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Stena Line claims it is outperforming industry
Ferry operator Stena Line claims it is bucking industry trends after seeing a 10% increae in passengers on its Harwich to Hook of Holland route in the first three months of this year compared with the same period in 2011.
It said the passengers were increasingly choosing to travel by ferry to avoid the rise in air passenger duty and increasingly crowded airports.
The ferry line said it saw an 11% increase in cars transported to the Netherlands on the Harwich Hook of Holland route in March alone.
Stena introduced two new passenger-freight superferries on the route in 2010 and it says it’s on track to grow its North Sea traffic for the fifth consecutive year.
It carried 78,000 passengers from Harwich between January and March this year.
Lars Olsson, Stena Line’s general manager for travel on the North Sea said: "We are facing increasingly challenging times and it is reassuring to know that we are growing our customer base, even though we have to fight much harder to attract new customers.
"Our investment in the superferries is really paying off and it seems that people are now realising that travelling with us is a much more luxurious and relaxing experience. Air Passenger Duty has hiked up once more and the airports are getting increasingly crowded so it is hardly surprising that people are choosing to travel by ferry.
"Our passenger figures have also been helped by our dutchflyer service, which has been growing steadily in popularity. Greater Anglia’s drive to improve the quality of the rail component of the service, thanks to new operator Abellio, will also make a significant difference."
"Inbound demand created by the Olympics together with an increase in bookings due to Floriade the World Horticultural Expo, held once every 10 years means we are optimistic for the rest of 2012."
By Linsey McNeill
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Linsey McNeill
Editor Linsey McNeill has been writing about travel for more than three decades. Bylines include The Times, Telegraph, Observer, Guardian and Which? plus the South China Morning Post. She also shares insider tips on thetraveljournalist.co.uk
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