Leisure travel boosts Eurostar numbers

Eurostar has reported continuing growth in passenger numbers and a resilient performance in sales revenues in the first half of 2012. In the first six months of the year, passenger numbers rose by two per cent, to 4.8 million from 4.7 million in the same period of 2011. Sales revenues remained robust growing by one per cent to £425 million in the first half of this year from £421 million in the same period last year. The growth over the first half of the year has been driven by leisure travel as customers on both sides of the channel continue to enjoy leisure breaks. Business travel, which was broadly flat in the first quarter of 2012, weakened in the second quarter as the number of public holidays and the eurozone crisis impacted on many business customers’ travel plans. Nicolas Petrovic, chief executive of Eurostar, said: “We have delivered a resilient performance in the first half of the year despite the difficult economic climate.  Leisure bookings have continued to grow and we have seen good take-up for travel to London over the summer period. “During the Queen’s Jubilee we had one of our busiest weekends on record and we are looking forward to welcoming visitors from across Europe to enjoy all the attractions that London has to offer for the Games”. Travel on Eurostar continues to be a major attraction for international travellers coming to London with the number of passengers originating outside Europe growing by 11 per cent in the first half of 2012 compared with last year. This was driven in part by a strong increase in the number of passengers originating from the US and the Far East who see a trip on Eurostar as an integral part of the European tour – particularly in an Olympic year.