Better days forecast for flagging cruise liner sector
Brighter days have been forecast for Guernsey’s flagging cruise liner sector – but not until next year or the year after.
The number of cruise passengers disembarking annually has fallen over the past five years from about 115,000 to fewer than 40,000.
That has prompted the Economic Development Committee to abandon a move announced a year ago to attract smaller cruise ships and try a new approach from 2025 onwards.
It told the States it was increasingly confident that the number of arrivals would increase again, but tempered expectations ahead of this summer’s season.
‘Even though there have been a couple of years of not particularly good results, negotiations with the cruise operators are ongoing, and we are likely to see an uplift in 2026/27,’ said Economic Development president Neil Inder.
The shift to smaller, boutique-style ships was intended to attract passengers who would spend more in the island, but Deputy David De Lisle claimed it had been ‘a disaster’ for the cruise passenger sector.
‘In 2024 there were very few vessels and they were mainly small vessels.
‘I note that what is proposed again this year is a large proportion of small vessels. The future for the industry does not look bright,’ he said.
He wanted to know what was being done to encourage larger cruise liners to return to Guernsey.
Deputy Inder implied that Deputy De Lisle had a conflict of interest in the matter, referring to him as a local retailer, although he also said he agreed with the observations.
‘But sometimes we’ve got to realise that it’s not always the fault of government because circumstances change,’ said Deputy Inder.
‘There is also an infrastructure issue at the harbours which ultimately needs to be addressed.
‘It’s to do with offloading passengers safely and easily in inclement weather. That work is ongoing.’
The States has repeatedly delayed decisions about the long-term future of St Peter Port and St Sampson’s Harbours and is now awaiting further reports, but in the meantime a working party which includes Economic Development vice-president Deputy Simon Vermeulen is looking at improvements to encourage cruise operators to return to the island.
Economic Development has said that two major operators, AIDA and American Carnival, have already included Guernsey among their destinations for 2026.
