JERSEY risks losing ground to rival destinations if tourism funding is allowed to fall further in real terms, according to the head of the body responsible for promoting the Island overseas.
Visit Jersey chief executive Tricia Warwick said she is “concerned” that the government’s proposed Budget for 2026–2029 will leave the tourism organisation unable to sustain the level of marketing needed to compete in an increasingly aggressive travel market.
Although the proposed Budget does not specify Visit Jersey’s allocation, the organisation says projected departmental increases indicate its core grant is likely to remain at £4.72 million or less.
In a submission to the Budget review being carried out by the Economic and International Affairs Scrutiny Panel, Mrs Warwick said that when Visit Jersey began in 2015 its core grant was £5m, but that “the real term value of the grant continues to be eroded by inflationary pressures”.
“Adjusted for inflation, it would now stand at £7.46m, meaning 2025 funding reflects a 49% real-terms reduction,” she added.
Visit Jersey warned that this sustained funding squeeze and rising marketing costs is already limiting Jersey’s ability to reach new visitors.
“Rising media costs mean that Visit Jersey must invest more each year simply to sustain the same level of audience reach,” she said.
Over the past decade, costs for TV have risen by 58%, video on demand by 24%, radio by 24%, and outdoor advertising by 31%, according to the organisation.
Mrs Warwick said the “combined effect” of inflationary pressure, rising production costs and last year’s 4% cash reduction means Visit Jersey’s ability to compete in core markets is now “materially constrained”.
She explained: “In practical terms, without a budget uplift, Visit Jersey’s ability to reach new prospective visitors diminishes each year.
“The post-Covid travel market is more competitive than ever, with destinations aggressively fighting for visitors to accelerate recovery and secure future growth.”
The chief executive said that while temporary support – such as the £2m per year Visit Jersey currently receives through the Better Business Support Package – helps “tactically”, it does “not enable long-term strategic planning and delivery”.
Mrs Warwick warned that the “current core grant limits our ability to generate the
scale of demand required to fulfil the ambitions of the Visitor Economy Strategy” – which included expanding air and sea connectivity, increasing shoulder-season travel, and driving higher productivity across the tourism sector.
She also highlighted the gulf between Jersey’s investment and industry norms.
Tourism boards typically spend 5 to 15% of visitor revenue on marketing, the chief executive said. With Jersey’s visitor economy valued at £290m, a 5% benchmark would equate to £14.5m.
Visit Jersey’s likely 2026 grant of £4.7m represents just 1.6%.
The submission also outlined the strategic advantages Jersey is poised to capitalise on — including new airline partnerships, expanding UK connectivity and the launch of the second series of the Bergerac reboot – but warned that constrained budgets are preventing the Island from fully seizing these opportunities.
Mrs Warwick concluded: “At current core grant funding levels, Visit Jersey will work hard to protect visitor volumes, but is not able to unlock the growth required to sustain and expand connectivity and to increase productivity for tourism businesses.
“Visit Jersey remains fully committed to delivering the best possible return on public investment and to leading a collaborative, data-driven approach to tourism growth.”
