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Group: Forum Members
Last Login: 26 July 2007
Posts: 70, Visits: 5 |
| | As you may well have read in todays press, C & E and Visit Guernsey have been busy little bees with regards to our industry. I have attached a cover letter from Stuart Falla, together with the proposal document for the future of tourism on the island and what direction they wish to take things. The document can be broken down into two major chunks as follows:- The change of use issues Transport links As you will see they are trying to enable change of use for a certain catagory of property which may not have been possible in the past which will affect all of us, not only the ones trying to get out of the industry but also those of us wanting to develope a future, in a nutshell, trim bad on the poorer trading properties to allow the stronger ones to increase occupancy and profitability and therefore increase investment to make there properties better and stronger. A few people have said that a reduction in bed stock would lead to a decrease in visitor numbers but this just does not make sense, when was the island last at 100% occupancy?. In relation to transport links, they are looking at how the airport is funded to allow flexibility in pricing structures (costs) to airlines and also promotion of alternative routes, I think we all agree that spreading our net to a wider catchment area will have more chance of catching more potential visitors. GHTF has been working on some of this for nearly two years no and my fustration is that the industry needs this change to happen 2 years ago. I urge you to look at this information and the attached documents and make your feelings known on this subject by return. It may not seem like it but this will have a big effect on us all, and I for one will not be quiet in my support. 
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Last Login: 02 January 0001
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| | Hello Chris, These are my views: 1) Change of use is positive as the lower end of the market can only be used for workers. 2) Transport links are essential and are effectively achievable through lengthening the runway at the airport. 3) Belle Greve Bay must be good for the future of Guernsey in the long term with more up market people eating out and in the short term lots of architects and engineers etc, staying in hotels etc. Kind Regards Heinz Wegerer |
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Group: Forum Members
Last Login: 26 July 2007
Posts: 70, Visits: 5 |
| | Considering the huge response from the industry ! I will take it as read that you are all in agreement with the proposals made by C & E. Perhaps like me, you feel that we have seen enough papers and proposals to last a life time and that this is just another one to add to the list, well you may be right. I will be asking for a timescale from C & E as to when we can see change, and I will report back as soon as I have any news. |
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Last Login: 02 January 0001
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| | Hi Chris, Apologies for not responding sooner to your call for action, however, I have only just plucked up the courage to read through this latest 45 page document. Having read a number of such documents, it is clear that this contains very similar info as before, with much the same story. It could be easily taken as a photocopy of Stuart Pinnell's proposals a while ago. There are some fabulously wooly phrases in this one though. One of my favourites on page 28 is "C&E intends to invite expressions of interest from carriers". Robbie Williams once sang that he "was contemplating thinking about thinking". Perhaps C&E are fans ? More worryingly, on the same page, the discussions with flybe, one of only two principal airlines, and with whom negociations would have the best possible potential for success, were unable to acheive agreement. I'm almost dizzy with the spin, and would ask why, despite having a senior specific Director for tourism did we take such a large decline in tourism in 2005. The largest single decline over the last 10 years. The Trends rule that we will be losing a further 7-8% per year over the next couple of years, yet one of the ambitions is to adopt a target of increasing air passenger movements by 100,000 in the next 2/3 years. By then, by their own trend intelligence, we will have lost a further 15-22% of our market. Hmmm. There's lots of words in this document, but I am uncertain as to who is going to do what and when. Words such as adopt, consult, promote and undertake do not fill me with much confidence. Competition to our industry comes from UK, Europe, and cruise liners, plus good value exotic location family holidays. I am uncertain that a few high value, high quality 2 night breaks to the islands are going to fill the void, apart from those hotels that have good commercial business throughout the week. |
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Group: Forum Members
Last Login: 26 July 2007
Posts: 70, Visits: 5 |
| | I think you concerns are real ones but one thing I can comment on is number decline. I wouls suggest that because the states counted all the builders labourers in tourism figures for a number of years, when then left, our figures dropped. I think the industry has been in a crap state for some time, and no its a bit of a reality check. I do wonder about the validity of such stats, and how acurate they are but suppose thats the same the world over. |
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