Q3 2018 saw an increase of 1,388 visitors (0.7 per cent) on the same period last year, including cruise ship and visiting yacht passengers. This was largely driven by a strong increase in visitors travelling on cruise ships (up 14.9 per cent).
Excluding cruise ships and visiting yachts, there were 118,130 departing visitors during Q3, a decrease of five per cent on the same period last year. Total staying visitors, the highest value segment of the visitor market, remained stable at 99,888.
The fall in visitors was mainly driven by a drop in day visitors of 27 per cent to 17,665 visitors, largely caused by a decline in sea travel of 14 per cent on Q3 2017, with a number of ferries being cancelled during the quarter.
French visitors travelling by sea were particularly affected. Overall, the number of French visitors decreased by 41 per cent in Q3 2018 compared with the same period last year.
Despite a strong Q2 and a stable Q3, the year to date (January to September) saw a slight decline in the number of total departing visitors (including cruise passengers and visiting yachtsmen) of 0.5 per cent on 2017 – 372,457 compared with 374,267 in 2017 – due to a challenging first quarter and poor weather conditions.
The number of day business visitors increased by 16 per cent on 2017, but this was not large enough to counteract the sharp fall in leisure day visitors of 33 per cent.
There was a four per cent decrease in visitors from the UK (down 3,341), but the number of visitors from Jersey increased by 18 per cent. Visitors from other destinations increased by five per cent – this included a strong uplift in visitors from Germany of 42 per cent (+1,804).
Deputy Dawn Tindall, member of the Committee for Economic Development, commented: “We’re delighted to see such a healthy increase in cruise passenger numbers during the quarter and the year to date, and also the strong growth in visitors from Germany during Q3.
"This growth has been eroded somewhat by the challenges experienced with sea travel during this important quarter for the visitor market, particularly the French visitor segment. However, it is encouraging that overall Q3 visitor numbers still show a modest increase.”