Europe cross channel ferries gain from UK airports ‘backlash’
A growing backlash against airport delays in the UK has led to an upturn in demand for ferry travel, according to industry body the Passenger Shipping Association.
The number of UK ferry passengers increased by 0.8% to reach nearly 15.7 million passengers in the half year to June 2007, according to the latest Ferrystat figures produced by IRN research in conjunction with the PSA.
The PSA said the results proved that holidaymakers are increasingly choosing ferry travel as a preferred mode of transport to the continent, the UK and Ireland.
There has been an overall 3.5% rise in car journeys to the Continent, Ireland and the British Islands (excluding Scottish routes).
UK and Ireland routes have seen car carryings up by 5.6%, journeys to the British Isles are up by 4.4%, while car journeys to the Continent have increased by 2.4%.
This upturn suggests that more and more travellers, especially families, are taking self-drive holidays to avoid “unpleasantly crowded” airport terminals, the PSA said.
Director Bill Gibbons said: “Customer perceptions are changing and ferries are increasingly being seen as a more convenient, family-friendly and less stressful way to travel.
“It is often less expensive to travel by ferry during school holidays than to fly and there are no luggage restrictions or extra costs.” “Passengers appreciate the shorter check-in times, the freedom of travelling with their own car and the opportunity to relax on board.”
The PSA’s revamped information website www.sailanddrive.com lists ferry routes and ferry companies available from the UK to the Continent, Channel Islands, Isle of Man, Isle of Wight, Scottish Isles and Ireland.
There are direct ferry routes to Denmark, Norway, Belgium, Holland, France and Spain as well as access to Germany and beyond.
Report by Phil Davies
John Alwyn-Jones
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