Tourism block “costing the island £500 per minute”

Tuesday 23 June 2020

Business leaders are accusing Jersey's government of procrastinating over the decision to let tourists back in, claiming that the lack of visitors is suffocating enterprises and costing the economy £500 a minute.

A war of words broke out last night between the Jersey Chamber of Commerce and the Department for Economic Development, with the Minister, Senator Lyndon Farnham, rushing to defend his actions in supporting local business and working towards reopening the ports for commercial travel.

Representatives of the island’s largest business lobby group yesterday evening issued a statement demanding “quicker action” to kickstart the economy again by letting tourists back into the island. 

Chamber President Jennifer Carnegie remarked upon the “seemingly slow pace of decision-making given the tiny number of cases in the island.” 

Pictured: Chamber President Jennifer Carnegie.

She also quoted a statistic reportedly from the CEO of Visit Jersey, saying that “having no visitor economy right now is costing the island £500 a minute!” 

Ms Carnegie added: “We are urging and supporting our Government to think and act quickly, to safely revitalise the economy without delay.”

Representing the hospitality industry, David Seymour, Managing Director of Seymour Hotels, warned that his sector has had to effectively “face three ‘winters’ of trade” as he called for the Government to do more to support businesses like his. 

He said: “These have been increasingly difficult times for the hospitality industry as our businesses face three consecutive ‘winters’ of trade. We need the Government to understand that damage to this industry affects the entire island and therefore urgency of action is required of them.

“Greater speed in resolving the bottleneck on testing at our Ports and clarity of a date to open our borders will allow businesses the chance to plan effectively. The visitor economy is one that the island cannot afford to lose, so let’s start speeding up that decision-making process and get on with it.”

Chair of Chamber’s Retail and Supply Committee and former Town Centre Manager Daphne East spoke about the way retail and supply industries have been affected.

“The £280m visitor economy is vital to both the retail and supply sectors of Jersey’s economy. Local wholesalers rely heavily on vibrant hospitality sectors through the summer season and retailers rely on the visitors to purchase local gifts and food supplies in addition to shopping in our independent outlets. Without a summer season we will see additional pressure on wholesale to make it through the bleak winter, and retailers will struggle with reduced footfall from off island.”

Pictured: "Without a summer season we will see additional pressure on wholesale to make it through the bleak winter."

This prompted Senator Lyndon Farnham, Minister of Economic Development, Tourism, Sport and Culture, to hit back at 23:00 last night, recounting everything he says the Council of Minister has done so far to help local businesses. 

His statement read: “The Council of Ministers has consistently made clear our commitment to supporting Island businesses across all industry sectors during the covid-19 pandemic, including the hospitality and retail sectors. We have moved quickly to allow Islanders to safely access the services provided by these sectors, and our economic recovery strategy remains the highest priority at Ministerial meetings and in the new Economic Council, of which the Chamber President is a member.” 

This council was announced almost a month ago, but Express revealed that, as of last Friday, the Council still remains incomplete and hasn't formally met.

Senator Farnham continued: “The Government continues to take account of the interests of all Islanders, including those who have been shielding and have ongoing concerns about the health impacts of covid-19 and the reopening of our borders.

“We have already undertaken a comprehensive trial at Jersey Airport to introduce a testing regime on arrival, supported by track and trace, and this will pave the way for the opening of our ports in a manner that continues to protect our island, while sustaining our valuable visitor economy. 

“In March, at the outset of the pandemic, we responded rapidly by launching the largest package of financial support measures ever created by a Jersey Government. This has included over £37 million already paid out through the Government Co-Funded Payroll Scheme. Fiscal support packages are continuing to evolve as we work through the pandemic and will underpin the Government’s strategy of continuing to support our economy into the recovery period.”

Bringing the statement to a close, the Minister expressed hopes of collaboration with business leaders.

“I look forward to continuing to work closely with the Chamber of Commerce, the Jersey Hospitality Association and all other representative bodies and island businesses to ensure we rebuild our economy and see a fast return to economic wellbeing and prosperity.”