1. It takes a village (and support) to put an event on
There should be more support from the Economic Development, Tourism, Sport and Culture Department and others for local events. They provide tourists with something to do. They then go back home and talk about all the good things going on and this can potentially increase tourism.
Pictured: Summer Parkin from The British Heart Foundation Wendy Nerac from Brig-Y-Don Children’s Charity are two of the event co-ordinators who transform Halkett Place into a western scene.
We’ve seen such a positive response from tourists who have come to the Hoedown. Speculation and support for these kinds of events could really boost the vibe of the town particularly!
2. Make the marina great again!
We would love to see more continental life around the marina, it needs more atmosphere down there! There should be more restaurants, more cafés, more activities around the marina. We should make it a destination rather than just a place you go to to have a walk. We should encourage more businesses to set up there, otherwise, it just feels like a wasted resource.
Pictured: The marina needs more life to become more than a destination for Sunday walks.
In cities like Vancouver and Melbourne, there is live music, people eating in the street in the marinas. Even Guernsey has a much better life around the port. It is time Jersey moved with the times and made the jump so we can catch up with other cities with shops that are open later as well. In some ways Jersey takes steps in the same direction as our neighbours and in others, we are stuck in the stone age. In a time when Islanders are expected to work all hours of the day and night, it’s often hard to get out during “normal” working hours and far more appealing to get what you need on your phone with the tap of a finger. Businesses need to be able to evolve to become consumer focused, so as to prevent our lovely local shops becoming a ghost town.
3. Encourage outdoor activities and travel
There is so much we could do to encourage tourism. We could push Jersey as a destination for outdoor sports and promote an outdoor lifestyle. Jersey is a beautiful and unique island which should be enjoyed by Islanders and visitors as they wish. We should encourage outdoor activities such as camping. Campers seem to get a bit of a bad press, however providing they are causing no harm and leave a site as it was found, there is no reason why they shouldn’t be able to camp. In fact, we should be encouraging it as it encourages responsible enjoyment of our environment. That said, wouldn’t it be nice if there were dedicated sites around the Island which campers knew they could use without causing any upset?
Pictured: More outdoor activities are needed, not just the Hoedown but camping and sports as well.
We also need lower flight costs. If we wish to encourage talent, open minds and boost the local tourist industry, we need to make it easy for people to do so. When flight costs are set to capitalise on the corporates who are able to pay the higher fees, they have a detrimental impact on other industries and individuals who also pay their taxes and fulfil their societal duties. Jersey is full of our greatest ambassadors, make it easier for Islanders to go forth and endorse!
4. Let Jersey show the (green) way
Just like the change in water flow as we reclaim land around the Island, our human actions have an impact on the environment. We promote Jersey’s amazing beaches and yet allow one of our biggest beaches to be submerged in green stench. Taking painkillers covers the root of pain but ultimately doesn’t fix the problem. We need to find the source of the sea lettuce and deal with it and not bury our head in the sand or scrape and dump it on another local beach for someone else to deal with.
Pictured: Jersey could become synonymous with organic and become a retreat.
As a small wealthy jurisdiction, Jersey could be a leader and show other countries how to take the environment seriously. We could turn 20% of the ocean around us into an ocean park as per the WWF recommendation. It would be great for tourism and for the fishing industry. We could become synonymous with organic which would benefit everyone and spur the growth of the health industry. People would come and enjoy spas or use the island as a retreat, we could use Jersey as a brand. The farming industry would experience issues going fully organic but we believe benefits would outweigh those.
5. Give the cows a revamp!
We try not to be too controversial so this is a lighter one. Would’t it be fun if all Jersey cows – and we mean all of them – wore unicorn horns? It might encourage kids to come to the island to see those ‘mystical’ beasts!
Pictured: They wear cowboy hats but they think Jersey cows would look fancier with unicorn horns.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and not those of Bailiwick Express.