A DRIVE to promote Jersey as a destination for spring and summer travel is set to launch once bookings open for ferry services operated by DFDS.
Visit Jersey has confirmed that it will start a joint campaign with the Danish company, which will take up its new contract for routes to and from Jersey from the end of March.
With timetables for services to the south of England released only last week, and the online booking platform expected to be operational by 31 January, representatives of Jersey’s hospitality industry have expressed concern about the Island missing some of the busiest period for 2025 bookings.
Visit Jersey chief executive Tricia Warwick admitted that the situation was not ideal, but was optimistic that there would be an opportunity to make up for lost time.
“Around 80% of our visitors come by air, and 20% by sea, but ferry links are still a really important part of our connectivity,” she said. “It is unfortunate that people can’t yet book, but DFDS have had a very concertinaed timeline, with the contract negotiations and the Christmas holidays, and so they’ve only had a couple of weeks in January.
“We’ve already spoken to DFDS five times and the sense I get is that they’re really ‘game on’ and passionate about getting it right for Jersey – they’ve picked up the mantle really quickly and been very consultative and looking to add more services on top of their contractual obligations.”
“It has been frustrating for customers and hoteliers, so the sooner people can book, the better.”
Ms Warwick said the joint marketing drive would be equally funded by the two organisations and ready to launch soon after the online booking platform went live, with a particular focus on British visitors.
“We want to get straight out in order to achieve the best cut-through,” she said. “We’re aiming at the UK market, as Brits typically have a longer lead time for their trips and there are schools and other groups looking to finalise plans, whereas French visitors are often here for day trips and make arrangements at shorter notice.”
The forthcoming campaign will run alongside Visit Jersey’s spring campaign, which was launched earlier this month and will include a partnership with the Telegraph and advertising on London Underground, social media, Google, cinema and TV.
The campaign aims to build on the Where Sea Meets Soul drive last year, which brought a 7% increase in leisure visitors compared with 2023 and saw visitors stay for an average of 4.4 nights.
Ms Warwick said Jersey had performed exceptionally well on its “Net Promoter Score”, a measure used to gauge customer loyalty, satisfaction and enthusiasm.
“We have scored over 70 for years and our most recent figure is 74, measuring how likely people are to return to Jersey or recommend it to others – we just need to get people here,” she said.
