Tourism campaign aims to 'change perceptions'

A new campaign promoting the Isle of Man as a tourist destination has been designed to "change perceptions" and attract a younger audience, the island's tourism body has said.

Visit Isle of Man's Extraordinary Isle campaign is part of broader efforts to support the local visitor economy and boost visitor numbers to 500,000 by 2032.

The agency's Melanie Allen said the seasonal promotions aimed to draw out the tourist season and "showcase the island a as a year-round offering".

A newly released video shows walkers climbing North Barrule, swimmers in Ramsey Bay and diving off the Calf of Man to highlight the activities available in the Autumn.

Ms Allen said the agency wanted to "attract not only our existing target audience who are really invested, but new audiences who are maybe younger, more active or people who love the outdoors".

"The island perhaps has a perception in people’s memories that have visited years before," she said.

An upcoming winter campaign will put some of the island’s businesses and places to eat in the spotlight, and spring's promotion will showcase events in the Manx calendar along with the island’s culture, heritage, arts and music scene.

In its 10-year Our Island, Our Future visitor economy strategy released in 2022, Visit Isle of Man said set a target of increasing the number of holidaymakers each year to 500,000.

More then than 318,000 people travelled to the island in 2023 and a survey by the agency for the same period found 98.9% of visitors were satisfied or very satisfied following their trip.

The latest promotions aim to highlight seasonal experiences to help make businesses more viable throughout the year, Ms Allen said.

The body was looking to identifying and tap into a "large audience base that are already on our doorstep in terms of key hubs across the UK and Ireland" who were looking to "escape and get into the fresh air, and enjoy the rich history and culture on offer here", she added.

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