Data produced by the IRN, an independent travel research company for the ferry industry, has shown that Guernsey secured 55% of all UK-Channel Islands ferry passengers this summer.
112,255 passengers travelled between Portsmouth and Poole to Guernsey from April to October this year, compared with 92,023 to Jersey from the same two ports.
October’s figures have reinforced the trend, with 57% of UK-Channel Islands traffic over the month coming to Guernsey with Brittany Ferries.
The company’s success in growing French travel by nearly 60% year-on-year has been well trailed. Brittany Ferries carried 99,325 passengers between St Malo and Guernsey from April to October 2025. This was 36,472 more passengers than 2024.
And yesterday the Committee for Economic Development, which in its previous political existence had selected Brittany Ferries ahead of Jersey’s choice of DFDS for the route, was happy to welcome more success.
‘It’s been fantastic to see growth figures on our northern route which is obviously a very important route for us and for Guernsey to take such a strong share of the overall Channel Islands market,’ said president Sasha Kazantseva-Miller.
‘We’ve obviously seen a very significant growth in our Guernsey to St Malo routes, which is up almost 60% this year.
‘I think we are now very well positioned to be at the heart of the channel to be an essential potential stop in multi-stop holidays too.
‘That’s something we’re very keen to develop with Brittany Ferries going forward a multi-centre holiday with our Bailiwick islands and then going to France, or going north to UK for visitors from France as well.
‘Being an island community, connectivity is absolutely crucial to our economy, to our community, for everything really.
'Having this improved connectivity, both going to France and also going north to the UK, is fundamental for the well-being and prosperity of Guernsey and the wider Bailiwick.
‘This is something we will continue building on.’
The announcement that Guernsey has secured a 55% share of the market comes after September’s announcement that overall carryings to Guernsey had increased by almost a third since its contract with States started in April.
‘We have seen a fantastic first summer and a consistent growth over the full seven months, which is all the more remarkable when you consider the respective populations of both islands.
‘For the Bailiwick of Guernsey to have welcomed well over half of all UK visitors by sea to the Channel Islands is a credit to everyone involved,’ said Christophe Mathieu, the CEO of Brittany Ferries.
Total Guernsey visitor numbers were up 4% in Q3. Jersey's numbers for the year were down 17%.
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