Guernsey Ports announces marine business rebrand

The Guernsey Marinas brand is part of plans to draw more tourists to the island

Guernsey Ports has rebranded its seaports and marine facilities under Guernsey Marinas.

The new brand name is part of plans to boost the island's visiting marine tourist trade, the authority said.

It follows plans to invest more than £20m to upgrade marine services and infrastructure across St Peter Port waterfront over the next decade.

Deputy Harbour Master Keiran Higgs said the changes were part of ambitious plans for Guernsey to become a "premier marine destination".

"This will be achieved over time through sustained investment in our facilities and a commitment to excellent customer service," he said.

As part of the changes a new Guernsey Marinas website is under development and social media accounts have been set up.

Last year Guernsey Ports invested £300,000 in pontoon upgrades in the Victoria Marina and £1.3m in replacing and reconfiguring pontoons in the QEII Marina.

Other upgrades include the redecking of older wooden pontoons in the Albert Marina and the replacement of the main Fish Quay pontoon.

The authority said it also hoped to capture the French market, with the new Guernsey Marinas brand launched at the St Malo Boat Show over the weekend.

"We had the opportunity to reconnect with lots of regular visitors to Guernsey and showcase the beauty of our island to the thousands in attendance," Mr Higgs said.

It comes as earlier this year boat-owners and marine businesses called for Guernsey's harbour and airport to be run separately.

The Guernsey Boatowners' Association (GBA), Marine Traders' Association (MTA) and Royal Channel Islands Yacht Club (RCIYC) argued the island's harbours were "directly subsidising" the airport.

In 2024, about 20,000 people visited Guernsey by private vessel, an increase of 11% on the previous year.