‘tip the balance’ in favour of a visit.

Readers of this blog will know that for some time I have been advocating the construction of a purpose-built conference centre on the Waterfront (click here to refresh your memory). From a purely visitor economy perspective, the Gallery will in no way provide the benefits that a conference and events centre, capable of holding 1000 delegates and hosting concerts and sports events as well as corporate meetings would have for all of the stakeholders in Jersey’s tourism industry.

I hope that our trade representatives, Jersey Hospitality, will consult with its members before formulating their response to this proposal. Please take time to read the documents and make your views known to the JHA or direct to David Greenwood, Assistant Director – Culture and Lifelong Learning at ESC, who is responsible for managing the consultation.

One thought – what about combining the Gallery with a Conference and Events Centre and creating a building that will benefit both residents and visitors alike?

Nice to see you….to see you Nice!

Today Flybe announced that they would start operating weekly flights between Jersey and Nice on the French Riviera from 24th May. Great news for Jersey residents looking for a week in Provence or hoping to break the bank of Monte Carlo, but is this of benefit to Jersey’s visitor economy?

Deputy Alan Maclean welcomed the announcement today, suggesting that “This new route opens up a number of opportunities for inbound tourism…” Not sure that many Provençales will be jumping off their sun beds on the Med. coast to spend a week in the relatively chilly Gulf of St Malo, but we'll see.

Anyway – it gives me another option for my summer holiday this year. Return fares seem to start at around £100.00 – not bad for a direct route to the sun.

Jersey’s Competition Authority’s fine Thomsonfly. What message are we trying to send!?

It’s been a bit quiet on the blogging front for the past few weeks. But rather like London buses, you have nothing to write about for weeks and then 3 stories come along at once.

Firstly, there’s the mighty JCRA levying a crushing fine of, wait for it….. £10,000 on TUI (parent company of Thomsonfly) for failing to advise them back in September of their acquisition of First Choice. Apparently, because Thomsonfly were flying to the island, they should have advised the JCRA in order that they could assess the competitive effects of the acquisition.

Despite the fact that the JCRA has no power to order TUI not to proceed with the merger (as if that would make a difference!), they still decided to fine them for an administrative oversight. What sort of message does this send to other airlines or businesses we are desperately trying to attract to Jersey? I hope the £10k fine which is going to the States will be handed over to Jersey Airport to use for marketing activities.

Ferries – separating fact from fiction

Two ferry stories in the past fortnight which are probably non-stories.

1. The Daily Telegraph reported on 24th January that Condor Ferries was to be sold on by Royal Bank of Scotland (the report has not been confirmed or denied by the company). However, as Rob Provan their chief executive has pointed out, it has no impact on the business. RBS bought Condor from ABN Amro just 3 & ½ years ago, so presumably this is about realising some nice profits rather than any issues to do with the business.

2. HD Ferries, who have always been good at spinning stories, announced on Monday this week that they plan to start services to the UK in direct competition with Condor. Whilst there is no exclusivity, there is a service level agreement and common transport policy with Guernsey that would require both a back-up traditional ferry service and probably another high-speed craft. Their chief executive, Christopher Howe-Davies suggested that the announcement about Condor’s sale would unsettle travellers. How so?

So competition is already hotting up and HD Ferries have not even started their St Malo service yet! By the way I wonder whatever happened to HD’s announcement that they were going to sue Condor (see previous blog)?