Department For Transport
Our statistical practice is regulated by the Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR). OSR sets the standards of trustworthiness, quality and value in the Code of Practice for Statistics that all producers of official statistics should adhere to. You are welcome to contact us directly by emailing us with any comments about how we meet these standards.
Annual statistics on the number of sea passengers which include all vehicle drivers, their passengers and foot passengers on ferries and cruise ships.
For international passengers in 2023:
- the total number of international short sea passengers (on ferry routes) grew by 24% to 15.1 million compared to 2022, however it remained 18% below 2019 levels
- cruise passengers increased to 3 million in 2023. This is a 52% increase from 2 million in 2022 and a 39% increase from 2.2 million in 2019
For domestic passengers in 2023:
- the total number of passengers on domestic sea crossings increased by 3% to 3.8 million compared to 2022 and 9% compared to 2019 levels
- inter-island passenger figures increased by 2% from the previous year, however numbers remained 14% lower than in 2019
- the number of passengers on river ferries were at a similar level to 2022 and it was 10% lower than in 2019
Guidanceon current and previous sea passenger statistics are available.
Contact us
Sea passenger statistics
Email sea-passenger.stats@dft.gov.uk
Media enquiries 0300 7777 878
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