With Visit Jersey announcing some great numbers for Easter this year, an optimistic picture is painted for the year.
Following a superb summer last year for weather, our hope is a stay closer to home with similar weather will be interesting a lot of UK and European travellers to visit our beautiful island. Our only concerns at this stage lay around making sure we can sufficiently staff our venues to provide the level of service expected by not only the businesses, but the visitors and locals too.
We are pleased to announce that our first Non-EU work permit has been approved under the scheme granted to us by our Home Affairs Minister following a paper and consultation from ourselves. This scheme will provide a highly experienced and skilled workforce into the island for a fixed period. This is beneficial to helping the busy seasons, and keeping to the governments wishes to reduce net migration into the island.
We are also working very closely with Skills Jersey to engage with students to encourage them to take jobs in hospitality, be it for weekend or summer work, or even looking for a career.
Personally, I have a good feeling we could be on for a great summer this year for our visitor economy, with a multitude of experiences for them to enjoy on island, including some incredible accommodation, award winning dining, vibrant nightlife and superb attractions and adventures.
For an island this size we really pack a punch and hopefully people are starting to see that now!
Jersey Hospitality Association CEO, Simon Soar