PARTNERSHIPS between tourism businesses will look to give visitors a more exciting holiday, following a workshop yesterday.
The Visit Guernsey workshop event attracted representatives across the sector to brainstorm new heritage ideas, with a particular focus on the Occupation.
The workshop at Les Cotils attracted about 50 guests from hoteliers to event and activity organisers to passenger carriers like Aurigny and Condor.
Miss Ferguson said the morning had seen some exciting ideas being put forward, with hotels connecting with tour guides and visitor attractions to offer packages and deals.
‘We have had Le Chene Hotel looking at offering tickets to the nearby Occupation Museum, Guernsey Rib Adventures reinventing their bunker tour, Camp de Reves opening up the bunkers on their property for tours, and even the Priaulx Library getting involved with their archives and Occupation offering,’ she said.
‘Tour guide Amanda Johns, who is the vice-chairwoman of Guernsey Tourism Partnership, was one of those expanding her network at the event.
‘Visit Guernsey approached us to come up with ideas to promote heritage and tourism and the workshop came up out of those conversations,’ she said.
‘It has been an excellent morning, this was an open forum and a chance to collaborate with people you normally don’t get to meet and to discuss our ideas to promote the island’s heritage, especially around the Second World War, with the 80th anniversary of D-Day this year and the 80th anniversary of Liberation Day next year.’
‘We now have access to two of the Festung bunkers that have not been open before, as they now have electricity,’ she said, ‘and we want to take advantage of that.’
A member of Festung Guernsey herself, she was part of the volunteer team who helped to lay a new electric cable to connect the fortifications.
‘Our sector was hit hardest by Covid and has had the longest recovery, but there is real positivity about this year,’ she said.
‘Guernsey is in the perfect position as we have some rich heritage and history, and we need to make people aware of it.’
The workshop aimed to showcase Guernsey’s rich history to visitors and develop new heritage-themed offerings for tourists. With representatives from various sectors including hotels, event organizers, and transportation carriers in attendance, the focus was on stimulating and supporting new product development with a heritage theme. Exciting ideas were discussed, including collaborations between hotels, tour guides, and visitor attractions to offer comprehensive packages and deals. For example, Le Chene Hotel planned to offer tickets to the nearby Occupation Museum, Guernsey Rib Adventures intended to reinvent their bunker tour, and Camp de Reves decided to open up their bunkers for tours. Even the Priaulx Library offered their archives and information on the Occupation. By encouraging tourism businesses to expand their offerings during shoulder seasons, Visit Guernsey aims to attract visitors who will stay longer and explore the island’s rich history. One of the attendees, tour guide Amanda Johns, expressed her enthusiasm for promoting Guernsey’s heritage, especially focusing on the upcoming 80th anniversary of D-Day and 80th anniversary of Liberation Day. Johns herself is launching a new tour around Fort Hommet, taking advantage of recently accessible Festung bunkers. She highlighted the importance of raising awareness about Guernsey’s rich history and positioning the island as an attractive destination for visitors. Despite the challenges posed by the pandemic, there is optimism within the tourism sector, and the workshop provided a platform for collaboration and innovation to enhance the visitor experience and promote Guernsey’s heritage.
