Isle of Man ferry takes 3300 bookings for 2016 TT races

The Isle of Man Steam Packet Company has broken all previous records by taking more than 3300 bookings for over 8800 passengers to travel to the 2016 TT races in just 10 hours.

The rush of bookings was up 33% on last year and saw a flood of orders made on the opening day and is substantially up on the records set on the same day in 2014.

The number of motorcycles booked increased from 3452 to 4621, and the number of other vehicles, including cars and vans, increased from 935 to 1277. Online bookings were up 80% on last year, with almost 1800 made through www.steam-packet.com, while 1520 reservations were made by phone or in person.

The Steam Packet Company Reservations Office and phone lines were fully staffed throughout the day, with extra staff brought in to help deal with the anticipated demand. Staff handled 1,037 calls, 13% more than the equivalent day in 2014 and more than double the number of calls handled on a normal Monday.

Isle of Man Steam Packet Company Chief Executive Mark Woodward said: “I would like to pay tribute to all our staff who worked flat-out throughout the day to assist as many TT fans as possible to secure their travel for the 2016 TT.

“We experienced an increase in bookings of 33% compared with the same time last year, which is testament to the continued growth in popularity of the TT. We have also invested heavily in the removable mezzanine deck on Manannan which is helping to meet increased demand for space for motorcycles in particular.

“Due to the extremely high level of inquiries, I appreciate there will have been frustration for some customers who could not immediately get through on the phone or experienced delays online. By bringing in additional staff where possible and by investing in making our online booking system more robust we have made considerable steps forward in meeting demand.”