by Holly Tribe
Caravanners wishing to get away to mainland Europe next year now have a new Spanish destination to head for.
Brittany Ferries is introducing a new route from Portsmouth to Bilbao on the North Coast of Spain. The service will run twice a week commencing next spring.
The firm has picked up the route from rival ferry company P&O who dropped the service earlier this year due to a year on year drop in passenger numbers. The route will be Brittany Ferry’s second Spanish destination and also represents their first new destination in nearly a quarter of a century.
The Group Commercial Passenger Director, Mike Bevens, is confident their timing is right. He explained: “We know from CAA [Civil Aviation Authority] statistics that airline passenger numbers to France and Spain have fallen this year and we attribute this to a general disillusionment with no frills airlines.”
“Our services between Portsmouth and Spain have performed extremely well this year so we are building on this achievement by adding Bilbao to give our customers even greater choice,” he added.
A further rise in Air Passenger Duty (APD) last week has put the price of air travel out of reach for many. With APD leaping by as much as 55% on some long haul flights, many families may be looking closer to home for their annual holidays.
The crossing which takes 24hours involves an overnight stay on board the vessel. Mr Beven was quick to point out the benefits of ferry travel on longer routes, believing customers get ‘space to relax, comfort, entertainment, cuisine and, above all value.’
Head to the Brittany Ferries website for pricing and route information.
