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BBC News
25-04-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Businesses suffer 'worst start ever' to tourist season
Tourism businesses have said it has been the worst start to a tourist season blamed DFDS's sailing schedule for a drop in day trippers, which they say does not give French tourists enough time to spend in Marcus Troy, who is also a hotelier, echoed the sentiments by telling the States Assembly it had been the worst start to a season for hospitality "in living memory".DFDS said 6,000 people travelled with them over the Easter weekend, adding that data from Visit Jersey suggested room bookings were consistent with last year. The Jersey Hospitality Association acknowledged that while things had been difficult there were plenty of encouraging Jon Morgan, who sells coach tours, said: "It's been the worst start to any tourism season I've been involved with."It's the poor scheduling of the St Malo ferry - the day trippers don't get long enough here."I've been told by French visitors when they go into the tourist office in St Malo they tell them to go to Guernsey instead because they get longer in Guernsey." Jane Van Loock agreed that the ferry schedule had led to it being the worst start to a season Van Loock said, "We are seeing a lot less day trippers coming from St Malo, obviously now with the restrictions of timetables. I understand the St Malo boat is only coming on a Friday, Saturday and Sunday.""We are also very isolated from Guernsey and so we are not seeing day trippers from there either." The slow start to the season has also been raised in the States to the BBC after the States Assembly sitting, Constable Troy said: "I'm a hotelier myself and I'm feeling the pinch."DFDS were unable to publish their schedule early enough. A lot of hotels have lost a lot of group bookings through the summer because group bookings from the UK have cancelled."The early season which has basically been taken care of by a company called Morvan Fils which is backed by Condor provides Jersey hotels with a significant amount of business in the early season and late season and that has disappeared completely." Marcus Calvani, from Jersey Hospitality, acknowledged that some parts of the tourism sector were having a very difficult time but said there were encouraging signs from the Calvani said: "Hotels that partake in international data processing that comes back to Visit Jersey shows thing are not that bad so there is a positive side to it."There is a lot of geopolitical situations going on that is effecting people's travel and as a destination we are holding our weight for once which is good news."He also defended DFDS's day trip schedule for visitors coming from France."If you look at this weekend, the French are spending about 10 hours on the island when they get here - that's the same if not more than past years," he said.
BBC News
22-04-2025
- General
- BBC News
Jersey's St Clement's parish issues dog poo warning
A Jersey parish has warned it could take legal steps to crack down on people who do not pick up their dog's poo in St Clement. Parish officials wrote in the St Clement local magazine that they were "ashamed of the mess in some areas" and warned they would fine people "heavily" if caught. Constable Marcus Troy said dog mess left on the ground was "significant" and dangerous for children and cattle".He said he was working with residents to catch people in the act and warned parish officials have the power to fine people up to £1,000. 'Problem areas' Mr Troy said there were challenges to fine people as there needed to be proof."They have to be reported in, or one of our Centeniers can catch them in the act," he said. "With a lack of CCTV cameras in some of the estates it's very difficult".A Freedom Of Information request to the government of Jersey revealed only one person in five years had been fined for not clearing up after their dog. The Constable said there were a number of problem areas in St Clement."One is Le Clos Mourant the new Andium development, and people are coming in from other parts of St Clement and St Saviour and exercising their dogs and not picking up after them," he said. "There's also Samares Lane, Le Bourg on the beach, and Le Hocq Lane. Those are the four hot spots"He added: "We have the power to fine people, anything from £5 to £1,000 and we will". St Clement resident and dog owner Karen Quinn said she had taken it upon herself to pick up other people's dog mess."There's no need for it," she said."There are certain things that you need to abide by if you have a dog and one of them is that you've got to pick up after your dog. "I don't know why people are so lazy".Mrs Quinn said she collected five or six extra bags of dog poo each time she took her pets out for a walk. She said that despite "no fouling" signs and free dog poo bags being supplied by the parish, the problem seemed to be "getting worse". "People let their dogs go straight underneath the signs," she said.
