Half a million pound boost for tourism

Friday 07 October 2016

A States fund to help promote tourism gave away more than half a million pounds last year.

The money was used to support 20 projects – one of which got almost a quarter of a million pounds.

The Tourism Development Fund was established in 2001 to “stimulate investment in the tourism product and infrastructure in order to improve Jersey’s competiveness and to sustain a flourishing tourism industry as a valuable contributor to the economy and the social fabric of the Island.” Since then it has backed 184 projects. Originally the fund was only open to the non-profit sector, but the rules were relaxed in 2012 to include the private sector.

The biggest beneficiary last year was La Hougue Farms Limited – it runs the aMaizin! Adventure Park - and was given £235,091 to build a new indoor play barn. Samares Manor was given £75,000 to build a new visitor centre. And Portelet Bay Café £40,000 towards the reinstatement of the existing toilet blocks and to install shower facilities.

Almost £58,000 went on supporting the Jersey International Motoring Festival, and just slightly less, £55,000 on the Jersey International Air Display. Other events that benefited for the fund included the Island Games - £40,190 – for mobile seating; the Val de Mare Music and Arts Festival £28,798; the Jersey Literary Festival - £24,695; and the Big Gig in the Park - £20,000 – on marketing the event abroad.

More modestly Luxury Jersey Hotels was given £750 for a new website, and the Jersey Agility Club - £694 – to host the Jersey European Agility Festival 2015.

According to the Advisory Panel “applications are assessed as to the likely impact on visitor numbers, the visitor experience, how sustainable the impact may be, and the associated investment that TDF funding would leverage.”

Looking to the future the Panel’s interim chairman, John Henwood, says it’ll “be working closely with Visit Jersey to ensure that applications are suitably aligned with Destination Jersey and subsequent developments of the strategic plan for tourism. The relationship with Jersey Business is being maintained as the later continues to provide advice and support to applicants."

If applicants convince the panel their projects are worth backing they’re given approval in principle, they then have to prove how the money was spent before they’re reimbursed. Sometimes there can be a delay between approval and the project coming to fruition. One project that was given the go ahead last year but for which the money hasn’t yet been released is from the Jersey Heritage Trust for £180,000 to undertake a programme of regeneration and commence the first phase of a 10-year archaeological excavation of La Cotte de St Brelade.