Say hello to the Isle of Man

Getting travel trade ready on the Isle of Man

Our travel trade consultant Karin recently delivered a workshop on “how to work with the travel trade” on the Isle of Man, and we asked her to share her experience of the island: 

“Please observe our Manx tradition and say hello to the fairies as we pass the Fairy Bridge.”

I think a lot of destinations could learn from the Isle of Man when it comes to sense of place.

I was on the bus from Isle of Man Airport to Douglas when the above announcement came over the tannoy, inviting everyone to join in a Manx tradition. Every single person on the bus – locals and visitors – said “hello fairies” as we drove past the bridge.

Ten minutes into my visit to the Isle of Man, this already gave me such a strong sense of the place I had arrived in. Quirky, traditional and very beautiful. It told me: on the Isle of Man, we respect traditions and fairies. And we welcome our visitors to join us.

I’m always telling my clients and workshop participants about the importance of telling their story, and it doesn’t get better than this.

The rest of my visit continued to exceed all expectations.

The Isle of Man offers so much to visitors – rich history and heritage, a variety of accommodation options, beautiful scenery, lovely restaurants and bars, and plenty to see and do. This became evident during the workshop, which had a great turnout of accommodation, transport and activity providers, as well as attractions. 

The local DMO, Visit Isle of Man, arranged the workshop to support their goal of growing tourism sustainably on the island. One way they hope to achieve this is by attracting more high-spending visitors, allowing visitor numbers to grow at a slower pace while increasing overall spend. 

International visitors traditionally stay longer and spend three times more on average than domestic visitors, so it makes sense to focus on this market. 

With almost 80% of international visitors booking through an intermediary, the workshop explored how working with the travel trade can help the suppliers reach a wider international audience. This includes both traditional travel trade (such as tour operators and destination management companies) and digital trade partners (like online travel agents and marketplaces). The workshop was designed for suppliers with beginner and intermediate knowledge of the travel trade. 

Like many other places, the Isle of Man has a large number of SMEs working in tourism, and when you’re busy running a business, finding time for sales and marketing can be tough. We explored how partnering with the travel trade can be a simple and cost-efficient way to reach a large international audience. 

The participants in the workshop were very enthusiastic, and we had great conversations around the challenges and opportunities. 

And this is one of the things that stood out most during my visit to the island – everyone I met was incredibly friendly and curious. 

Not just the workshop participants, but also the people at the bus stop in Peel who involved me in their conversation seamlessly, the photography student who offered to take my picture when I struggled to get a selfie in the bright sunshine, and the restaurant in Castletown who made sure my dinner was served in time to catch my bus back to the airport.

It reminded me that a place is very much about its people, and not just its impressive castles, beautiful scenery and great food – though the Isle of Man has plenty of that as well. 

The Isle of Man really ticks all the boxes for a great destination. It’s quirky, beautiful, full of history, and welcoming. 

It’s a truly special place that I hope more international visitors will discover soon. And when they do, they will also be charmed when they are asked to say hello to the fairies. 

Shout-out to:

I stayed in a lovely guest house with bags of personality and a warm welcome from Shirley, the owner. Located in an area called Little Switzerland, on Switzerland Road, the guest house was, of course, called Edelweiss. Bonus – it’s dog friendly!

My seafood dinner at the Garrison Restaurant in Castletown was amazing. I’m still dreaming about those scallops. 

The Isle of Man was very accessible, which I really appreciate as a responsible tourism advocate. As I visited in the low season, the heritage trains were not running, but I managed to explore the island from Douglas in the east, to Peel in the west and Castletown in the south, in just one day, using the island’s excellent bus services.
#IsleOfMan #TravelTrade #TravelTradeReady