Production manager James Crimp, speaking from the company’s offices in Gothenburg, Sweden, said that the decision, which had been taken with reluctance after a six-month period of consideration, had been taken because of ‘shifts in the market, the general cost of living in Jersey, and because of travel complications’.He said that host families and suppliers had always provided excellent service – there were no complaints – and the Island was still seen as a safe destination for young people.There have been in recent years some unpleasant incidents in which young Swedish people had been assaulted or taunted by Jersey louts, but Mr Crimp denied that this was a factor in ‘dropping’ the Island as a destination.’We do not want to close the door on Jersey,’ he said, ‘but this is a prudent business decision at the moment.
There must be a set number of students to cover fixed costs, and in recent years the number of students wanting to come to the Island has been falling, and we cannot cover our costs.’In a letter written to its business contacts in Jersey, the school states that the market for ‘junior language travel’ has declined in recent years and, as a result, it will not be using Jersey as ‘a course town’ this year.In its first year of coming to the Island in the 1980s, the school brought around 1,400 young language students to the Island.The honorary Consul for Sweden, Philip Sturgess expressed his disappointment: ‘STS students coming to the Island were an investment in Jersey’s future.
Each student who came to the Island and enjoyed the visit would go back and tell parents and friends, and as a result there was a considerable increase in the number of tourists coming from Sweden.
It is very sad to hear that the school will not be coming this year.’
