Richard Huime, who built the German Occupation Museum with artifacts collected after the occupation, said his business was no longer profitable due to the lack of support since the pandemic.
“When COVID hit, everyone’s priorities were elsewhere and they never really went back. With the new state in 2020, as a partnership, we “We’ve seen a shift away from Visit Guernsey and now the tourism industry is fragmented,” he said.
“We had no business in 2020, and while we have seen a slight recovery in 2021 as well as 2022 and 2023, we have not returned to the level of 2019, which had around 10,000 visitors per year. yeah.”
“We’re not really breaking even at this point. It’s a very difficult problem.”
He said the loss of the Culture and Leisure Commission had split the tourism industry between economic development and education, sport and culture, but everything needed to fall under the same umbrella to boost Guernsey’s economy. said.
He said between the two state boards, the Hospitality Association and the Tourism Management Board, everyone is working independently and moving in their own directions.
“The future is not good. Even with cruise ships, the big ships aren’t coming anymore and we can’t rely on cruise ship passengers anyway.” Come here, stay here, make money. We need people to use it,” Huime said.
“The situation does not seem to be improving. I have expressed my concerns to the tourism board that Guernsey needs to be promoted all year round. One of the few attractions I have is Christmas We’re open every day of the year, but the year-round visitor numbers keep the hotel busy and our staff busy.”
Hume’s ideas include spending more money to boost marketing of the island, touring the Victor Hugo Center and perhaps even copying Renoir’s paintings and displaying them in a permanent gallery. include.
“If tourism is under one umbrella, you can regulate and manage the tourist attractions. You have one voice to promote everything on the island and work as a team. We are currently working with several different groups, but everyone is on their own and unfortunately many people on the island are isolated.
“Attractions are falling by the wayside, but hopefully we can revive what we have and build on it for the future,” he said.
