Aferry to relaunch trade site

The trade site of AFerry.co.uk has been upgraded and will be relaunched later this year.

The ferry website is also powering more operators’ sites, with Tui joining at the end of 2012, and revealed plans to expand in Asia.

This comes as the company announced overall bookings up by 15% last year over 2011.

AFerry expanded its offering in 2012 to cover more than 1,200 routes from more than 80 operators across Europe. The company also increased the number of languages the site is available in to 24, with more expected this year.

Head of sales and marketing Kirsty Laifa said: “2012 saw an increase of 15% in sales in what was a tough market generally for operators. Ease of the site compare engine functionality helped as did further enhancement in mobile technology.

“There were significant increases in the European market bringing a boost of business from outside the UK. Of the ex-UK business, a key element has been the growth on short sea crossings to the Continent.

“Good value and a one stop shop site in a tough economy helps clients in a tactically priced market find the best deal.

“In reality customers have no idea what prices are what because operators change their offers and pricing strategy regularly – our site allows customers to compare fares/operators and choose what is right for them – be it the nearest port, best price or suitable times.

“Key for 2013 is the expansion into Asia, an exciting future development.”