Sales at Eurostar drop sharply

www.eurostar.com

For the first three months of this year, passenger numbers on Eurostar fell by 11.5 per cent, to 1.92 million.

Sales volume for the three-month period totalled £168.1 million, which was a decrease of 5.8 per cent over the same months in 2008.

The high-speed rail operator said that the lower figures were largely due to the Eurotunnel fire last autumn, which led to an extended period of reduced services.

In addition, business passenger numbers were affected by the economic downturn.

The combination of reduced demand and customers choosing cheaper options saw business sales drop by 20 per cent.

According to Eurostar, since the Eurotunnel fully re-opened on 23 February it resumed promotional campaigns in its three main markets, “which has already lead to a significant increase in leisure sales.”

“Indeed, set against a challenging economic environment, leisure sales were up 2.2% in a first quarter which had just five weeks of full service operation,” the company added. “In France and Belgium one of the key factors in stimulating travel has been the favourable exchange rate for euro-zone visitors to London and other parts of the UK.”

Richard Brown, the Eurostar chief executive, said: “The downturn may be depressing business travel but it is having the opposite effect on the leisure market, with more people wanting to get away from it all to relax, recharge the batteries and spend time with loved ones.”

Thanks to www.travelmole.com for the above quotes, for more information on this article please visit their website.

www.eurostar.com