Jersey Tourism: A Year in Review 2011.

A Year in Review 2011

2011 in Focus

Jersey Tourism Annual Report

Contents

Foreword from the Minister for Economic Development  3 Jersey Tourism Annual Report 2011  4 Jersey Tourism Department Reports  6 Financial Report  16 Notes on Volume and Value Calculations  17 Summary of Top-Line Figures 2007-2011  18

1. Tourism Volume and Expenditure Estimates  19

1. Introduction  19
2. Total visitor estimates  19
3. Staying leisure visitor estimates  19
4. Visitors staying with friends and relatives (VFR)  20
5. Language students  20
6. Business visitors  20
7. Visiting conference delegates  20
8. Visiting yachtsmen  20
9. Leisure day trips  21
10. Visitor expenditure estimates  21
11. Tax revenue  22

2. Profile of Staying Leisure Visitors  23

1. Total staying leisure visitors by month  23
2. Party composition  23
3. Average length of stay  23
4. Region of residence  24
   1. UK  24
   2. France  25
5. MOSAIC profile of UK staying leisure visitors  25
6. Additional visitor profiling  26

3. Registered Bed Stock  27

2011 in Focus

4. Accommodation Performance Indicators  28

1. Bed occupancy  28

1. Monthly bed occupancy  28
   2. Room occupancy  29
   3. Room vs. Bed occupancy  29

5. Jersey Link bookings  30

1. Jersey link bookings  30
2. Jersey link bookings on the Internet  30

6. Internet usage  31

1. www.jersey.com  31
2. Website usage  31

7. Employment in the hospitality sector  32
8. Passenger arrivals  33
9. Guide to data sources and notes  34
10. Appendices on www.jersey.com/marketinginfo  36

Appendix 1  Visitor volumes  36 Appendix 2  Breakdown of expenditure  37 Appendix 3  UK visitors by ISBA region  38 Appendix 4  French visitors by region  39 Appendix 5  MOSAIC profile UK visitors  40 Appendix 6  Length of stay and average stay  41 Appendix 7  Travel and booking patterns  42 Appendix 8  Age group profiles  43 Appendix 9  Accommodation breakdown  44 Appendix 10  Bed space occupancy  45 Appendix 11  Room space occupancy  46 Appendix 12  Jersey Link performance  47 Appendix 13  Jersey Link performance  48 Appendix 14.1  Visits to www.jersey.com  49 Appendix 14.2  Visits to www.jersey.com  50 Appendix 15  Total arrivals  51 Appendix 16  UK arrivals  52 Appendix 17  Inter island arrivals  53 Appendix 18  Continental arrivals  54 Appendix 19  Exchange rates  55 Appendix 20  Weather data  56 Appendix 21  Visitor registration card  57

2011 in Focus

Foreword from the Minister for Economic Development

It seems unbelievable that we have now been enduring the difficulties associated with the global financial crisis for 4 years and that during that time the Tourism Industry has both responded and in many areas flourished against the background of extreme economic difficulty. In 2011 business levels have been maintained overall and stimulated by growth from European markets whilst the quality of the Jersey product has continued to improve following significant levels of investment by a broad range of businesses within the sector.

Germany, which is Jersey s fastest growing market, produced an increase of 23% in staying leisure visitors taking the size of the market to over 13k producing an on-Island expenditure of £7.5m This increase corresponded with a significantly enlarged flying programme during the Summer months from key German cities and looks set to continue to expand into the future.

In France, Jersey s second fastest growing European source market, 40.5k staying leisure visitors were attracted,

achieving a growth of nearly 10% producing an on-Island spend of £10.5m.

Both France and Germany are countries in which the Department has invested over long periods in marketing and where trade links have been developed to support these excellent performances.

Business visitors enjoyed growth on 2010 partly as a result of the early year. Supermarket fitting out accounted for significant numbers of room nights and for the remainder of the year maintained satisfactory levels to show an overall performance which was up on 2010.

The transition to higher quality accommodation is encouraging increased spend among our visitors and overall it is estimated that visitors of all categories spent £242m within the Island, underpinning the value of the sector to our economic well being as well as supporting the social infrastructure. This on Island expenditure will translate into £12m of tax revenue through GST, providing a good return on States investment.

Whilst the States of Jersey has been responding to the Comprehensive Spending Review which has been implemented to cover a 3 year period from 2011 to 2013 with cuts across all departments I have protected the Tourism budget in recognition of

the very valuable contribution which the industry makes to our economy. It should also be noted that the sector employs an estimated 6k people and these jobs are vital at this time. I was also able to supplement the Tourism budget for marketing in 2011 with an additional £500k which was diverted from under spends from elsewhere in the Economic Development Department.

Jersey continues to provide many leisure activities and entertainments for visitors and local residents which are much appreciated as they increase the level of enjoyment to enhance the visitors stay and create reasons for them to come in the

first place. These all help to supplement the natural attractions of our beautiful Island. Many are provided commercially by the private sector organisations and often through the efforts of many volunteers who give tirelessly of their time to benefit the Island. The International Air Display and the Jersey Battle of Flowers are both excellent examples of the latter and I would like to offer my sincere thanks to all who contribute to the success of these events. Sadly in 2010 poor weather prevented

the air display from flying, particularly after all of the hard work had been undertaken and costs incurred.

I would like to take this opportunity of recognising the very valuable contribution to Tourism made by industry members to the Tourism Development Fund, the Jersey Conference Bureau and the Tourism Marketing Panel. It is vital that we continue to benefit from the expertise which is provided to these bodies which enables planning and decisions to be made with input from as broad a range of industry as possible. The Industry in Jersey is diverse and interrelated and no one sector would survive and prosper without the others. It is therefore vital that we continue to work in partnership to build on our many strengths which are enhanced by the quality and beauty of the Island coupled with the warmth of welcome which we consistently offer to our visitors.

I would also like to take the opportunity of recognising the contribution of my two Ministerial colleagues who served with me until the new Government was formed in December 2011, Connetable Len Norman and Senator Paul Routier who join me in thanking all of the departmental staff for their superb efforts throughout the year.

Senator Alan Maclean

Minister for Economic Development

2011 Annual Report

Against the background of reducing volumes of UK visitors taking overseas holidays and the ongoing unfavourable exchange rates for Sterling against the Euro Jersey performed well in the UK market.

With a strong advertising campaign led by national television and boosted by an additional £0.5m in early Summer the high season and autumn periods achieved particularly good results.

Length of stay averages were very similar to 2010, and in profiling terms the points of note were increases in the percentage travelling with a tour operator and those travelling by sea. Compared to 2010 the month of most improved occupancy was June, with November and December recording reductions perhaps indicating increasing the trend in seasonality.

Transportation

The arrival figures for 2011 show a healthy increase of over 30k and provide a potential indicator of confidence returning to the travel industry. Whilst these figures are a combination of all movements including local residents, and business visitors as well as leisure visitors they showed improvement for most months of the year by both air and sea. Inter-Island movements were particularly noteworthy with a 20k increase resulting in the highest ever recorded number of passengers.

From the UK air transportation has followed a similar pattern to previous years with some changes to operators

on regional services but overall a comprehensive spread of services being maintained. The loss of the direct service to Plymouth following the closure of the airport will reduce capacity to the South West which has traditionally been a good source of business for Jersey.

Despite the loss of the direct Paris service the European network is expanding, resulting in increases form both Germany and Switzerland. Air capacity increased by 28% from Germany with additional support from Air Berlin and Lufthansa.

Passenger numbers from St Malo were affected by the cessation of the passenger ferry Jacques Cartier which ended in 2010 and which brought good volumes of French day excursionists.

The German Market

Out performed all other market segments in terms of volume increases in 2011 which is particularly welcome for the visitor economy as German visitors stay for an average of 5.9 nights and spend an average of £565 during their stay.

The increases were generated by a number of complimentary factors including increased flight capacity by Lufthansa & Air Berlin whose schedules encouraged longer duration stays whilst larger aircraft led to 28% capacity in 2011 compared to 2010

Trend Tours a new tour operator for Jersey provided nearly 1,500 German guests with Flybe in 2011 with flight connections via the UK.

An additional radio campaign in the Frankfurt catchment area generated increased booking volumes for TUI Wolters charter service.

Tui Wolters and Detour, Jersey s main tour operator partners in Germany produced excellent results in 2011 and are anticipating further growth in this market in 2012.

2011 in Focus

Industry Events

A programme of events, each with a specific interest, was introduced to bring members of the industry together to discuss specific items of interest. The full list undertaken in 2011 is shown below. As these have all been offered to the industry free of charge and at cost to Tourism they represent a significant learning opportunity for which greater numbers of participants might have been expected. The programme will be continued in 2012 as the programme provides a significant benefit for those who attend.

2011Speaker Series

Meet the team event - 18 January

Tourism Speaker Series - How do Jersey visitors search online - Hitwise - 11/5/11

Tourism Speaker Series - Social Media Revolution in Travel - VB 25/5/11

Tourism Speaker Series - The Olympics - Golden Opportunity or Serious Threat? The Tourism Business 6/8/11 Come and meet... The Daily Mail 12/7/11

Jersey Travel Survey

After a gap of 4 years, a year long travel survey covering all of Jersey s visitors was commissioned to provide up to date information on visitor volume and expenditure. The study will be undertaken as an exit survey at the Ports of Jersey and will as a minimum provide detail on the following. The results will be available at the end of 2012.

• Determine the passenger composition of each of Jersey s main air and sea transport routes by season and across the year

• Consolidate this information in order to calculate visitor volume over a one-year period, broken down into different visitor segments

• Provide information on resident travel movements on each main route

• Evaluate detailed visitor expenditure broken down by different, specified visitor segments

• Determine the prices paid by visitors for travel to and from the Island

• Provide basic profiling information for visitor segments

(age, party size, country of residence, average stay, how they booked and travelled)

David de Carteret

Director of Tourism & Marketing

Marketing 2011 Annual Report

Advertising Campaign

In order to increase Jersey s visibility and appeal as a holiday destination, Jersey Tourism s marketing communications strategy significantly changed in 2011 to reflect a shift towards TV advertising. This resulted in a major investment in this media channel, with reductions in other media choices, most notably national press advertising.

To support the TV commercial, new footage was filmed and local singer/songwriter, Nerina Pallot, agreed to provide the soundtrack from her single butterfly and the voiceover. The advert also introduced a new positioning statement for Jersey, the warmest place in the British isles .

The gross value of the TV campaign was in excess of £1.2 million and was bought in a declining market as the ongoing global recession continued, achieving great value for money in terms of media exposure. This level of investment into TV resulted in a reduction in press advertising by nearly 78%. The TV campaign commenced on 10 January and with the help of additional funding, continued until mid-July.

This proved to be a successful strategy. Reach estimates for the TV campaign were exceeded in all areas of the country, with an overall coverage of 7.5 million ABC1 55+ adults. 93% of this target audience saw the Jersey ad, on average, 12 times each. Across the broader market, the campaign reached a total of 22 million ABC1 adults, who on average, saw the ad 9 times each.

Advertising tracking research showed that prompted ad awareness increased across all target groups by 3%, with the biggest increase being in the post-family audience which increased by 4%. This research also showed one of the best unbranded recalls over the past 5 years, with 25% of UK adults remembering the TV ad. This research also recorded the highest spontaneous perception of Jersey for nice beaches followed by expensive . References to warm weather and

 sunny also showed marked increases, both featuring in the campaign.

Although the press campaign was much smaller than in previous years, it still played a key role in supporting TV and some brand press advertising took place in the early part of the year. In addition to this, Jersey Tourism provided subsidised advertising opportunities for the industry. Ten partners took up this opportunity during the year and 121 ads were placed in 8 national titles with partners contributing £32,000.

The campaign was also supported by a year-round e-marketing programme, with 11 emails campaigns, amounting to 835,000 messages, to previous enquirers and visitors, 15 partners participated and contributed £10,400. The most popular and cost effective advertising provided for partners during the year was the special offers pages on Jersey.com. 13 partners booked year-round ads, as well as many more ad-hoc offers throughout the season.

The overall campaign was complemented by dedicated brochure response advertising, joint promotions and marketing with transport providers and tour operators, search engine optimisation and online advertising, social media and key exhibitions.

2011 in Focus

JerseyPass

JerseyPass continued to expand during its third year of operation, this scheme having been designed to support Jersey s attractions in one comprehensive marketing scheme. The scheme supported 16 attractions in 2011 and created nearly 27,000 visits.

• Total Passes Sold: 4,595

• Total Number of Visits: 26,968

• Total Number of Pass Days: 19,253

• Total Value of Passes Sold: £185,000

• Number of Visits per Day: 1.40

Retail pricing of the cards was maintained at the same level as 2010 in order to drive footfall into attractions and achieved a 3% increase in revenue over the year.

Jersey Link

Jersey Tourism operates an online accommodation booking system primarily for staying leisure visitors. The system has an agent interface via the Visitor Centre for customers wishing to enquire and book by telephone or in person. This central reservations system (CRS) is branded as JerseyLink and had been in place since 1994 allowing contracted accommodation proprietors (approximately 87% of Jersey s establishments) to access the system via a secure web based administration system to login and sell their accommodation; using Jersey Tourism as an intermediary.

The software driving the system was updated in 2011. The previous system had served the industry well for many years and was a proven application, particularly in the manner in which it interfaced with www.jersey.com, but in light of changes to business operations on the internet, the technology needed to be replaced to reflect new business practice .

The new operating system also provided a solution to the corporate requirement to meet PCI Compliance standards, whilst search engine visibility was improved and the usability of the system was also improved to meet customers expectations.

The new software also provided greater control to proprietors whilst reducing the administrative burden on Jersey Tourism in managing the system. The provider of the system, NVG, is a UK based firm specialising in software solutions for the Tourism industry and since going live in October 2011 has help as significantly increase online presence and drive traffic and sales into Jersey.com.

2011 in Focus

2011 in Focus

Public Relations Activity

The public relations team celebrated another successful year of editorial coverage in 2011, with campaigns undertaken primarily in the UK, Ireland, France and Germany. Other international activity was conducted principally with industry partners and VisitBritain, the national agency promoting incoming tourism to Britain.

A key element of the PR campaign is the facilitation of media to the island. In 2011 the team facilitated visits covering

125 print media, 16 TV & 5 radio productions and 23 on line. Other international media visits included those from Holland, Belgium, Austria, Switzerland, China and the USA.

UK

The focus was to continue to communicate the sense of vitality about Jersey as an island, deliver a clearer sense of

 brand Jersey by finding some unpredictable ways of delivering the well-known, and add some more unexpected and less predictable layers of communications.

Activity was conducted nationally and regionally, with Tourism industry partners, in conjunction with the main Jersey Tourism advertising campaign.

Amongst the outstanding highlights ITV1 Jersey featured in a Country Wise episode in June on ITV, where Paul Heiney, historian Bettany Hughes, horticulturist Rachel de Thame and chef Mike Robinson explored the island and praised it for its local produce and scenery.

The weather campaign challenging Jersey the right to the claim warmest place in the British Isles continued to generate high levels of exposure and the innovative Inaugural Mymemory.com World Beach Art Championships achieved extensive international exposure that is due to yield further benefit in 2012 with programmes scheduled for broadcast on BBC Coast in Spring

Summary of exposure

• 725 articles generated

• Advertising equivalent value £7,132,294

• 563,311,201 opportunities to see

• Cost per thousand opportunities to see £0.30 a reduction of 9 pence

• 65% of all UK adults were reached by the coverage. The audience most reached was one of our key target audiences, empty nesters, those whose children have left home.

On average UK adult and target audience members were exposed to Jersey Tourism UK coverage 12 times;

• 44% with a core message

• 59% with a brand message

• 74% with a call to action

What was said:

• The rosettes, alongside two Michelin-starred restaurants have now confirmed the Island s image as what it calls a culinary powerhouse and has the most AA awards by head of population. Travel Daily

• Just a 45 minute flight away from London, I d found a small and perfectly-formed paradise. Sunday Daily Star

Key stories

• EasyJet, the UK s biggest airline in terms of passenger numbers, classifies Jersey airport as category B, which translates as slightly out of the ordinary .

• EasyJet is to operate flights from Glasgow to Jersey during the summer three times a week.

• Tourism officials from the Isles of Scilly lodge a complaint about Jersey Tourism s claim that it is the warmest place in the British Isles.

• The Channel Island Way guidebook is launched, showcasing the best routes for walkers who are island hopping; 48 of the walks apply to Jersey and enjoy frequent public transport access.

• The first ever Worldwide Beach Art Championships are held in Jersey.

• EasyJet launches a new route from London Southend to Jersey in May 2012.

Key findings

An average of 60 items per month were generated for Jersey Tourism. April was the most prolific month for coverage, generating 97 articles. Coverage was driven by a complaint lodged by tourism officials for the Isle of Scilly against Jersey s claim that they are the warmest place in the British Isles . The story accounted for a quarter of pieces with some of the items also counting towards strongly unfavourable coverage for the month.

The volume of event coverage in 2011 exceeded the total from 2010 by 49 items.

Q2 was the most prolific quarter for coverage, outperforming the target, with items driven by the Liberation Day event and several strongly favourable reviews of Jersey: During my stay I feasted on the best seafood I have ever tasted, including a delicious scallop risotto at Castle Green gastro pub in St Martin. I ate my meal while enjoying the glorious panoramic views of the Royal Bay of Grouville on my first night and was already planning to return to Jersey (Eastern Daily Press).

The proportion of articles featuring a brand message in 2011 (59%) was well in excess of the yearly target (40%).

In line with the previous year, three quarters of coverage delivered at least one message, significantly exceeding the industry average for the leisure sector at 56% (source: Metrica Numbers).

 Sunshine Culture was the most prolific brand message, appearing in 32% of coverage, while Perfect for Outdoor Folks achieved the highest number of deliveries; both messages were driven by the Walking Festivals and featured mentions of short breaks in 40% of items.

Half of coverage during the year featured a mention of a holiday type, the most prolific being short breaks appearing in 38% of articles. 97% of items to include a holiday type also featured an impact measure.

 Family holiday featured prominently over the summer months, peaking in July, with 18 mentions. Travel Weekly reports on the growing appeal of family holidays in Jersey, outlining its attractions and noting that the Island is also starting to appeal to younger people: I went on a family trip [ ] in May and was blown away by Jersey it s a hidden gem on our doorstep

(Gail Herring).

One third of print articles featured photography, enhancing the quality of coverage for Jersey and the impact on the reader. 66% of print articles featuring an image were strongly favourable, 34 percentage points higher than the average for the year.

Three articles addressed the August Jersey murders. The potentially unfavourable impact of these pieces was minimised by quotations from local policemen who emphasised the rarity of such events and reaffirmed that the Island is one of the safest places in the Western world (The Times and The Times Online).

50% of Time Out/Indulgence items were strongly favourable, while over a quarter of articles featured an event or festival: The Battle of Flowers engenders a terrific sense of community throughout the parishes who compete to make the most artistically inspired float, bedecked in flowers cultivated on the Island (Real Travel).

Strongly favourable Explore (Outdoors) coverage included a feature in The Sun, noting that: Jersey is an adrenaline-charged destination for the young, fit and fearless .

90% of articles containing an event also delivered at least one message, the most prolific being Thriving Creative Scene .

2011 in Focus

The Liberation Festival achieved several favourable pieces, with the Guernsey Weekly Press noting that: It s a great event for Channel Island Tourism too. Last year the festival attracted national and international coverage from music critics who were bowled over by both the quality of the acts and the beauty of the islands. The Liberation Music Festival is now a significant date in the cultural calendar of the British Isles .

October was the most prolific month in terms of event coverage, three quarter of items relating to the first edition of the World Beach Art Championships.

The Walking Festivals achieved coverage throughout the year, peaking in May and September, when the Walking Weeks take place. Mentioned amongst the best walking festivals in the UK, hikers can choose between woodland wanders, seaside strolls and foodie trails , with up to 55 guided tours.

October achieved a high proportion of event coverage (second most prolific month with 26 mentions), driven by the World Beach Art Championships, the first edition of which took place in Jersey.

Impact measures

74% of coverage featured at least one call to action in 2011, maximising the tangible impact of coverage, and far exceeding the target of 65%. This also represents an 11 percentage point increase from 2010.

38% of coverage with an impact was strongly favourable. This is six percentage points higher than the average for the year, demonstrating the positive effect impact measures can have on coverage.

The proportion of articles to feature the brand URL (11%) was above the yearly target, boosted by recommendations of Jersey Walking Festivals.

Mentions of Jersey Tourism partners peaked in Q2, featuring in over two thirds of coverage.

42% of pieces concerning the Branchage Film Festival featured photography, while 82% included the Culture/Heritage product cluster, boosting its favourability to 78% strongly favourable.

 Time out/indulgence product cluster coverage to feature a photography was driven by the Liberation Day event and Walking Festivals.

16 items of broadcast were achieved during the year, including pieces on BBC1 (2,878,680 viewers), Channel 4 (863,604 viewers) and ITV (863,604 viewers).

TV Coverage

Jersey received significant TV coverage once again, some highlights include;

• ITV - Country Wise - Paul Heiney, historian Bettany Hughes, horticulturist Rachel de Thame and chef Mike Robinson explored the Island and praised it for its local produce and scenery.

• Channel Four - Time Team Secrets of Mont Orgueil castle and a WWII anti aircraft battery at the Jersey War Tunnels site were revealed to 2.1 million viewers over two programmes filmed in 2010 covering. It was also broadcast in Australia.

• BBC One - Antiques Road Show filmed at Samares Manor first was repeated.

• BBC One - Saturday kitchen saw Shaun Rankin & Mark Jordan back in action again with their culinary talents.

• ITV - This Morning - Presenter Phil Vickery took to the beach to cook a meal using locally sourced fish and produce.

• BBC Two - Digging for Britain filmed archaeologists discovering new finds in the La Cotte cave.

France

The Paris based public relations Agenda agency together with the in-house team achieved exceptional results. During the year 75 items were generated, totalling a readership of 74 257 948;

• 1 TV programme (TF1)

• 3 radio programmes

• 40 on line articles

• 31 print articles

• National Press 18

• Regional Press 13

Highlights included items covering key product areas and subjects such as leisure cycling, walking, quirky historic accommodation, Grassroots festival, deluxe hotels, Jersey gardens, Summer festivals, Beach Art Championship, day trips, spas, Tennerfest and Fete de Noue.

Amongst the media titles were;

TF1 (1st TV station), Ouest France, Le Parisien, Version Femina, Le Figaro Magazine, Votre BeautØ Magazine, tourmagazine.fr, La Manche Libre, Tour Hebdo, L Echo Touristique, Vertu magazine, La Presse de la Manche, Weva, Grands Reportages, Maximoto, La Vie est Belle Voyages, H tel & Lodge, Ouestfrance.fr, Golf EuropØen, youvox.fr, Tendance Ouest radio, routard.com, Normandie Junior and Agence Bretagne Presse.

Germany

In 2011 the advertising and marketing campaign focused on radio, online activities and working with trade partners. Public relations was the main communication channel for print and TV. Activities ran nation-wide to increase the awareness and visibility of Jersey as a holiday destination for German visitors and regionally in areas served by direct flight connections.

Results

• 1,182 articles were published, a 30% increase year on year.

• Circulation achieved 118 million.

• Total advertising equivalent value achieved £5.5 million.

• 300 million opportunities to see were generated.

• The majority of the articles appeared in newspapers and online.

• January to June saw the greatest volume of coverage.

• 15% of all publications referred to journalist visits.

• 34% related to published press releases and feature stories.

All articles were extremely positive about Jersey.

Key Stories

• 39% featured the Motoring Festival.

• 45% reported the Battle of Flowers.

• Others included; Spring Walking Week, the My Memory World Beach Art Championship, the increasing number of German visitors to Jersey and flight connections.

2011 in Focus

TV & Radio broadcasts

• HR TV - 30 min regional TV programme about Jersey broadcast on 29th April in the Rhine-Main area.

• HR TV - Service: Reisen . Repetition of a 30 minute film about the Channel Islands broadcast on 10th May.

• MDR TV - 43 minute film about Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust broadcast on 5th August.

• 1 hour radio interview about Jersey, with Jersey s German PR representative, broadcast via Antenne Dusseldorf, and in all Air Berlin lounges to support nonstop flights with Air Berlin from Dusseldorf to Jersey.

• Journalist Reiner Veit produced a one hour radio feature about Jersey aired on 2nd July on RBB Inforadio, in Berlin and surrounding area.

Social Media

Increased activity with social media;

• Ongoing communication has resulted in the number of friends on the German Jersey Facebook account increasing by 627% from 111 to1019.

• Twitter, by far less popular, was also used to communicate news to 65 followers.

• The leading weekly paper DIE ZEIT created an app for iPad and iPhone, with a free download sample using an issue with a major travel article. The article, which was written by R diger Dilloo about Jersey, achieved over 37,000 downloads.

Product Development

The key Product Development function is to create activities and events that drive new business to Jersey, enhance visitors on Island holiday experience and increase on Island spend.

The primary focus is on developing on brand activity mainly in the shoulder months which is attractive to visitors both potential visitors and those that have already chosen to visit. The brand promise is that those who visit will be enriched by the Jersey experience.

There are currently five areas of work;

• Longer term product development

• Developing programmes of activity throughout the year

• Developing a programme of festivals and events

• Supporting external event organisers, and;

• Creating promotional opportunities including PR exposure

Longer Term Product Development

Work continues on developing walking and cycling and 2011 saw the launch of the Channel Island Way a 115 mile walk around five of the Channel Islands - Jersey, Guernsey, Alderney, Sark and Herm which has already delivered extensive pr opportunities including the National Geographic magazine and exposure in numerous walking blogs. This project was the first inter island development project for many years.

At the end of 2011, Jersey was invited to participate in Cycle West an Anglo/French cycling project which is being

funded ( 8 million) by the EU. The project aims to deliver three cycle itineraries; Velodyssey - a city to city route from Nantes, Tour de Manche - a 700 km/430 mile route across northern France and the south west of the UK (e.g. Roscoff

to Plymouth/Cherbourg to Poole) and Petit Tour de Manche - which encourages cyclists to cycle from Saint Malo to Weymouth via Jersey. This project will involve participation in an extensive marketing/social media campaign across Brittany and the South West and Jersey will feature on the French and UK national cycling websites.

Annual Programmes of Activity

Each year programmes of activity are developed based on key Tourism experiences. The aim is to expose a hidden Jersey to visitors so they can experience Island life.

The annual guided walking programme, delivered in conjunction with the Jersey Tour Guides Association delivered over 300 guided walks per annum. The walks expose visitors to Jersey s heritage and culture including the occupation, food trails, heritage sites and access to private homes and gardens.

In 2011 Over 40 local farm and craft markets were staged in St Aubin and at the Weighbridge Place throughout the spring and summer. These provided animation, colour and activity and offered the visitor opportunities to purchase locally made goods and produce.

The team managed the Howard Davis Park music programme and 2011 saw over 55 performances of live music, theatre

and film for visitors to enjoy. The team also co-ordinated the diary of Open Gardens throughout the year which offers

access to stunning private gardens rarely open to the public and Jersey s entry into the Royal Horticultural Society s Britain in Bloom competition and the local competition Jersey in Bloom . In 2011, seven parishes entered the competition. The overall winner of Best Parish was the Parish of St Helier with a Gold Award and the winner of Best Coastal Parish was the Parish of Grouville also with a Gold Award.

Festivals and Events

Jersey Tourism s existing event strategy is to drive business throughout the year through a programme of festival and events linked to key product areas. Events showcase the products that are available year round and celebrate what Jersey has to offer.

The Team organises Liberation Day, the Spring and Autumn Walking Weeks, June in Bloom, Jersey in Bloom, the Black Butter event at the Elms in conjunction with the National Trust for Jersey and La Fete de NouØ. These festivals have been developed over the years, primarily in the shoulder months and are aimed at our target audience of 45+ higher spending couples.

New for 2011 was the introduction of a Jersey Food festival. The festival was a week long celebration of the Jersey Royal new potato, seafood and dairy produce, highlights of which included fine dining in Michelin starred restaurants, low water rambles, foraging, food and ale trails, tutored tastings, brewery and dairy tours. The festival involved participation from Genuine Jersey and other local producers, Michelin starred chefs as well as businesses such as Albert Bartlett,

Jersey Dairy and the local fishing industry and would not have been possible without the support and

commitment from the local Tourism industry.

2011 was an important milestone in the history of Trinity Manor. It commemorated 100 years since the manor was extensively remodelled having been designed by the renowned architect Sir Reginald Blomfield (1856 1942) - one of

the most successful and prolific of Edwardian architects. Owners Mr and Mrs Paul Bell invited the team to assist them in delivering a traditional Country Fair in July. Highlights of the event included a horse show, produce and craft fair, beer tent with specially brewed Trinity Manor centenary beer, a food village and a programme of music and street theatre alongside more traditional pursuits such as coconut shy.

The walking festivals continued to deliver business to Jersey at very low costs and 1077 visitors took part in the spring event with 914 participants in the autumn event.

Then 2011 programme of events was delivered on time and within budget with large attendances despite bad weather at the International Air Display and La Fete de Noue.

2011 in Focus

Visitor Services Centre

Visitor & Retail

The visitor centre maintains a high quality free service to visitors seven days per week during the Summer months and in 2011 was open for 339 days.

While the total visitors number to the Island increased by 0.5% during 2011 on 2010 the centre recorded an increase of

over 15% of those visitors using the Visitor Service Centre with over 18% of total arrivals to the Island in August of this year.

However, despite a slight increase in the amount of income to the centre the average spend per head reduced marginally to £2.10. These figures can be attributed in some part to the high numbers of young school groups visiting the centre that historically are not big spenders. But these statistics taken in the context of the current economic climate are being viewed positively.

During 2011, more products from the members of Genuine Jersey were secured to display and sell in the centre and these proved very popular especially the Christmas themed goods. The centre also started stocking the Diamond Jubilee and Olympic merchandise as, we understand, the first outlet in Jersey to do so and is currently the only official retailer for Team GB merchandise. .

Jersey Pass

This scheme proved beneficial to all those who participated. The visitors, attractions, retailers of the pass and also those who offered special value deals. We saw an overall increase in both sales of the pass and revenue collected as the pass becomes more widely known and recognised with sales in excess of £83k being recorded.

Guestlink System

2011 saw the transfer of the on line accommodation booking system transfer from Chauntry to the Guestlink system.

This system is widely used through UK Tourist Information Centres and has the capacity to interface with other booking engines, in effect giving hotels and guest hotels the ability to update their availability across more than one booking system at one time. This also gives the availability to sell by room, by person and can also accommodate hostel type accommodation so we are confident we will see an increase of traffic through our on line booking system during the next season.

Jersey Conference Bureau

The conference and incentive market is one of the most competitive and competition has been intense. The economic climate affecting corporate events and the reduction in UK public sector events had resulted in large price discounting by venues in the UK provinces.

The number of staying delegates increased by just over 1% from 9221 delegates to 9326 delegates.

The number of events was down to 258 compared with 292 the previous year. The number of association delegates rose from 3,816 to 4,012. The number of corporate delegates decreased from 5,405 to 5,314.

There were some notably high profile international conferences held in the Island including the International Whaling Convention, The Red Ensign Conference and The Federation of Small Businesses.

The number of bed nights sold increased marginally to 33,830 from 33,363. Association delegates tend to stay longer however their contribution to the local economy is not usually as large as corporate delegates.

The Jersey Conference Bureau is operated as a Public, Private Partnership with the majority funding being provided by the Economic Development Department.

Further information can be obtained from www.jerseyconferences.com Association 4012. 19452 bednights Corporate 5314. 14378 bednights

2011 in Focus

Financial Report

2011 in Focus

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2011 in Focus

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2011 in Focus

2011 in Focus

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2011 in Focus

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