Tourism has long been part of Jersey’s economic make-up and hospitality is a vital part of what makes the Island an attractive place to live, work and do business. Much of the infrastructure that serves the needs of inbound visitors is also well-used and embedded in the lives of local people. Whilst other areas have grown to be more significant in economic terms, tourism and hospitality remain important to Jersey for a number of reasons:
A Turning Point for the Industry
Following several years of disruption to global travel flows and the hospitality industry’s ability to trade, we are continuing into a period of renewal and re-adjustment for the sector. Trading conditions remain challenging, particularly around things like staffing and increased operating costs, and whilst demand has recovered well against the lows of 2020, uncertainty remains in the short term, particularly with the current economic climate.
A combination of external economic factors as well as limited strategic oversight from the Government and lack of clarity on the direction of travel for the sector has led to a loss of investment confidence which is crucial to the continued survival, evolution and revitalisation of the hospitality and tourism industry.
There is a strong interdependency between the level of air and sea connectivity the Island enjoys and the visitor accommodation capacity on-island, and there is a risk that we may lose connectivity due to the decline in levels of bed stock. There is also a risk of Jersey not being perceived to offer good value for money if an ageing product is not revitalised and modernised to suit the expectations of consumers and be better aligned with the relatively high cost of Jersey as a destination.
However, in the long-term there is reason for positivity: when we take a step back and look at the long-term trend, the tide has been turning for Jersey’s tourism industry for several years. After a period of steep decline in visitor numbers to the early 2000s, this appears to have stabilised and indeed saw a return to growth for a number of years before Covid.
Tourism has long been part of Jersey’s economic make-up and hospitality is a vital part of what makes the Island an attractive place to live, work and do business. Much of the infrastructure that serves the needs of inbound visitors is also well-used and embedded in the lives of local people. Whilst other areas have grown to be more significant in economic terms, tourism and hospitality remain important to Jersey for a number of reasons:
A Turning Point for the Industry
Following several years of disruption to global travel flows and the hospitality industry’s ability to trade, we are continuing into a period of renewal and re-adjustment for the sector. Trading conditions remain challenging, particularly around things like staffing and increased operating costs, and whilst demand has recovered well against the lows of 2020, uncertainty remains in the short term, particularly with the current economic climate.
A combination of external economic factors as well as limited strategic oversight from the Government and lack of clarity on the direction of travel for the sector has led to a loss of investment confidence which is crucial to the continued survival, evolution and revitalisation of the hospitality and tourism industry.
There is a strong interdependency between the level of air and sea connectivity the Island enjoys and the visitor accommodation capacity on-island, and there is a risk that we may lose connectivity due to the decline in levels of bed stock. There is also a risk of Jersey not being perceived to offer good value for money if an ageing product is not revitalised and modernised to suit the expectations of consumers and be better aligned with the relatively high cost of Jersey as a destination.
However, in the long-term there is reason for positivity: when we take a step back and look at the long-term trend, the tide has been turning for Jersey’s tourism industry for several years. After a period of steep decline in visitor numbers to the early 2000s, this appears to have stabilised and indeed saw a return to growth for a number of years before Covid.
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