Jersey hotels 'not seeing more visitors'

The Jersey Hospitality Association (JHA) has not seen the rise in visitors suggested by the airport, it has said.

Jersey Airport passenger figures for January rose by 7.4% compared to the same month in 2010.

But the JHA said the figures for staying visitors had remained static.

Robert Jones, the president of the JHA, said the number of people coming yo the island in January to stay overnight was small and a lot of the hotels were closed at this time of year.

He said staff visiting to work on the new Waitrose stores may have helped with hotel bookings so far this year.

Mr Jones said although there had been an increase in business travellers for January, he was not sure whether the holiday trade would pick up later this year.

He added that people were leaving it later to book holidays so Jersey needs marketing throughout the year to catch those who have not yet decided.