Figures revealed in annual passenger survey
The number of people travelling to and from the Island by sea dropped by more than 17,000 last year.
The 6% drop in sea travel was revealed in the annual Isle of Man Passenger Survey.
The 2018 results show a small rise in the overall number of departures, increasing by 0.5% - or 3,275 - compared to 2017.
Of the 691,256 people travelling off Island, 272,900 did so by sea, a fall of 17,300.
The number of business visitors using sea services is down by nearly a third, with just 9,300 using the ferries last year - down by 4,400 compared to the previous 12 months.
It was a different story at the airport as passenger numbers increased by 21,000 to 418,400.
Overall, visitor figures were up by 0.8%, but the number of tourists staying in paid accommodation dropped by 0.7%.
More than 10,200 people were surveyed to compile the figures, which is just under 1.5% of the total passengers.
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