http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-jersey-19609680
The number of people travelling to Jersey in July was down by 10.6% on the same time last year.
A Jersey Tourism spokesman said 16% fewer people travelled to Jersey by ferry in July compared with the same time last year.And 18,500 fewer people chose to travel here by ferry in the first seven months of 2012.
This is hardly surprising. The cost of getting to the Island, by sea or air, is expensive and then the prices of the traditional tourist attractions (those that are still left that is), make a day out for Mum Dad and two children rather prohibitive. The days of duty and tax free goods, spirits and cigarettes are a distant memory, with a bottle of wine being around the same price on the Island as it is in our local Morrisons supermarket. I remember not too long ago, paying more for a litre of petrol on La Route des Quennevais than at Tesco in Dorchester, but sanity now seems to have to have been restored with Jersey petrol prices at least. The imposition of GST (Goods and Services Tax) has not helped the problem. The costs of tourist accommodation, which itself has declined over recent years with more "beds" being lost each season as hotels and guest houses close for good, is another factor contributing to a decline in visitor numbers, with restaurant and food prices generally, noticeably higher each time we visit.. Those living on the island of course, experience the increased cost of living on a daily basis as inflation in Jersey continues to rise. There is in my view, a fundamental problem with the Jersey economy. At one time the economy was predominately based on agriculture with a contribution from tourism and to a lesser extent finance. Over the years the balance shifted as more land was sold off for development and agriculture went into relative decline as more emphasis was put onto tourism and finance. It now seems that tourism is declining with finance taking centre stage in the economy. With the current world economic crisis, perhaps even this is now under pressure. Unfortunately, should a collapse or even partial collapse occur, Jersey has now lost the skill set of agriculture and tourism and may find it difficult to re invent itself.
The number of people travelling to Jersey in July was down by 10.6% on the same time last year.
A Jersey Tourism spokesman said 16% fewer people travelled to Jersey by ferry in July compared with the same time last year.And 18,500 fewer people chose to travel here by ferry in the first seven months of 2012.
This is hardly surprising. The cost of getting to the Island, by sea or air, is expensive and then the prices of the traditional tourist attractions (those that are still left that is), make a day out for Mum Dad and two children rather prohibitive. The days of duty and tax free goods, spirits and cigarettes are a distant memory, with a bottle of wine being around the same price on the Island as it is in our local Morrisons supermarket. I remember not too long ago, paying more for a litre of petrol on La Route des Quennevais than at Tesco in Dorchester, but sanity now seems to have to have been restored with Jersey petrol prices at least. The imposition of GST (Goods and Services Tax) has not helped the problem. The costs of tourist accommodation, which itself has declined over recent years with more "beds" being lost each season as hotels and guest houses close for good, is another factor contributing to a decline in visitor numbers, with restaurant and food prices generally, noticeably higher each time we visit.. Those living on the island of course, experience the increased cost of living on a daily basis as inflation in Jersey continues to rise. There is in my view, a fundamental problem with the Jersey economy. At one time the economy was predominately based on agriculture with a contribution from tourism and to a lesser extent finance. Over the years the balance shifted as more land was sold off for development and agriculture went into relative decline as more emphasis was put onto tourism and finance. It now seems that tourism is declining with finance taking centre stage in the economy. With the current world economic crisis, perhaps even this is now under pressure. Unfortunately, should a collapse or even partial collapse occur, Jersey has now lost the skill set of agriculture and tourism and may find it difficult to re invent itself.
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