Hotels in Guernsey will now have a choice of how they receive financial help from the States.

The Policy & Resources Committee will offer visitor accommodation support through a form of payroll co-funding, or through a grant scheme.

Businesses will be able to choose one or the other, and P&R believes this will give more flexibility to how the sector manages through the winter months.

The decision comes following examination of claims submitted and feedback from an independent review.

Analysis of that work is continuing and the details will be made public once its completed.

It means details of the specific terms and the exact value of the support options are still to be finalised.

That could delay when the first payments under the new scheme - which starts on 1 October - can be paid out, but the Committee says it is confident this will still happen before the end of October.

52 hotels and visitor accommodation businesses are eligible for ongoing government support and will receive letters in the coming days telling them so.

"The Committee would like to take the opportunity to thank visitor accommodation businesses for the provision of the financial information which accompanied their claims, which is vital in determining the appropriate level of support, and would like to reassure them that commercial confidentiality is being preserved."  - Policy & Resources

The States has so far provided more than £40m in 'lifeline' support to businesses across a range of sectors since the beginning of the pandemic.