Jersey tourism numbers increase but struggle to reach pre-pandemic levels

While visitor numbers aren't quite back to 2019 figures, Visit Jersey hopes a new campaign will rebrand Jersey as a popular scenic attraction to bring in repeat visitors from the UK and Europe. Credit: ITV Channel

Jersey's tourism industry is struggling to bounce back to pre-Covid levels, new visitor figures reveal.

Visit Jersey has released statistics for 2023 visitor numbers as it works on a new campaign to encourage more tourists to the island.

The latest data shows around 527,000 people visited Jersey in 2023 - an 11% increase from the year before.

But this was 31% down from 2019, which saw 770,700 total visitors according to the Jersey government website.

There are signs of recovery, however, as overnight visits in 2023 increase by 8% from the year before, with the average length of stay also increasing from 2022.

To drive more tourists to the island, Visit Jersey will launch a new campaign for the spring and summer, along with a brand new video advert.

'Where Sea Meets Soul' will target younger audiences and will launch across France and Germany, as well as the UK, to reach European tourists.

Visit Jersey states: "The new campaign is driven by the goal of increasing overnight leisure visits, which have been the slowest category to recover post-Covid."

Visit Jersey CEO Tricia Warwick hopes a new advert and tourism campaign will help boost visitor numbers. Credit: ITV Channel

Visit Jersey CEO Tricia Warwick hopes the new advert rebrands Jersey as a scenic destination that draws in repeat visitors, paralleling places like Wales and Scotland's panoramic landscapes, rather than competing with Mediterranean destinations.

She said: "The bucket and spade appeal was a long time ago, but life's moved on and I think we need to be more authentic about what Jersey is and what it can offer visitors as well.

"For the first time, we're going into cinema. The aerial imagery we're using of Jersey really portrays the island from a different aspect and surprises people.

"And that's what you need - you need to surprise, you need to get cut through, and you need to get people to consider Jersey."

Tricia claims that Tourism Economics predicts Jersey's visitor numbers could return to pre-pandemic levels by the end of 2025 or early 2026.

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