Smaller, high-end cruise liners sought to fill gap

Chairwoman Hannah Beacom said the board was disappointed with this year’s schedule, which has only six ships with capacity for more than 3,000 passengers set to visit, compared to about 25 last year.

The island is also vulnerable to losing more big ship sailings, as five of this year’s visits are being made by a single ship, P&O’s Ventura.

Ms Beacom said the island seemed to be following global cruise ship trends.

‘For example, we have had a couple of large cruise companies decide against visiting Guernsey this year,’ she said.

‘While they have made clear the decision was business and in no way a reflection of Guernsey or our offer to cruise passengers, fewer large cruise liners visiting the Bailiwick is a reality that we need to face.

‘Naturally we are disappointed and there is much work behind the scenes to persuade these lines that Guernsey can once more be a port of choice for them.’

That includes Princess Cruises, which last year saw the 3,560 capacity Regal Princess scheduled to visit 12 times.

More than 38,000 visitors came ashore in Guernsey off Princess Cruises ships.

But the company reportedly pulled Guernsey from its schedules due to concerns about fuel usage.

The Regal Princess is cruising in Europe this spring, but sailing to Cherbourg and Le Havre.

Ms Beacom said the States and tourist industry were looking to find other operators.

‘We have been targeting new business to fill this gap, in particular smaller high-end cruise companies which are an excellent fit for our product and unlikely to suffer the challenges that the larger vessels have been facing,’ she said.

‘As a result we saw 12 ships make an inaugural visit to Guernsey in 2023.

‘There are currently nine ships scheduled to visit this year for the first time, which is again positive.’

She said Guernsey was still an attractive cruise destination.

‘The Bailiwick continues to have a very strong offering for the cruise market, as evidenced by us continuing to see far more passengers coming ashore in the Bailiwick than the industry average,’ she said.

‘Last year 82% of passengers chose to come ashore, which is much higher than the industry average of 60-70%. This is testimony to the efforts of the welcome team and many businesses across the island which support these visitors.’

Ms Beacom said talks were continuing with operators of larger vessels and smaller high-end cruise companies.

There are 74 cruise ships set visit Guernsey this year, between early April and mid October. This compares with about 76 last year.

Andrew Ison from Guernsey Pearl, a popular destination for cruise liner passengers, has argued that smaller ships will never equal the spend from a larger ship.

‘I have the evidence to prove it,’ he said on the Guernsey Press’s Facebook page.

How do the costs compare?

The P&O Ventura is Guernsey’s largest regular visitor this year. Its first visit in early June will come at the end of an 11-day Spain and Portugal tour. Prices for an inside cabin on that trip start from £899 per person.

The 3,214-capacity Nieuw Statendam is set to visit in mid-April, at the end of a 14-day Bermuda, Brittany and English Channel itinerary. Prices for an inside cabin start from £1,719 per person.

The 200-capacity World Navigator is set to visit St Peter Port at the start of an eight-day London to Dublin trip. A cruise-only price starts from £6,399 per person, although there is a discounted rate for a second passenger.

The 264-capacity Le Lyrial is set to visit Guernsey and Herm in April at the start of an eight-day cruise from St Malo to Dublin. Prices start from £3,340.