Beaches And History Attract Visitors

Visitors say the outdoors and heritage attracted them to come, but it's the food they really love.

A new annual report shows that Guernsey's natural environment and its rich history are the things that persuade visitors to book a trip.

But when surveyed on leaving, at either the airport or harbour, they say eating out in the restaurants, cafes and kiosks was probably the best thing, with 85% doing this regularly.

Just under 73% enjoyed visiting the cliffs and beaches and 66% said they were active and either walked or went running during their trip.

The annual survey is new and shows that while the number of people travelling is up 10% on 2022, it's still 19% below pre pandemic, 2019 figures.

Just under 564,000 people departed Guernsey last year, including visitors, residents and cruise passengers.

That figure is a 10% recovery on 2022, but is still 19% lower than 2019.

Those choosing to fly grew by 7% last year and sailings jumped by 15% - but again, both are down on 2019 numbers.

Helen Walton heads up Data and Analysis at the States and says the report should be a useful resource:

"The more detailed information has not been published before and I am hopeful that it will prove to be a reliable and useful source of information for those seeking to better understand the visitor economy."

Hannah Beacom, who chairs the Tourism Management Board says 2024 is a key year:

"We’re hopeful of further growth in 2024, which is the first year we’re considering as no longer being a “recovery year.”

The TMB will publish its new strategy in the coming few months.