Ferry travel takes 14% dip

Thursday 04 May 2017

Ferry passenger numbers fell by 14% in 2016 - from 386,421 to 331,536 - according to figures released as part of Visit Jersey's annual report.

Meanwhile, the number of visitors travelling by plane increased by 4%, with numbers going from 771,368 to 800,481.

The decrease in the number of sea passengers comes on the heels of a host of disruptions in Condor Ferries sailings. Over the last year, the company has experienced a number of technical failures, as well as weather-related disruptions, both on the Rapide, which operates the French route, and the Liberation, which sails between the UK and the Channel Islands. Last year over Easter, one of the busiest periods of the year, the Liberation was detained over fears that it wasn't complying with maritime safety regulations. On Wednesday afternoon, the Liberation made contact with layby pontoon as it was berthing in St. Peter's Port in Guernsey. The incident, which is being investigated, caused damage to a leisure vessel that was moored nearby but did not cause any injuries.

The report also shows that the total number of visitors, which includes day trips, visiting friends and relatives, and business travellers dropped by 3.6% in 2016.

Staying business and non-leisure day visitors were also down by 21,000 (17%). That contrasted with the number of holiday-makers, which increased by 2.6%. 

In his foreword to the report, Kevin Keen, Chairman of Visit Jersey, cited: "...reasons beyond our control and an early reminder that however hard we work, external factors can always impact us and that progress towards our objectives is unlikely to be linear. "

Keith Beecham, CEO of Visit Jersey, said: "Visit Jersey concentrates on bringing more holidaymakers to our special island. But people come to Jersey for many reasons other than a holiday; to see friends and family, for business and to participate in events. Many factors influence their decisions. This includes route accessibility, the price of travel and accommodation, and the availability and quality of things to see and do. We will continue to work with our tourism and hospitality partners to ensure 1) our island is promoted as #theislandbreak and 2) the on-island experience for our visitors delivers great memories.”

"This was the third year of growth and the best for five years and beat our 2016 target of 352,000 staying holiday visitors, a growth of 2.6%. More first time holiday makers are coming. We are encouraged that a little over half, 53%, of those visiting for Holiday/Leisure said that this was their first visit to Jersey. Historically, this figure was slightly less than 50%."