By
Rebecca Gibson |
The island of Guernsey, located in the English Channel, experience a significant rise in cruise calls and passengers during the 2013 season.
One of Northern Europe’s most visited transit ports, Guernsey handled 84 cruise ships at St Peter Port, an increase of 22 cruise ships from 2012. The island also recorded a 54% year-on-year increase in passenger numbers, with 110,040 people coming ashore in 2013, compared to 60,486 in 2012.
“We are thrilled to have seen such a growth in this sector in just one year,” said Wendy Crame, marketing manager, trade and media at Visit Guernsey. “Being an island, cruises and the visitors they bring are incredibly valuable to our economy and tourism growth and, as part of our short and mid-term strategy, we are actively supporting the cruise business. We look forward to seeing further growth in this sector in 2014.”
Guernsey is already scheduled to handle 90 ships in 2014, including inaugural calls from Compagnie du Ponant’s L’Austral, P&O Cruises’ Adonia, Princess Cruises’ Emerald Princess and Ruby Princess, Costa Cruises’ Costa Classica and Cunard’s Queen Victoria. Each of the visits will be commemorated with a plaque exchange ceremony.
A number of other vessels will return to the island including Cruise & Maritime Voyages’ Marco Polo, TUI Cruises’ Mein Schiff, Celebrity Cruises’ Celebrity Infinity and MSC Cruises’ MSC Opera and MSC Magnifica.
Vsit Guernsey, which recognises the value the cruise market brings to Guernsey’s local economy, is working to improve services and facilities for visiting passengers. It recently produced pocket guides in five languages – Italian, German, Spanish, French and English – to ensure visitors are able to access the island’s tourist destinations easily.