ISLAND attractions are feeling the effects of the downturn in tourism. The Association of Places of Particular Interest is concerned about the shortage of visitors during what should be peak season.

Peter de Sausmarez, the association’s chairman, said that the island was being failed by the way it was advertised.

‘We have got a wonderful product, but only with great marketing will we get it humming and jumping with people.

‘The idea of having adverts on TV is a very good one. I see what they were trying to say in the recent lot of adverts, but they didn’t give any idea of what’s here at all.’

He is seigneur of the Fief de Sausmarez, which has experienced a 15% downturn this year.

He said that the island needed to be advertised as a long-stay destination and as a place with specialised interests, such as bird-watching, sailing and diving.

‘There are lots of things to see and do here. We have the finest cliff paths in Europe and the cleanest seas in Britain, and that’s just for starters.

‘I’d like to see more specialist travel journalists over here, not journalists who are just here for the free trip.’

He said that some self-catering was 50% down on previous years.

And getting rid of smaller, less expensive hotels was, he said, a mistake that would deter holidaymakers from the Continent who wanted to spend their money on other things.

‘The States don’t listen to us at all, they take no notice of what we say.

‘I’d like to see a very open dialogue and have someone to dialogue with. The Chamber of Commerce ‘which now takes a figurehead role for the industry’ have been better friends then we expected, but they’re not the ones in control.

‘It’s Commerce and Employment that need to listen.’

Nobody from VisitGuernsey was available for comment yesterday.