RISE IN HOLIDAYMAKERS REPORTED AMIDST FUNDING CALL
The number of people visiting Jersey in the first few months of the year was higher than last year, a tourism chief has said.
Tricia Warwick, chief executive of Visit Jersey, which promotes the island, reported a rise of 17% in the number of holidaymakers to the island from January to May.
John Henwood, a political commentator, called on Jersey ministers to invest more in tourism and said Visit Jersey was underfunded.
Steve and Vanessa Butcher, who have holidayed on the island 75 times in the past 39 years, said that, although Jersey was expensive and had fewer hotels and attractions than in the past, it was "a home from home" for them.
Ms Warwick said Jersey saw 98,900 holidaymakers from January to May this year, an increase of 14,100 leisure visitors on the 84,800 in the same period last year.
She said Visit Jersey wanted to see larger visitor numbers in the so-called shoulder months, either side of the main summer season.
She said: "We're working on what you can do to make it a compelling reason to come here off season."
Mentioning Jersey's history, culinary offerings and outdoor activities, she said: "All that kind of stuff is what we're talking about building the momentum of."
Extend the season
Mr Henwood said Visit Jersey could attract more tourists if it had a better budget and events between May and October could be the key.
He said: "I think that would do a great deal for the hospitality sector, in the sense it would fill beds at times they're not full."
"Having developed the shoulder months more, you push the seasons out through events and other ways in order to make the season much longer," he added.
Steve and Vanessa Butcher have visited Jersey 75 times since they won a day-trip in a competition in 1985.
Mr Butcher said: "From the first time we came, we wanted to come back, and we came back, and we wanted to keep coming back, so it's gone on from there."
Over the years, they have seen change.
Mrs Butcher said: "Many of the hotels we've stayed in are no longer hotels, they're care homes and apartments, and there's not as much accommodation as there was."
Mr Butcher said there were fewer attractions and they had previously enjoyed visiting the tropical gardens, the strawberry and the carnations farms.
Despite this, they called the island "scenic, friendly and homely" and would keep visiting, they said.
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