Ferries to France – Year of the Eurohop. 

Norfolkline Predicts 2010 as the Year of the EuroHop

24 February 2010

Staycations may have been the buzzword for holidays in 2009, but the hot travel prediction for 2010 from Norfolkline is that this is the year of the EuroHop. The award-winning ferry operator believes that many people are looking for an affordable foreign holiday experience, with short breaks to Europe being top of the list.

With France just two hours away on Norfolkline’s Dover-Dunkirk route, hopping over to Europe is as simple as it sounds. As well as providing easy disembarkation for ferry car passengers, Dunkirk is also a popular point of entry into France with links to major arterial roads, making travel to Belgium, Holland, Spain, Poland, Germany and Italy easy.

Chris Newey, Norfolkline’s general manager for passenger services, said:

“Last year may have been billed as the year of the staycation, but we experienced fantastic growth in 2009, with an increase of 200,000 cars and 500,000 passengers travelling on our ferries from Dover to Dunkirk. We attribute that growth, which equates to about 20%, to the fact that, although we are essentially a low cost operator, we actually provide a premium service.”

Annually, Spain attracts around 14 million travellers from the UK, France 10.9 million, Italy 3.4 million, Germany 2.7 million, The Netherlands 2 million, Belgium 1.8 million and Poland 1.6 million. France is also the number one ski destination for the UK, with approximately 37 per cent of the market (ABTA Travel Trends Report 2010).
 
Many people in the travel sector believe that ferry travel is becoming more popular as people seek alternative ways to travel rather than fly. Travelling by ferry is also relatively stress free, with minimal luggage restrictions, and onboard facilities such as dedicated children’s play and entertainment areas, and range of quality restaurants and comfortable seating.


To find out more about short breaks in Europe with Norfolkline, or to book your EuroHop visit: www.norfolkline.com or phone: 0871 574 7223 (Calls may cost up to 10p per minute plus network extras).