THE Island’s hospitality industry is being handed new freedoms under an overhaul of tourism laws aimed at “cutting unnecessary red tape” and driving investment.
The modernised Tourism Order, which comes into force on Thursday 23 April, removes a series of long-standing regulations that ministers say no longer reflect modern visitor expectations.
Among the changes are the scrapping of rules dictating how hotels must use internal space – including requirements for dedicated dining and sitting rooms – as well as the abolition of minimum bedroom thresholds for registration.
The amendment also replaces the traditional “net curtain” rule – which obliged hotels and guest houses to fit net curtains on bedroom windows in certain situations – with a more flexible requirement for “privacy coverings”.
Other reforms include lifting restrictions on where guests can sleep on campsites, and removing barriers that previously prevented the development of annexes.
The government said the move is designed to give accommodation providers greater freedom to innovate and respond to changing market demand.
Economic Development Minister Kirsten Morel said: “With this amendment to the Tourism Order we are cutting unnecessary red tape so that Jersey’s accommodation providers can modernise, reinvest, and strengthen the visitor experience for tourists.
“These changes should enable businesses to innovate, become more profitable, and contribute to a competitive visitor economy”
The amendment also modernises the language and standards used across the law.
Prescriptive requirements are being replaced with broader expectations – such as ensuring properties are run by a “competent person” and provide “suitable toilet facilities” – giving operators more flexibility in how they meet them.
The reforms form part of the Government’s wider 2024–2026 Common Strategic Policy and Visitor Economy Strategy, which aims to unlock growth in the tourism sector by reducing regulatory burdens.
