Slow recovery in visitor numbers continues while travel habits shift
- Guernsey welcomed 282,028 visitors in 2025, contributing approximately £151 million to the economy.
- Visitor numbers increased by 17,411 compared to 2024, boosted mainly by air travellers.
- 2025 passenger departures were around 170,000 lower than pre-pandemic levels
- The island's Net Promoter Score reached a record high of 71 at the end of 2025, reflecting visitor satisfaction.
Guernsey experienced a total of 282,028 visitors throughout 2025, according to the recent annual Travel and Visitor Accommodation Report.
This figure represents an estimated £151 million contribution to the island's economy, marking a £10 million increase from the previous year.
However, this is still 12% lower than the 320,038 visitors recorded in 2023, largely due to the downturn in cruise traffic.
The report, published in early 2026, outlines traveller statistics, including accommodation details throughout the year.
Longer term trends reflect a slow recovery toward pre pandemic levels and a contraction in the number of visitor beds, while cruise visitor numbers fell by 67% in just two years.
Deputy Lee Van Katwyk, Tourism Lead for Economic Development, said: "This latest data suggests our ongoing efforts to strengthen visitor links with neighbouring jurisdictions is continuing to bear fruit."
He attributed the success to enhanced ferry services with Brittany Ferries, targeted marketing towards French tourists, and collaboration within the local tourism sector. He added that the committee is pursuing new initiatives like the Big Eat Festival, expanding the cruise ship schedule, and reintroducing British Airways to sustain the momentum into the 2026 tourist season.
The short term
Total passenger departures in 2025 reached 533,253, a 3% increase over 2024.
While aeroplane travel remains the primary mode of transport (62% of all passengers), it was largely static compared to 2023.
The real growth engine was the ferry sector, which saw a 14% annual increase in total passengers.
33% more residents chose the ferry last year than in 2024, while their use of aeroplanes dropped by 5%.
Visitor numbers from France grew significantly, showing a 69% increase compared to 2024 and a 88% increase compared to 2023.
The UK remains the largest market (54% of all visitors), but growth was modest at only 1% year-on-year.
While leisure remains the primary driver for visits (47% of staying visitors), business travel saw a spike. The number of visitors citing business as their primary purpose increased by 30% annually. This trend was even more dramatic in Q4 2025, where business visitors were 54% higher than the same period in 2024.
The island's Net Promoter Score (NPS), an indicator of visitor recommendation propensity, reached an all-time high of 71 in the latter part of 2025, averaging 68 for the year. This score marks an increase of 13 points from 2024 and seven points from 2023.
The cruise industry faced a difficult year. The number of cruise passengers coming ashore fell by 26% compared to 2024 and is down 67% from 2023 levels.
Bad weather caused the cancellation of 16 planned cruise ship visits during 2025.
The average stay for visitors decreased slightly to 4.6 nights, down from 4.9 in the previous two years
Hotel occupancy increased, averaging 61% for the year compared to 59% in 2024. The report shows that 62% of all staying visitors chose hotels.
The longer term
From 2016 to 2019, annual departing passenger volumes consistently hovered near 700,000, which compares to 533,253 in 2025.
Before 2020, cruise visitors were a major pillar of the industry, with numbers typically exceeding 100,000 annually. After a brief post-pandemic recovery to 85,541 visitors in 2023, the sector has seen a sharp decline to just 28,397 in 2025—a 67% decrease in just two years.
The island's permanent visitor accommodation capacity is on a steady downward trend.
Maximum capacity has fallen from over 5,000 people in the 2019/20 season to 4,767 for 2025/26, although there are major construction projects underway at La Grande Mare and Bella Luce.
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