The Isle of Man Steam Packet Company can confirm that passenger figures for Manx Grand Prix 2008 show an increase from those of Manx Grand Prix 2006.
2006 Figures
26527 passengers, 5268 vehicles, 2672 bikes
Total vehicles = 7940
2007 Figures
28905 passengers, 5574 vehicles, 3293 bikes
Total vehicles = 8867
2008 Figures
29138 passengers, 5626 vehicles, 3160 bikes
Total vehicles = 8786
Chief Executive Mark Woodward said: “It would be almost impossible to match the number of visitors we had in 2007, as these would have been boosted by the TT Centenary. However, compared to 2006, Manx Grand Prix 2008 figures show a substantial increase in ferry passengers and vehicles. Over the past decade motorbike numbers have increased 50 per cent and are up 18 per cent on 2006. For the racing, this year’s event was a great success. We were proud to sponsor the Senior Race and congratulations to the all the organizers and competitors.”
Prior to the MGP, the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company liaised with the Department of Tourism & Leisure in developing an incentive to encourage race marshals to work on both the TT and the Manx Grand Prix 2008. It included significant savings on MGP ferry fares for visiting marshals who also travelled with the company to cover the TT.
The discounts available were:
- A marshal paying a MGP ferry fare of £200 or less received a refund of 50 per cent
- For ferry fares of more than £200, the refund was a maximum of £100
