According to first survey ever assessing this aspect, cruise ship industry annually brings £4m influx to the Guernsey economy

The figures were released by the Commerce and Employment Department. As stated by the Commerce and Employment Minister Kevin Stewart the cruise industry is "hugely important" for Guernsey.

"At a time when our retailers are facing competition from the internet, these are real people walking into their shops spending good sums of money", Minister Kevin Stewart declared.

The survey was conducted by Island Global Research, an independent company which recorded for its report almost 123,000 cruise visitors since March, when the cruise ship season begins.

According to the report, 93% of cruise line passengers spent an average of £32 in Guernsey during their cruise stop-off.

Starting this year's March, considering passengers' safety, the disembarkation point for the cruise line travelers was moved from White Rock to Albert Pier.

Public Services Minister Scott Ogier also stated that the upper limit for the number of cruise visitors the island could cope with had not yet been reached, so the island is ready to welcome even more passengers in the future.

The local officials take into consideration the rescheduling of cruise liner visits for the next year, to better manage the number of cruise visitors.