Retailers in Guernsey are being urged to consider opening on Sundays when cruise ships are in the harbour, to cash in on passengers.
It follows a detailed study of the spending habits of visitors coming ashore in 2017, which found they spend less on a Sunday – a day when fewer shops in St Peter Port open.
Overall, cruise ship passengers spent a collective £4million last year, equating to £36.46 per person.
While the per person rate was up 16% year on year, the total amount was flat because the number of passengers coming ashore was down, with 15 ships unable to disembark due to bad weather.
Mike Hopkins, director of marketing and tourism at Visit Guernsey said: “Despite the challenges of this season, the cruise market continues to show continued growth and be a vital part of Guernsey’s tourism business.”
Despite that, 110,288 did experience St Peter Port – nearly three quarters of them from the UK. Here’s what we know about those sea visitors:
- 54% were aged over 60
- The average party size is 2.8 people
- Spending in restaurants, cafes and bars is up (£0.74million, up 34%)
- Spending on pre-booked tours is up
- 90% of disembarking passengers and crew would like to visit Guernsey again
Special Sunday trading licensing in Guernsey was scrapped in 2015, meaning shops that want to open can now do so.
You can read Visit Guernsey’s full cruise visitor survey here.
