February 22, 2000 Leading fast ferry operator, Hoverspeed, is upbeat about the 2000 season despite reporting a small fall in passenger numbers in 1999. Hoverspeed - which operates fast car ferry services from Dover to both Calais and Ostend, Folkestone to Boulogne, and Newhaven to Dieppe - saw an increase in vehicle carryings, up from 706,000 in 1998 to 722,000 last year. Overall passenger numbers fell by 400,000 from 3.9 million in 1998 to 3.5 million last year. Hoverspeed managing director, Geoffrey Ede, said that improvements in vehicle carryings showed that the underlying trend was positive, and attributed the fall in passenger numbers to the abolition of duty-free in June 1999. He said: “The cross-Channel market has undergone some fundamental changes since the abolition of duty-free. All the evidence points to passengers taking advantage of the higher purchasing limits for duty-paid shopping on the Continent, albeit at the expense of the frequency at which they now cross the Channel.” Route summary Dover/Calais 1,543,048 pax / 346,591 vehiclesDover/Ostend 969,307 pax / 201,961 vehicles Folkestone/Boulogne 630,258 pax / 98,165 vehicles Newhaven/Dieppe 325,200 pax / 75,220 vehicles Mr Ede was also encouraged by increases in ticket yield and forward bookings for 2000, whilst new retail initiatives such as pre-ordering and home delivery were helping reinforce the message of the continued benefits of duty-paid shopping on the Continent. Press Release Media contact: Nick Stevens, Public Relations Manager Telephone: (01304) 865170 |