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2017 has been a good year for tourism with visits, nights, and spending figures from January to October all up from last year.
Total visitor trips went up by 4% in the first ten months to 672,200 - 52% of them being first-timers - while the amount they spent rose by 4% in the first nine months, amounting to £212 million.
The number of leisure visits increased by 16% this year, reaching 390,528. Visitors stayed a total of 2.7 million nights - 1,095,659 of them in the three months to October, which was 4% more than at the same period in 2016.
Visit Jersey said the figures, which were obtained through an Exit Survey analysis, were promising although the number of day visits dropped by 24% to 102,422 while the staying business visits were down 3% at 49,553.
It is hoped that a new inter-island ferry service will help grow the number of day trippers visiting the island, especially from Guernsey, who currently account for 5% of the visiting population. An open tender has just been launched jointly by the States of Jersey and Guernsey.
Pictured: There are hopes that a new inter-island ferry service will help grow the island's visitor base.
The UK is still the biggest provider of visitors to the island, accounting for with 65% of the total. Meanwhile, nearly one in five visitors were from France. Differences in the average length of stay by market meant that the UK accounted for 78% of all visitor nights in Jersey, whereas France accounted for 6%.
Senator Lyndon Farnham, Minister for Economic Development, Tourism, Sport and Culture, said that he was "very pleased" with the growth.
"I am particularly encouraged that Jersey's drive to boost visitor numbers in the shoulder months, by introducing a programme of world class events, is proving successful.
"The inaugural Super League Triathlon was a spectacular event and contributed significantly to the uplift in September. I would also like to recognise the good work of Visit Jersey together with the commitment and support of the Tourism industry and look forward to continued growth in the visitor contribution to the islands economy in the years ahead," he commented.
CEO of Visit Jersey Keith Beecham added: “These results, which include the important summer season, are a testament to the hard work of so many in the tourism and hospitality industry. We have seen growth from the UK and France and with added capacity from Germany next year we are optimistic that we will be reporting growth from Germany too next year.”
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