It won’t have escaped you that St Peter Port High Street was buzzing with French voices throughout the 2025 tourist season, largely thanks to the reintroduction of regular sailings between Guernsey and St Malo.
The route is working: French visitor numbers were up by 69% (more than 11,000 people) year-on-year in 2025, [1] and freight has also benefited from a stable schedule.
Deputy Sasha Kazantseva-Miller, introducing the panel at our March Chamber lunch, called 2025 “a year of renaissance with our French colleagues and friends.”
With this foundation in place, we asked what more can be done to turn Guernsey’s sea connectivity with France into a meaningful economic enabler, as well as a vibrant visitor link.
Our Chamber lunch featured a panel drawn from all areas of business, and celebrated the success of the reliable connectivity so far, whilst looking forward to what comes next.
On the panel were:
- Paul Acheson, Commercial Director, Brittany Ferries
- John Bampkin, CEO, Norman Piette – representing construction
- Natalia Silvester, CEO, The Silvester Group – representing hospitality
- David Ummels, Founder & Chair, Art for Guernsey – representing cultural diplomacy
Connectivity that works
The evidence is there that the connectivity we have now is working.
Paul celebrated the fact that tourism is flowing in both directions, and French (and other European) visitors feel that once again Guernsey is on their doorstep. Brittany Ferries views itself as a connectivity partner for Guernsey, and the numbers support the strategy that they have developed along with government stakeholders on both sides of the water.
Natalia backed this up by saying that her establishments had enjoyed the benefits of increased footfall over the tourist season; she welcomed the fact that more restaurants had opened as a sign of the increased demand for eating out in Guernsey.
The freight schedule too is showing promising signs; Paul reported that the commercial viability is there for the current provision, but to increase from one freight sailing a week will require more demand, which the panel agreed can be achieved through conversation and collaboration.
Culture too has benefited from the ease of exchange. David used the example of Art for Guernsey’s Renoir Walk in particular as a moment of real cultural resonance that benefited locals and attracted visitors. Last year’s street art exhibition and installation is another case of ideas flowing back and forth, with plans to make this annual and utilise French links to do so.
Finally, government and trade delegations have developed the political and commercial relationships needed to make deals happen and unlock broader economic gains; Deputy Kazantseva-Miller said she’d been part of around 10 trips in nine months as the States of Guernsey makes a concerted effort to get closer to their French counterparts in Brittany and beyond.
Opportunities to do more
But no one is resting on their laurels. We convened the panel with a focus on what more can be done to really maximise the connectivity.
Freight is the obvious growth area, with Paul stating that there’s more work to be done to fine tune schedules and build demand for goods from the continent.
With the island’s government prioritising building housing it’s clear that the construction industry is going to be a key economic driver in the coming years. John shed some light on the challenges Norman Piette and others face when exploring supplies from the continent.
While it’s simple enough to get ‘finishing products’ like doors and roof tiles in from France and use them in Guernsey building, ‘structural products’ like timbers are a more difficult proposition, largely because of familiarity and regulation.
John explained that education at different parts of the supply chain is the key to unlocking greater choice, and potentially greater value, from France and Europe.
When everyone from building control to architects to construction firms understand the products that are available, and are comfortable with the standards and specifications involved, then there’s clear scope to bring in more materials and use these to build the next generation of Guernsey homes.
Fresh produce too would benefit from greater understanding of what’s available and how to get it here. Food and beverages are a high cost for Guernsey’s hospitality sector, so any value that can be gained by shopping around is to be welcomed, Natalia said.
David has big plans for continuing cultural exchanges, including Art for Guernsey’s scholarship cohort heading to St Malo instead of London thanks to a partnership with St Malo Art School.
Art and culture have broader benefits for communities and the island, according to David, and our regular French links are one way to bring these to life.
The spirit of collaboration
As on the visitor side of things – where the States of Guernsey, Visit Guernsey, businesses, travel operators and more have worked together to maximise the French link – opportunities will only be realised if everyone continues to communicate and collaborate.
The demand for extra freight sailings will only come once Natalia, John and their peers speak to each other and the government, Brittany Ferries and others to assess the island’s collective need and share information on what’s available and how to get it here.
The business community can only commit to volume once their partners, clients and stakeholder’s understand the products and goods they want to use. Hospitality students can only come to Guernsey and work in our restaurants, bars and eateries once the government has a practical framework to support that.
Thankfully, all these conversations are already happening, and Chamber will continue to facilitate these, move them forward and encourage accountability on all sides.
Guernsey’s ferry links with France are the solid foundation we need, and are already working well, now it’s on all of us to build on them – bonne chance, Guernsey.
Watch the highlights from the Lunch and hear from our speakers on our YouTube page –
Read the Guernsey Quarterly Travel and Visitor Accommodation Bulletin here
