Do you take a well-paid job with the enemy, while Russian slave labourers are being treated as “sub-humans”? Can you bear to see your family go hungry? Can you trust your neighbours? These are some of the dilemmas that will be put to visitors of Jersey War Tunnels in 2009 as the attraction reveals its latest investment.
Jersey War Tunnels open its doors this week for the 2009 season and will be launching a state of the art audio guide tour to further engage the visitor into the dark years of the German Occupation. The guides will offer a totally new experience to visitors by raising a number of thought provoking dilemmas throughout the tunnel complex.
The guides have been designed by the world’s leading producer of interpretative audio tours, Antenna Audio. The company is responsible for the audio systems at the Imperial War Museum, Kensington Palace, the London Eye, and the Vatican Museums.
The key feature of the handheld audio devises are the interactive buttons that allow users to make a series of ethical judgments as they walk around. Visitors at Jersey War Tunnels will be asked to put themselves in the shoes of those Occupied and make a number of life changing decisions such as: ‘Would you stay or would you leave?’, ‘If your family was starving, would you tell on your neighbour for extra rations?’
Jersey War Tunnels is introducing the English version of the guides this week and will then be launching the French and German translations in April. The second launch is planned to coincide with the start of the new Air Berlin routes to Jersey. Jersey Tourism will be promoting this new technology as part of their marketing this year.
Economic Development Minister Senator Alan MacLean, welcomes the new investment and said:
‘Jersey War Tunnels is a high quality attraction that provides an authentic insight into the personal stories from Jersey’s Occupation history. The new technology serves not only to enhance the visitor experience at the Tunnels but is also a great investment into local tourism. We’re very excited and believe it sends out a positive message to the industry. Investment such as this adds significantly to Jersey’s reputation as a fascinating destination.’
Chief Executive of Jersey War Tunnels, Paul Simmonds, said:
‘A strategic decision was made to continue to invest in our business by offering a new service to both UK mainland and European visitors in order to drive a positive change in these uncertain economic times. The new audio system represents a significant investment for us and we are very excited to be launching it for the start of the 2009 season. The guides have exceeded all our expectations; the first hand accounts and commentary is totally captivating and their interactivity adds a whole new dimension to the site. We hope that locals and school groups will re-visit Jersey War Tunnels and realise how much more there is to learn about our island’s Occupation history.’
This is the first time an audio system of this kind has been used at an attraction in Jersey and Creative Manager of Antenna Audio Limited, Nicola Wissbrock, said it’s been an exciting project:
‘We have worked very closely with the team at Jersey War Tunnels to create an audio tour that tells the extraordinary story of the Channel Islands’ German Occupation. The tour has been based on original testimonies and is particularly exciting as it is the first of its kind in Jersey. By confronting the visitor with some of the hard choices Islanders faced, the audio tour brings to life the experience of five long, testing years.’
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