Global ferry bookings jumped by 35% in 2016 through comparison site Direct Ferries.
The year-on-year increase came despite a “challenging marketplace,” the company said.
Analysis of bookings shows that many Britons stayed closer to home in 2016 with the most popular routes being from the UK to France and Ireland.
Cross-Channel ferry bookings during the peak months of July and August rose by more than a third over the same summer period in 2015 in spite of the slump in the value of sterling.
Four routes to France were ranked in the top ten most booked on the firm’s UK website.
Other international ferry routes in the top ten for British travellers were Helsinki to Tallinn and Hull to Rotterdam.
Bookings for international routes also increased. Singapore to holiday resorts on Bintan Island saw bookings up by 440% while the Wellington to Picton route, connecting New Zealand’s North and South islands, was the second most popular international route with an increase in global booking figures of more than 400%.
The firm’s network expanded last year to cover 2,417 ferry routes connecting passengers by sea to more than 232 countries and islands.
Director Matt Davies said: “We are thrilled to see the appetite for ferry travel continue as booking numbers increase. Direct Ferries’ popularity is growing globally and the site is now available in 25 languages.”