downloadable - Visit Montserrat

Draft Final Report, 19 th July, 2012
However, the issue of whether fares to Montserrat are high is
an on-going debate. The Antigua/Montserrat normal fare has
remained unchanged since 2009 while fares in other short
haul regional destinations have increased. The Access
Strategy report showed the Antigua/Montserrat fare to have
been one of the highest in 2010. With the rest of the regional
fares having increased in the meantime, Montserrat is now
competitive.
Air Access Issues
Based on the findings of previous studies (Access Strategy
Report, 2011) and discussions with tour operators and market
representatives, the major air access issues are:
• fares considered too high for the excursionist market from
Antigua
• reluctance by potential visitors to use the Islander
− seen as too small, unsafe
• not possible to make through bookings from source
markets
− services not included in the major airlines’ GDS
(Global Distribution Systems) or the LIAT network.
7.2 SEA ACCESS
(i)
Passenger Movements
Table 7.5: Passenger Movements
Year 2010 2011 2012*
No. of Ferry-Boat movements 218 458 460
No. of Arriving Passengers 1,802 3,811 4,066
No. of Departing Passengers 1,908 3,468 3,754
Source: CSO Montserrat * consultant’s estimates.
The scheduled ferry service in 2010 only operated for the
period February – August and then broke down. A
replacement service was contracted in December and
operated from December 8 – 31 .The average load factor per
voyage was 17 passengers or roughly 16% of total capacity.
In 2011/2012 the service operated all year round. The
passenger loads were largely domestic with small numbers of
excursionists from the Antigua stay-over market. With the
termination of TDP 2 marketing component there is now no
marketing/promotions to support the available capacity.
Scheduled Services
Operator
M&M
Transportation
Ferry Access Issues
Table 7.6: Scheduled Sea Services
Type
of Ferry Craft
Monohaul passenger
ferry
Capacity Frequency
(No. of seats)
120 One return trip 4
days weekly,
except December
15 – January 15
and St. Patrick’s
week when it runs
6 days weekly.
• infrequent services
• ferry is not appropriate and does not have the aesthetic
appeal for the excursionist market
• very slow making the journey
− one way in 2 hours.
• only one day (Thursday) in the week when it is possible to
make a day trip from Antigua to Montserrat. Moreover, it
should be noted that the departure time of the ferry (0830)
from Antigua does not facilitate cruise ship passengers
wishing to travel to Montserrat as they rarely disembark
the cruise ship before 0830/0900.
MONTSERRAT TOURISM DEVELOPMENT PLAN 2012 – 2022
21