NEWS SPECIAL REPORT
Ferry operators hope this month’s Ferry Fortnight will help drive growth this year after a challenging 2015. Hollie-Rae Merrick reports
Discover Ferries targets trade sales
Discover Ferries is looking to grow the ferry sector this year following a dip in passenger numbers in the UK in 2015.
Operators attributed the drop
to the much-publicised disruption on the route between Calais and Dover caused by the migrant crisis. Bill Gibbons, chairman of
Discover Ferries, the industry body representing the UK’s big ferry operators, believes the situation is now “resolved and under control”. He is pushing for growth this
year, something he believes is achievable as “more people opt to holiday closer to home”. Passenger numbers on the UK’s
75 ferry routes in 2015 dropped by 0.6% to 38.9 million on 2014.
Be a Ferry First-Timer
Gibbons hopes this year’s National Ferry Fortnight, which runs from March 5 to 19 and is themed ‘Be A
“We want to drive trade bookings . . . it is a really important distribution channel”
Ferry First-Timer’, will entice more people to travel by ferry this year. “Ferry Fortnight last year was a
great success,” he said. “However, we came across a problem in the summer when the issues on the Dover to Calais route began. “Following that we did move to
reassure people, and the French authorities have now resolved it and it’s under control. “We want to spread the word
about ferries, especially as more people are now opting to holiday closer to home because of troubles around the world. “People want to go to Spain,
Ireland, Holland, Belgium and France. They also just want to stay in the UK, so they should be rediscovering what a ferry can offer them.”
Gibbons comments on domestic
travel were supported by figures from the ferry association that showed carryings on routes to domestic destinations such as the Isle of Wight, the Isles of Scilly, Isle of Man, Channel Isles and Scottish Islands made it the best-performing sector in 2015. Passenger numbers on domestic
ferry services in 2015 rose by a modest 0.4% (64,000) to 16 million compared with 2014, while car carryings increased by 4.5% (166,050) to 3.69 million.
Promotional activities
During the two-week Ferry Fortnight campaign, operators will be running special offers
and there will be activity in the consumer press. Discover Ferries has also partnered with Travel Weekly on a route map that will be included with next week’s issue. Gibbons admits that ferry
operators currently don’t work closely enough with the trade. However, he hopes that will change and stronger ties will be built. “We want to drive up the
amount of bookings made by the trade, which is a really important distribution channel,” Gibbons said. “We want the trade’s help in sharing the message during the campaign period and beyond.” Ahead of Ferry Fortnight,
Discover Ferries is relaunching its website to make it “cleaner and easier to use”.
Details of special offers will be on the website and Gibbons hoped it would prove informative for the trade and consumers.
12
travelweekly.co.uk 3 March 2016
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