Ferry company Stena Line has boosted the frequency of its sailings between Fishguard – Rosslare from 14 sailings to 24 every week.
The increase in frequency began yesterday and is good news for the company’s Welsh port of Fishguard, which had seen services reduced due to lower demand from freight and passengers, as a consequence of both the COVID-19 lockdowns and Brexit.
With the easing of lockdown restrictions, and a hope that international tourist travel will resume shortly, Stena Line is anticipating a busy summer. The Fishguard – Rosslare route is particularly popular with tourists as it offers the most convenient option with the shortest crossings between Britain and the Republic of Ireland.
The ‘car-cation’ is expected to be the preferred travel mode this year as more people opt for driving holidays in Britain and Ireland, and where better than the picturesque Welsh coast or Ireland’s ‘sunny South East’.
Paul Grant, Trade Director Irish Sea, says: “It has been a very difficult start to the year for the port of Fishguard and the route across to Rosslare. While the Irish port has boomed due to direct services to France, our Welsh port has been quiet.
“As trade flows between Britain and Ireland begin to pick-up we’re anticipating that confidence will recover for land-bridge freight movements. Shorter, faster and more frequent routes are always popular with hauliers and their customers. In addition, we know that there is a lot of pent up demand for travel and the return of Duty Free onboard will offer even greater value for passengers traveling with Stena Line.”
