Tempting visitors to Guernsey is a challenge, hospitality group says

Monday 26 February 2024

Everyone involved in tourism needs to recognise there is a problem before improvements can be made, the Guernsey Hospitality Association has said.

It was reacting to the annual travel and visitor statistics which were released recently.

The positive news was people liked the experience once they were here, but getting people to come in the first place was an issue.

Downward trends when 2023 was compared to 2019 were highlighted by the GHA:

• Visitors departing by air: down 44,000, -24%. 
• Leisure visitors: down 56,000, - 34%. 
• Business/work visitors: down 14,000, - 32%. 
• Staying visitors down: 52,000, - 23%.   
• Visitors staying in hotels:down 34,000, - 24%. 
• Visitors staying in (classed as ‘other’) S/C, GH, Campsites etc:  down 10,000, -29%. 

But the figures also showed that the Bailiwick was getting a positive response from people who did come. 

• 87% of visitors reported that the customer service level at their accommodation was high or very high
• 84% that island knowledge and the overall standard of accommodation was high or very high, 81% that the food quality at their accommodation was high or very high.  
• The most popular activity, undertaken by 85% of visitors leaving by aeroplane and ferry during 2023, was eating and/or drinking out. 

“So, the vast majority of visitors like the Guernsey/Bailiwick experience once they are here. The natural scenery, heritage, quality of accommodation, and the dining out options available all make it a special place to visit,” the GHA said.

“But we need to find ways to tempt potential visitors to book a flight or a ferry to come here in the first place, and that is a challenge. 

“The current oversight of the visitor economy and hospitality industry is messy, with three groups all having different levels of input. We have the Economic Development committee, Visit Guernsey, and the Tourism Management Board. But do we really have joined-up thinking for the whole industry?  

“In the past few years we have suffered significant losses on the number of visitors from Jersey. Now, due to no charter flights this year, we are also looking at huge losses on visitors coming from Germany.  

“We have to ask, is there the political will needed to get us out of this situation? Is the right level of funding in place? Where is the qualified leadership to push forwards to achieve a return to 2019 visitor numbers?” 

The TMB strategy is due out next month. 

“Will it show a clear pathway to future growth? Because if we carry on as we are hoping for some incremental annual growth, we won’t be successful. We need to act differently to achieve different results.”