A REVOLUTIONARY move to fund Jersey’s tourism industry with both private and public money is one step closer to becoming a reality.

The Council of Ministers have given their backing to a proposal to turn Jersey Tourism into a private-public partnership next year. Under the scheme, the private sector would share costs with the States but would have more say in how Jersey is marketed.

And it is expected that the Jersey Hospitality Association – an independent trade association set up around 50 years ago to promote hospitality and tourism in the Island – will merge with the new organisation by 2011.

The new organisation, provisionally called Marketing Jersey, will manage the Jersey brand and improve the image of the Island as a place to visit, invest in and buy goods and services from. It will market Jersey as a destination for both business and leisure visitors and will be run by a board of directors with a number of executive committees. It is anticipated that the majority of the Jersey Tourism team will continue within the new organisation.

• The new organisation hopes to boost tourism figures