Britons flock to the ferries for the summer

Britons flock to the ferries for the summer

Stena Line 28 August 2009

- Stena Line witnesses summer surge in traffic on North and Irish Seas -

Stena Line has witnessed a summer surge of travellers on its crossings. In July the leading ferry operator reported increases in passenger traffic out of Wales, Scotland and England.

The Stranraer to Belfast route experienced a 9.4 per cent year-on-year increase for the month of July; the Harwich to Hook of Holland route reported 7 per cent year-on-year growth and Holyhead to Dublin a 3.8 per cent uplift whilst the UK’s airports reported a 15.2 per cent decrease in passengers leaving for the Republic of Ireland and a 13 per cent drop in passengers to Holland*.

The summer upsurge in Stena Line’s UK passenger traffic was surpassed by the growth in its car traffic. For the month of July year-on-year increases were:

  • 18.5 per cent between Holyhead and Dublin Bay
  • 12.1 per cent between Harwich and the Hook of Holland
  • 10.4 per cent between Stranraer and Belfast
  • 6.1 per cent between Fishguard and Rosslare


Dermot Cairns, Stena Line’s general manager for travel on the Irish Sea, said, “2008 was a better year than expected for Stena Line, so it’s significant that summer 2009 has been even more successful, despite the negative forecasts. The fact that the summer months, and July in particular, have been so strong and that we’ve observed such an increase in car transportation show that British holidaymakers have voted with their feet and opted for a ferry-based holiday this summer.

“Whilst year-on-year car numbers in July were 18.5 per cent up between Holyhead and Dublin Bay and 12.1 per cent up between Harwich and the Hook of Holland, British airports reported significant decreases in passengers leaving for both the Republic of Ireland and Holland during the same month. What Stena Line now intends to do is to consolidate our current course and maintain our performance despite the challenging times facing the industry,” Cairns concluded.

To make a booking visit stenaline.co.uk, call Stena Line on 08705 70 70 70, or visit your local travel agent

Notes to editors:
* CAA figures

In the UK alone, Stena Line offers two daily crossings on its Harwich to Hook of Holland route as well as over 30 daily crossings on its five different routes to Ireland (Stranraer to Belfast, Fleetwood to Larne, Holyhead to Dublin, Holyhead to Dun Laoghaire and Fishguard to Rosslare) providing fast and efficient crossings with excellent onboard services and facilities.

 

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