“ENCOURAGING” plans to turn an office building into a hotel have been welcomed as “signs of renewed confidence” within the tourism industry that could translate into an economic boost for the Island.
It follows the submission of a planning application – put forward by MAC Architectural Services on behalf of Vadis Ltd – to transform Union House into an 89-bedroom hotel with a restaurant and bar.
Commenting on the Union House application, Chamber of Commerce president Lee Madden said that “developments such as this are positive news for Jersey on a number of levels”.
Mr Madden continued: “Not only do they increase and modernise the Island’s visitor accommodation offering, they also generate valuable work and investment opportunities for the local construction, trades and supply sectors during the development phase.
“We are already beginning to see encouraging signs of renewed confidence within parts of the visitor economy, with greater investment interest, more strategic focus on tourism and a growing recognition of the sector’s wider economic value to the Island.”
Mr Madden contended that projects of this scale helped support jobs and stimulate local spending, while strengthening Jersey’s “long term attractiveness” as a destination for both leisure and business visitors.
“They also send an important signal that investors believe in the future potential of Jersey’s tourism and hospitality industry,” he added.
“Sustained investment will be essential if Jersey is to remain competitive, improve the quality and range of its visitor offering and deliver the wider economic benefits that a strong visitor economy can bring across multiple sectors.”
Jersey Hospitality Association co-chief executives Ana and Marcus Calvani said that such projects provided “much-needed modern accommodation stock” and “demonstrate growing confidence in the future of Jersey’s visitor economy”.
“For too long, hospitality and tourism were not given the strategic focus they deserved, and reversing decades of decline was never going to happen overnight,” they continued.
“Over the last couple of years, we have spent significant time working alongside industry and government to help ensure economic impact and wider Island benefit play a far greater role within planning and policy decisions.”
They noted the approval of plans for the Strive hotel to be built near the Airport in St Peter, describing the decision by the Planning Committee earlier this year as an “important milestone”.
“It is encouraging to now see further projects coming forward that reflect renewed confidence and momentum within the sector,” they added.
“While there is still a long way to go, real progress has been made in creating a clear Visitor Economy Strategy, modernising conversations around the industry and beginning to rebuild investment confidence.
“Jersey’s hospitality sector is evolving to meet the expectations of modern travellers, and developments such as this show investors are willing to back that future.”
Last year, Environment Minister Steve Luce told a Scrutiny panel that he would “like to see, where possible, the development of new hotels”, explaining that he was “very conscious” that the number of tourist beds in the Island was not what it used to be.
The Island has lost several hotels in recent years, including the Mayfair, Stafford, Revere and Apollo.
