Cruise ships have ‘exceptionally bad’ year at beautiful UK island

at a beautiful UK island had an “exceptionally bad year” in 2024, it has been revealed. Guernsey Ports shared how the extreme weather conditions last year led to many cruise ship cancellations.

Around 19 ships cancelled their visits between April and October 2024, equating to about 20 percent of the schedule, the reports.

Operations manager Mark Renouf said the percentage of cancellations was double the number Guernsey Ports had expected.

He added: “It’s a fact of cruising, there are ports which will be weather reliant all around the world, we are not unique.”

And even fewer number of ships are scheduled to arrive on the island this year. According to the officials, ten fewer cruise ships are planned to come Guernsey this year compared to 2024, with a total of 64 expected.

Mr Renouf said reduced cruise ship numbers were a result of the -19 pandemic.

He said: “After there was a downturn for us. There is a two or three year ship booking process and this is our last year of that downturn. Going forward the bookings we have are significantly higher for the coming years.”

Mr Renouf said Guernsey Ports understood that cancellations and fewer ships had a “major impact” on the tourist industry.

He added: “The average spend is indicated at £83 per passenger (who comes ashore), so if we look at last year’s figures, roughly 37,000 people came in and that equates to £3.1m.

“The future increase in ships and passenger numbers will only increase the income into the island.”

Guernsey is a charming and historically rich island located in the English Channel, part of the Channel Islands.

Situated near the coast of Normandy, France, it is the second-largest of the Channel Islands.

With a population of around 63,000 residents, the island is known for finance, tourism, and digital industries.

Key attractions on the island include is St. Peter Port which is the capital and a picturesque harbour town.