A NEW government will present “an opportunity for a reset of relations with Guernsey” and “a chance to improve travel links”, a politician has said after newly-released figures showed inter-island passenger numbers have struggled to return to pre-pandemic levels.
Deputy Jonathan Renouf, whose comments come just a few months before Islanders will cast their votes in the upcoming election, spoke following publication of his recent written question to Economic Development Minister Kirsten Morel.
It sought a breakdown of inter-island air and sea passenger numbers in the last ten years, which in 2019 stood at 104,489 and 90,581 respectively.
Despite gradually recovering since the sudden drop in 2020 brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic – with the number of sea passengers on the route even reaching 92,091 in 2024 – the figures stood at 67,900 and 53,789 respectively last year.
Deputy Renouf said: “We should be working to build those figures back up to at least where they have been in the recent past.”
He added: “I think a new government will present an opportunity for a reset of relations with Guernsey and a chance to improve travel links for mutual benefit.”
Debate over inter-island travel remained a talking point throughout 2025, particularly amid scrutiny over the frequency of ferry services between Jersey and Guernsey – which lead to the creation of a working group.
Last month, Deputy Kirsten Morel met Deputy Sasha Kazantseva-Miller, president of Guernsey’s Committee for Economic Development, and its vice-president Deputy Andrew Niles.
The meetings, which developed discussions that started during a visit Deputy Kazantseva-Miller made to Jersey in August 2025, were described by Deputy Morel as “productive” and focused on connectivity for both leisure and business travel between the islands.
And Brittany Ferries recently announced that it had concluded an agreement with Islands Unlimited to market the latter company’s sailings, in a move “expected to boost passenger numbers and support inter-island tourism in 2026”.
Under the new arrangement, Islands Unlimited’s up to five-days-per-week service between Guernsey and Jersey, operating from March through to October, will be available through Brittany Ferries’ reservations and website.
