DFDS promises to push Jersey as a holiday destination

Friday, 17 January 2025 09:30

Ferry operator DFDS says it's ready to boost tourism to the island and will spend money on marketing campaigns to bring in visitors.

The hospitality industry has expressed concern about the wait for bookings to open, and there is a further week's delay to the timetable to sailings to France.

DFDS published its first Jersey-UK scheduled yesterday and said that its booking system would be live by the end of January.

Route Director Chris Parker said sorry for the delay:

" I absolutely 100% understand the concerns of a lot of people on the island, businesses on the island... we are behind the curve on bookings. that is the long and short of it.

"I know it is frustrating. I am frustrated because I would like to be on sale now. It is something we will fix as soon as we can."

Mr Parker has promised the firm will be doing its upmost to push the Jersey message to its own customer base, and more widely in a campaign with Visit Jersey.

"We have got a lot of people who use us Dover-Calais, Dover-Dunkirk, new Haven -Dieppe, Newcastle-Amsterdam, but also in Germany, Holland and Belgium. We will go out to all of those markets and say 'DFDS are open for business. Come to Jersey, what a fantastic place to visit."

Jersey Chamber of Commerce has welcomed having some clarity around UK ferry services. Chamber Vice-President Lee Madden said:

"DFDS have been in ‘listening mode’ and already taken onboard some of our member suggestions and added several key dates to the original draft schedule.

"We are assured there will be capacity for further additional services to this route where and when needed, and advised that we will see details for the southbound route schedules next week."

However, concerns remain about the ongoing wait for customers to book their spring and summer travel:

"It would be fair to say that waiting until the 31 January is not an ideal situation for customers and crucially for the visitor economy.

"The delay is frustrating and costly to the industry, but we also understand that DFDS is working hard to deliver a robust booking platform, only having the ability to sign their contract with the Government on the 31 December."

"We would encourage DFDS, Government of Jersey and Visit Jersey to focus on supporting the visitor economy sector by aligning not only their marketing and promotion resources, but also their combined investment initiatives to win back those customers potentially lost because they’ve not been able to book.

"We would be keen to see discounted tickets available to encourage an uplift in bookings to see a recovery for the sector.”

Mr Parker confirmed to Channel 103 that there would be introductory price promotions:

" We are looking to launch with a launch offer, a little bit lower prices when we start to say 'thank you'."

DFDS' Levante jet, which can carry up to 675 passengers, is having a £1.5 refit ahead of entering service on the Jersey-Poole route.

There will be no fast ferry sailings to the UK for the first three weeks of DFDS' timetable, due to the high speed vessel Levante Jet undergoing a £1.5 million refit. Mr Parker said:

"We did think about 'should we just bring it in, and then do the refurbishment after the season?' But quite frankly, we want it to be a great experience on board.

"It is disappointing for us. I am sure it is very disappointing for islanders who want to travel and for local businesses as well, and I am really sorry about that, but we want to have that vessel right and ready to go, and when she comes in on the 17 April she will be fit for purpose."

He has also told us that the firm will be employing up to 30 local staff.

"There is a lot of interest in potential roles with DFDS on the island. We think we will have about 20-30 roles available. We are certainly hoping that a lot of those roles will be filled by existing Condor employees and we have had discussions with Condor about making sure there is continuity there."