By
Rebecca Gibson |
Ferry services between the UK and mainland Europe will not be affected by the UK’s decision to exit the European Union, according to industry body Discover Ferries.
The association represents 12 ferry groups, including operators like Brittany Ferries, P&O Ferries and DFDS, which sail between the UK and continental countries like France, the Netherlands, and Spain.
“Holidaymakers can rest assured that this decision will not affect their summer travel plans,” said Bill Gibbons director of Discover Ferries. “Ferries will continue to travel as normal and there will be no changes to routes or schedules and it will be business as usual.”
According to Gibbons, the ferry industry is an important source of inbound visitors to the UK.
“Our ferry members handle 38 million ferry crossings a year and the latest International Passenger Survey just published by the government shows that international inbound trips to the UK by sea increased by 6% last year from 4.9 to 5.2 million,” said Gibbons. “And ferry companies are responsible for a large volume of the imports and exports that are brought into and out of our country as freight. So far this year our figures show the volume of freight has increased by 4.5% from 2.43 to 2.54 million trailers, trucks and lorries.”