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WQ.391/2023
WRITTEN QUESTION TO THE MINISTER FOR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, TOURISM, SPORT AND CULTURE
BY DEPUTY M. TADIER OF ST. BRELADE
QUESTION SUBMITTED ON MONDAY 9th OCTOBER 2023
ANSWER TO BE TABLED ON MONDAY 16th OCTOBER 2023
Question
“Will the Minister advise –
- what assessment has been, or will be, conducted to measure the impact of the closure of the ‘in person’ Visitor Information Centre at Liberation Station;
- what feedback, if any, has he received on the closure of this facility and to what extent such feedback is supportive or critical of the closure; and
- whether he is aware of any other tourist destinations that have closed their own tourist office to follow Jersey's lead, and if so, which ones?”
Answer
- Since the start of peak season, Visit Jersey has been conducting ongoing independent research with visitors whilst they are on-island to gather feedback regarding their preferred methods of accessing information. The interviews are conducted in-person by an independent third party at popular visitor locations and include the option to express a preference for printed materials, digital resources, and physical in-person contact.
- The research being conducted will inform Visit Jersey’s strategy and approach to Visitor Information Services in 2024. The strategy will incorporate feedback from stakeholders and the visitor survey, but must ultimately be evidence-based and demonstrate a cost-effective use of funding. Visit Jersey will be factoring in the preferences of all visitor demographics, aiming to deliver services that will satisfy visitor needs both in the near- and long-term.
- Globally there has been a shift away from physical tourist information centres over the past 10-15 years. In 2011 The Guardian reported that tourism information centres around Britain were ‘facing extinction’ due to significant declines in footfall. Since 2018, Visit Scotland has reduced the number of visitor information centres they operated from 126 to 24. Visit Jersey appreciates that visitor centres remain popular in France and therefore a hybrid solution may be required to suit the varied needs of the island’s primary source markets.