Jersey Airport - Same old story, different storyteller

Mr. Green our new antipodean airport controller was a busy man last week. On Wednesday he spoke at a surprisingly muted Chamber of Commerce lunch where he endeavored to explain what the big issues were when it came to halting the decline in visitor numbers to our shores.

He was adamant that the solution to the problem did not come in the form of low cost airlines, I believe he used the term "prostituting Jersey" in a previous interview. Strong words indeed.

He also made it clear that he did not believe that simply reducing landing fees would have a significant impact in lowering the cost of a holiday to the average visitor. He calculated the saving to be worth just 2% to the average punter, not a "deal breaker" kind of number. That must come as some comfort then to the 21 individuals on £70,000 plus at the airport.

He believes that the solution to the problem lies not just with the ports of entry to this Island, but in fact with all of the different stakeholders. I presume here he refers to Tourism and Hoteliers getting their act together and even possibly a combined effort with the other Channel Islands.

Well not exactly - It was widely reported in the press that Guernsey had agreed a deal with Flybe to re-establish a Paris link. Their approach was considered an inappropriate way for Jersey to spend its money in the eyes of Mr. Green and so Jersey pulled out of the deal. No wonder Guernsey tourism refuse to mark Jersey on their national advertising campaigns. Credit to them for their entrepreneurial approach - at least they're prepared to take a chance for the benefit of the industry.

Lets just take a reality check at this point. Flying as I have said in the past is no longer seen as a luxurious form of travel. It has become commoditized, by that I mean whether we pay £250 for a flight or just £50, we don't expect to feel lucky to arrive safely based on the amount the flight cost. If we did, businesses like Ryanair would never have got started.

So lets dismantle the first myth, the cost of getting to this Island plays a huge part in the decision making process of the vast majority of tourists. Why am I so sure? Well I talk to my customers most of whom are small businesses and who in turn talk directly to their customers in this Internet driven age.

One hotelier said to me that when a prospective customers rings him, the first question he asks them is "have they made any travel arrangements?" Why? Because he knows that no matter what room rate he gives them, when it comes to the cost of travel that prospective customer will take one look at the numbers and that's the last he hears of them.

What difference can he make? Well if his prospective customer books his / her travel arrangements through the Hotel, the manager can give them a significantly discounted rate, because the likes of Condor gives them a discount, a discount not directly available to the potential tourist.

Now I'm not having a go at Condor for trying to maximize revenues, but it does concern me when I hear that following the demise of Emeraude that the way in which they price their fares could be having a detrimental effect on visitor numbers to these shores.

What Mr. Green seems to fail to understand, is that whilst he's guaranteed his £100,000 plus salary, there are no such guarantees for the small hotelier with a mortgage to pay and rooms to fill over a 7 month period (although this is rapidly shortening)

If there's one thing that Mr. Green is very effective at, it is his ability to use the soundbite to dramatic effect. So far we've had "prostitute", but now I read the departure gates feel "like a meat locker in winter", and the baggage collection area like a "Swedish weight-loss centre". Great prose, but is this one of those cases of a lot of style with very little substance?

Surely what his customers would like to hear is how he intends to get all those security stations operational, so as to get people to those gates, rather than which natty colour of pastel blue he intends to paint the departure gates.

Maybe if we have leather settees in the baggage collection area we'll be the talk of tourists the world over and be in all of those trendsetting magazines?

As one Hotelier said to me, "he thought that visitor numbers had bottomed out 3 years ago and he was hopeful for the future - today that hope hangs by a thread, as numbers yet again show no signs of a significant recovery.

Whilst I wish Mr. Green every success, I and I'm sure the whole of the hospitality industry would much prefer to see effective tangible results that benefit everybody rather than hearing the latest clever soundbite.