The politician responsible for tourism has insisted the new methods for collected passenger data are an improvement.

Enterprise Minister Laurence Skelly said the 2018 figures - which were much more positive than 2017 - were based on a better model.

The latest Passenger Survey revealed that visitor numbers increased by 0.8% last year, to 308,263. Figures from the previous year’s survey - which appeared to show a large slump in visitors - were recalculated. They now suggest that, rather than dropping 8.9% in 2017 from 292,328 to 266,850 - the lowest figure in a quarter of a century - they actually went up to 305,800.

A row broke out after the publication of the 2017 figures last year. Many in the tourist industry questioned their veracity.

There was a falling out between Cabinet Office and the Department for Enterprise over the figures in the 2017 survey and, just weeks after they were published, the Steam Packet revealed a 3.4% increase in passenger numbers over the same time.

In the House of Keys last week, Mr Skelly said the 2018 Passenger Survey reflected investment in the industry around the island.

He praised the ’improved model now being used with more accurate information using the Steam Packet visitor data and the consequent positive restatement of 2017 and 2016 figures’.

He added: ’Working together with the Cabinet Office, I hope that next year’s survey will be able to also include more accurate air figures as well in order to give an even better indication of the relevant split between visitor and resident departures.’

Mr Skelly described 2018 as a ’positive year of growth’.

’It is encouraging to see this confirmed by the survey, which remains one of the key independent methods used to monitor the industry’s health,’ he continued.

’The survey shows that 2018 continued the trend of gradual growth over recent years, both in volume terms and importantly in spend terms, with this year reporting a significant 12% increase in spend per passenger.

’The number of visitors staying in paid accommodation is now approaching levels last seen in 2000, prior to the foot-and-mouth outbreak and the cancellation of the TT that year.’

But he said more needed to be done to attract visitors and warned that numbers would ’stagnate or decline without concerted investment’.

The latest survey was not all good news as the number of non-business visitors staying in paid accommodation fell last year by about 1,000 or 0.7%.

Resident travel increased by 0.2% to 382,993. For both residents and visitors, the increases were accounted for by a rise in air travel of 5.2%. Total sea travel in 2018 fell by 6%.