Fewer passengers using sea services

Figures revealed in annual passenger survey

The number of people travelling to and from the Island by sea dropped by more than 17,000 last year.

The 6% drop in sea travel was revealed in the annual Isle of Man Passenger Survey.

The 2018 results show a small rise in the overall number of departures, increasing by 0.5% - or 3,275 - compared to 2017.

Of the 691,256 people travelling off Island, 272,900 did so by sea, a fall of 17,300.

The number of business visitors using sea services is down by nearly a third, with just 9,300 using the ferries last year - down by 4,400 compared to the previous 12 months.

It was a different story at the airport as passenger numbers increased by 21,000 to 418,400.

Overall, visitor figures were up by 0.8%, but the number of tourists staying in paid accommodation dropped by 0.7%.

More than 10,200 people were surveyed to compile the figures, which is just under 1.5% of the total passengers.