A very strong April and May 2018 contributed towards an increase in visitors to Guernsey of +2% (excluding cruise ships and visiting yachts) in Quarter 2 2018 (Q2) versus the same period last year.
This translated into over 13,000 additional bed nights spent in paid for commercial accommodation in the quarter compared with Q2 2017 (+5% increase).
Deputy Dawn Tindall, member of the Committee for Economic Development said: “The growth in Q2 was driven by increases during April and particularly May 2018, which was a very strong month; June performed less well due to repeated occurrences of fog and also due to the impact of the World Cup, with fewer people travelling generally. Despite this and including the tough Q1 it is encouraging that bed nights in commercial accommodation for the year to date are still on the increase.
“With additional TV and digital advertising due to go live later this month, to co-ordinate with the release of the “Guernsey Literary & Potato Peel Pie Society” film on DVD & Blu-Ray, we are optimistic for a positive year for Guernsey’s tourism industry.”
Although year to date total departing visitors (excluding cruise passengers and visiting yachtsmen) decreased by -2% versus 2017, due to poor weather conditions in the first quarter, commercial bed nights, a key contributor to the tourism visitor market, increased by +1% (+4,025 bed nights) compared with the first half of 2017.
Including cruise passengers and visiting yachtsmen, total visitor numbers increased by +1.4% from April – June 2018 (148,614 compared to 146,617 in Q2 2017). Excluding cruise passengers and visiting yachtsmen, visitor numbers increased by +2% (89,434 compared to 87,801 in Q2 2017).
Total staying leisure visitors remained stable at 48,647, whilst total staying visitors, which includes staying business visitors and those staying for other reasons increased by +1% (+924 visitors).
Visitors staying in commercial accommodation increased by +3% (+1,897 visitors) with an increase in bed nights of +5% (+13,321 additional nights). The average length of stay also increased by +2% (4.34 nights compared to 4.25 nights in Q2 2017).
Staying business visitors saw a healthy increase of +26% (+1,994) compared with Q2 2017 and business day visits remained stable at 2,773. Leisure day visits saw an increase of +7% (+868), but day visitors visiting friends and relatives decreased by -43%, albeit from a low base (-71).
There was a +5% increase in visitors from the UK (+2,894), visitors from France increased by +3% (+246) and elsewhere by +11% (+1,164). However, visitors from Jersey declined by -35% (-2,670).
Visiting yachtsmen saw a decrease of -14.2% compared to 2017, with cruise passengers increasing by +3%.
Visitors travelling by air increased by +4% (+2,050); those travelling by sea decreased by -1% (-417).
Although marketing activity carried out during Q2 to capitalise on the launch of the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society movie is expected to have an impact on visitor numbers later this year and during 2019, early positive signs are emerging with VisitGuernsey’s online visitor survey showing that over 20% of leisure visitors to Guernsey during Q2 claimed their decision to visit the island was influenced by the marketing activity surrounding the release of the film and/or by having seen the film.
