JERSEY could be set to welcome more cruise ships to its shores as Ports of Jersey has begun strategically considering how to attract the vessels.
Currently, Jersey welcomes around ten cruise ships to the Island each year, but under a new strategy this could increase to as many as 30.
Bill Sadler, Ports of Jersey harbourmaster, said the plan is to promote Jersey as a destination to cruise ship companies, stating: “Jersey’s got a lot to offer cruise passengers and the cruise companies.”
Ports of Jersey commissioned a report from cruise ship expert Dr Jennifer Holland on the future of the industry in Jersey, which identified what Mr Sadler called “boutique” cruise ships as the ideal vessels to target.
These ships carry between 500 and 1,000 passengers, typically measure around 200m and can comfortably lay anchor in St Aubin’s Bay.
“I don’t think anybody’s going to thank us for bringing in 350m ships with 4,000 passengers,” Mr Sadler said.
Ports of Jersey’s analysis estimates that the average passenger spend in Jersey would be around £70 per day, with a wider economic impact of £160.
Up to 30,000 passengers could travel to Jersey by cruise ship, according to Ports, which could contribute £2.1 million in direct spend to the economy and create between £3.6m and £4.8m in wider economic impact, while supporting around 15 new jobs.
Mr Sadler said that currently, cruise ship visits to the Island “just kind of happens”, but that the new strategy is designed to be more proactive in its approach.
He said: “A lot of what we’ve got planned for the next 12 months is re-engaging back with Cruise Britain, reinvigorating the Cruise Jersey brand, working with Visit Jersey and the local ship’s agents.”
Ports of Jersey will, in the next one to two years according to the report, “aggressively promote Jersey” as a cruise destination at trade events, feature itself in the UK travel press and strengthen relationships with French Atlantic ports.
Mr Sadler thinks that with this proactive approach Ports will be able to attract cruises to build cost-effective itineraries.
“You can build a five-day itinerary around Cherbourg, Guernsey, Jersey, St Malo and maybe Brest,” he said. “You can actually do all five different ports and not burn an awful lot of fuel for doing it. I think that would be quite an interesting proposition.”
Marcus Calvani, co-chief executive of the Jersey Hospitality Association, welcomed the news as something which could provide a much-needed boost for the tourism sector.
“I think what they’re proposing, that specific niche of cruise customer, is definitely a more intelligent route for us,” he said.
However, Mr Calvani did argue that Ports would need to invest in the welcoming experience in Jersey, adding “our harbour, sadly, is not the most visually beautiful place to arrive”.
He said visitors should be greeted by something which “screams Jersey” and that both impresses passengers and encourages them to return. According to Ports’ report, 60% of cruise passengers return to destinations they have visited.
In the long-term, the report states Ports of Jersey could invest in a new mooring structure to accommodate larger vessels. Ports officials have also visited St Malo to inspect its mooring buoys which enable vessels up to 250m to berth offshore.
Mr Sadler said Ports are not yet in a position to invest in something like this, but added: “At the moment it’s very much learning to walk before we start sprinting away. I don’t want to make any big statements about competing with Guernsey. What we want to do is grow the number of cruises we’ve got, make sure it’s quality cruises which fits our Island and the profile of the passengers fits our Island.”
