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Jersey seeks trade support as it pitches to younger travellers

Visit Jersey is encouraging the trade to pitch the destination to a younger audience by promoting its “Instagrammable” qualities.

Tricia Warwick, the organisation’s chief executive, told Travel Weekly about attempts to change perceptions about the island.

“The 25-44 age bracket don’t really know us and if they do they think, ‘That’s where gran and grandpa go’,” she said.

About 72% of visitors come from the UK, with increasing numbers being intergenerational groups, Warwick said, but efforts are under way to shift trends further.

She added: “We’re pushing our culinary offering and the great outdoors and wellbeing. We’ve got cold water swimming packages and an outdoor sauna.

“And I think those are more contemporary ways of holidaying than people think of Jersey. So the message to agents is: don’t think Jersey is just for the ageing demographic.

“Jersey is definitely available, ready and accessible for a younger audience and a really enjoyable way to spend a few nights. Come and discover it, because you will come back.”

Describing the island as “Instagrammable”, she highlighted its “compactness” as well as its historic sites.

“We’ve got old castles and an old lighthouse and we’ve got La Hougue Bie, which is older than the Pyramids,” she said.

Visit Jersey worked with the island’s government to create a long-term strategy to grow the visitor economy.

The blueprint, published in December last year, focuses on “changing perceptions and shaping the future”, Warwick said.

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