OVERALL passenger numbers at Jersey’s ports have dropped by 7% in a “transition” year compared to 2024, according to newly-released figures.
A total of 629,901 passengers – which includes Jersey residents and visitors – passed through the Airport and Harbour up to May 2025, slightly down on the same time last year.
Ports of Jersey chief executive Matt Thomas said that the world was “becoming a really uncertain place” with that uncertainty meaning that people were not spending as much, including not booking as many weekend breaks.
The Ports chief executive was providing an update on the Island’s visitor economy at a briefing on Friday alongside Economic Development Minister Kirsten Morel and Visit Jersey chief executive Tricia Warwick.
Air passenger numbers of 524,450 were described as being “almost identical” to last year.
New air routes to France were recently announced, to Paris and Brest, with Mr Thomas saying Europe was a key area for “growth”.
And he said they were pushing airlines to operate flights in the “shoulder months” of the year rather than just seasonal routes.
Mr Thomas also highlighted that 99% passengers got through Airport security in under 15 minutes and that 90% of bags were delivered to the carousel within 20 minutes.
Sea passengers dropped by 30% to 105,451 compared to the same time in 2024, which was attributed to the transition from Condor Ferries to DFDS.
There was a 28% fall in French passengers to 64,693, 10% drop in UK passengers to 29,473 and a 61% decline in passengers from Guernsey to 11,285.
Mr Thomas said that the volume of sea passengers largely returned to normal in May and that DFDS had “given us a lot of cause for optimism”.
“They are very good at what they do. They understand the market very well,” he said.
Jersey’s new ferry operator got off to a bumpy start at the end of March after it had to cancel sailings when it took over the route due to delays with one of its fast ferries.
Mr Thomas said that DFDS was “very much” on a “steep learning curve” this year and that the operator had to get off the ground in ten weeks compared to six months following the breakdown of the joint ferry tender process between Jersey and Guernsey, which opted for Brittany Ferries.
Ms Warwick admitted that it was a “challenging environment” but described herself as being a “glass half-full operator”.
She outlined plans to target the French market, including a joint campaign they were running with DFDS and a bid to tempt Breton tourists across the water again, reminding them about Jersey’s new operator following the switch from Condor.
She also argued that Jersey was not unique in the challenges it faced as many places which relied on the UK market were also struggling, including Ireland and Iceland.
The Island was seeking to capitalise on the “late market”, she said, where customers book a week before they go on holiday, as part of a changing market.
Deputy Morel said the “story of this year as a whole is a transition period”.
