Sports tourism seeing 'positive advancements'

Guernsey marina manager Steve Lowe says he has more tourists arriving for regattas and other events

Sporting events in Guernsey have seen more tourists come to the island specifically for such activities, organisers say.

Attracting more visitors to the island for sporting events was one of the Tourism Management Board's aims for 2024, according to the States Framework for the Visitor Economy.

Representatives from water sports such as sailing and swimming said they had been seeing visitors come to enjoy the island's natural landscapes, especially since the Covid-19 pandemic.

Not all sports have seen the same surge in interest, with golf and fishing organisers saying they wanted more support to bring in tourists for what they had to offer.

'Could do so much more'

Sports Commissioner, David Piesing, said there had been "positive advancements" in sports tourism.

He said he had seen more "support and enthusiasm" towards attracting visitors to the island for sporting events.

Local fisherman Tim Froome said he would like to see a greater push for sports tourism on the island.

He said: "We've got great boat-fishing around the island and we, as fishing clubs and the tourism industry, are in talks to improve that at the moment.

"We are located brilliantly with a wonderful coastline and fantastic beaches [...] so it's a great mixed ground to achieve more tourists."

"It's something that's been missed out on for so many years. We could do so much more to attract anglers to the island."

Guernsey 'ticks boxes'

Open-water swimming holiday company SwimTrek brought two teams swimming 32 miles (50km) in bays on a guided package last month.

Founder Simon Murie said the company would be returning after a positive experience.

He said: "The water quality is incredible. Guernsey gives you good visibility, interesting sealife, and quite accessible water temperature, so it ticks a lot of boxes with a lot to do in the water and on land."

Mr Murie said changeable weather impacting travel was the only downside of a sporting holiday in the island.

He said: "Some people told us that they'd heard you could be fogged in, or weathered in, in Guernsey, so that put some people off."

Guernsey Ports marina manager Steve Lowe said the sailing infrastructure in the island was partly to thank for increases in visitor numbers.

He said: "We're fortunate because we're one of the only marinas this side of the English Channel that has all these berths just for visitors.

"We're a good venue and we can cope with a large number of vessels at the same time."

Tourists arriving in private vessels generally did not check into hotels, but slept on their boats, Mr Lowe said.

He said that, by parking in the marina, visitors could contribute to the tourism industry.

He said: "We've noticed over the years that the boats are getting bigger, so, for income for ports, that's even better."