> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.thequarry.media/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Guernsey sees 9% rise in overnight visitors - URL: https://www.thequarry.media/guernsey-sees-9-rise-in-overnight-visitors/ - Published: 2026-11-11T14:01:01.000Z - Updated: 2026-11-11T14:01:01.000Z - Author: The Quarry - Tags: News - Overnight visitors to Guernsey increased 9% year-on-year to 85,520 in Q3 2026, generating 433,831 bed nights, an 11% rise from Q3 2025 - Hotels accommodated 60% of staying visitors with occupancy rates reaching 84% in both July and August 2026, up from 79% in the same months of 2025 - Visitor satisfaction improved significantly with Net Promoter Score reaching 78 percentage points, up from 71 in Q3 2025, with 35% of feedback citing beautiful scenery and beaches - UK visitors dominated arrivals at 62%, whilst French visitors showed strongest growth at 21% year-on-year, and cruise ship visitors increased 24% to 20,110 - Total departing passengers reached 210,875, up 6% from Q3 2025, with air travel increasing 8% to 106,898 passengers representing 51% of total traffic Listen to this article 0:00 /0 1× Guernsey welcomed 85,520 overnight visitors in the third quarter of 2026, representing a 9% increase from the same period in 2025 and a 15% rise compared to 2023, according to the latest Travel and Visitor Accommodation Bulletin. The island recorded 210,875 total departing passengers in Q3 2026, up 6% from 199,002 in Q3 2025, though still 4% below Q3 2023 levels. Air travel showed particular strength, increasing 8% year-on-year to 106,898 passengers, representing 51% of total traffic. Ferry travel remained broadly unchanged at 72,258 passengers, accounting for 34% of the total. Deputy Lee Van Katwyk, Tourism Lead for Economic Development, said: "The increase in visitors we've seen is really encouraging, but where these visitors are coming from is also really interesting. As we already know, the increase in French visitors over the past few years is phenomenal, and something that we hope will continue to grow. But it's not just France, with the number of visitors from the UK also up." The 85,520 staying visitors generated 433,831 bed nights, an 11% increase from the 390,448 recorded in Q3 2025\. The average length of stay reached 5.1 nights, slightly up from 5.0 nights in Q3 2025, though still below the 5.5 nights recorded in Q3 2023. Leisure remained the primary purpose for overnight visits, accounting for 60% of staying visitors, followed by seeing friends and family at 27%, business at 9%, and other purposes at 4%. Hotels accommodated the majority of overnight visitors, with 51,057 people choosing hotel accommodation, representing 60% of staying visitors and marking a 5% year-on-year increase. Friends and family accommodation hosted 18,662 visitors, up 7%, whilst other accommodation types saw the strongest growth, welcoming 15,801 people, a 25% increase from Q3 2025. Day trip visitors numbered 22,535, 4% higher than Q3 2025 and 33% above Q3 2023 levels. Of these, 60% visited for leisure purposes, 10% for business, 2% to see friends and family, and 29% for other reasons. Visitors arriving by air or ferry came predominantly from the UK, with 67,103 UK residents representing 62% of arrivals, up 5% year-on-year. French visitors showed particularly strong growth, with 16,319 arrivals representing a 21% increase and accounting for 15% of the total. Visitors from elsewhere increased 14% to 18,879 people, representing 17% of arrivals. Jersey accounted for 5% of visitors with 5,754 arrivals, down 9% from Q3 2025. Visitor satisfaction reached its highest level in recent years, with the Net Promoter Score climbing to 78 percentage points, significantly improved from 71 in Q3 2025 and 66 in Q3 2023. Analysis of 1,516 visitor comments revealed that 35% cited the island's beautiful, scenic and relaxing environment with great beaches as a highlight. Regular repeat visitors accounted for 6% of feedback, whilst 4% each enjoyed cliff walks and coast paths, praised excellent events including the West Show, North Show and Cobo balcony gigs, and commended high-quality food and restaurant service. Road conditions, roadworks and traffic emerged as a concern in 4% of comments. Charlie Walker, Co-Chair of the Tourism Advisory Board, said: "It's fantastic to see the continued rise in visitors, but what pleases me the most about this is our ever-increasing Net Promoter Score, now reaching 78\. "Not only are people coming here, but they are enjoying our island's beauty, friendliness and everything else so much that they are more likely than ever to recommend the island to others. It's no surprise then that our number of returning visitors is up significantly." Over half of all Q3 2026 visitors, 54%, had previously visited Guernsey. The accommodation sector demonstrated robust performance, with total capacity remaining broadly unchanged at 4,769 people compared to 4,767 in 2025/26\. Additional summer capacity from glamping and camping provided space for 339 people across 64 temporary units, bringing the total available units in Q3 2026 to approximately 1,890. Occupancy rates showed marked improvement across all three months. July 2026 reached 84% occupancy compared to 79% in July 2025, August matched this at 84% versus 79% the previous year, and September achieved 82% against 80% in September 2025. Long-stay guests accounted for 8 percentage points of September 2026's 82% occupancy rate. Without these long-stay guests, occupancy would have stood at 74%. Hotels generated 212,878 bed nights with an average stay of 4.2 nights. Other commercial accommodation recorded 105,261 bed nights with a longer average stay of 6.7 nights, whilst friends and family accommodation accounted for 115,692 bed nights averaging 6.2 nights. Total commercial accommodation provided 318,139 bed nights with an average stay of 4.8 nights. Resident travel remained broadly unchanged, with 70,047 departing residents in Q3 2026 compared to Q3 2025, though up 2% from Q3 2023\. Air travel by residents increased 10% year-on-year to 46,940, whilst ferry travel declined 16% to 23,107, though this represented a 39% increase compared to Q3 2023. Leisure accounted for 59% of resident travel purposes, with 41,490 people travelling for this reason. Seeing friends and family accounted for 20% at 14,148 people, whilst business and work travel fell 20% year-on-year to 4,369 people, representing 6% of the total. Other reasons accounted for 14% at 10,040 people. The UK remained the primary destination for travelling residents, with 72% or 50,443 people heading to the UK, up 8% year-on-year. Jersey saw a significant 33% decline to 6,057 travellers, representing 9% of the total, whilst travel elsewhere decreased 6% to 13,547 people, accounting for 19%. The average trip length extended to 7.4 nights compared to 7.1 nights in Q3 2025. Cruise ship visitors numbered 20,110 from 22 ships, with 24 ships originally planned but two cancelled due to weather. This represented a 24% increase from Q3 2025 but remained 57% below Q3 2023 levels of 46,248 visitors. Total passengers aboard the visiting ships numbered 22,867, with an 88% disembarkation rate improved from 79% in Q3 2025\. Each cruise ship brought an average of 1,039 visitors ashore. Yacht visitors totalled 11,609 across 4,384 vessels, down 1% from Q3 2025\. Vessel numbers declined 5% year-on-year. These visitors generated 8,003 nights, averaging 1.8 nights per vessel. A definitional change implemented from Q2 2026 onwards now categorises anyone staying more than 90 nights as a resident rather than a visitor, compared to the previous threshold of one year. The bulletin notes this affects year-on-year comparisons, though the impact is estimated at approximately 0.2%. The Q3 2026 statistics are based on 5,558 completed exit survey interviews representing 10,742 passengers, equivalent to 6% of total departing passengers excluding cruise and yacht visitors. The statistics are accurate to ±1% at a 95% confidence level. Accommodation provider surveys are accurate to ±2% at a 95% confidence level for July, August and September 2026. ## Q&A **Q: How many overnight visitors did Guernsey receive in Q3 2026?** A: Guernsey welcomed 85,520 overnight visitors in Q3 2026, representing a 9% increase from Q3 2025 and a 15% rise compared to Q3 2023\. These visitors generated 433,831 bed nights with an average stay of 5.1 nights. **Q: What were the accommodation occupancy rates in Q3 2026?** A: Occupancy rates showed strong performance across Q3 2026, reaching 84% in both July and August, up from 79% in the same months of 2025, and 82% in September compared to 80% in September 2025\. Long-stay guests accounted for 8 percentage points of September's occupancy. **Q: Which countries did visitors to Guernsey come from?** A: UK visitors dominated at 62% of arrivals (67,103 people), up 5% year-on-year. French visitors showed the strongest growth at 21%, reaching 16,319 people and representing 15% of arrivals. Jersey accounted for 5% with 5,754 visitors (down 9%), whilst visitors from elsewhere increased 14% to 18,879 people, representing 17% of the total