Some of the Isle of Wight’s top attractions have seen a drop in visitor numbers by as much as 25% since the COVID pandemic, new figures from VisitEngland reveal. The National Trust’s Bembridge Windmill has been hit the hardest with a drop of 26% in visitor numbers, from 15,415 in 2019 to just 11,394 in 2023. English Heritage’s Osborne House has seen a similar fall, of 23%, from 354,709 visitors in 2019 to 274,747 in 2023. Carisbrooke Castle has also seen a fall in those choosing to visit the attraction, with 110,727 visitors in 2023 compared to pre-pandemic levels of 131,358 – a fall of 16%. However, English Heritage’s other Isle of Wight site, Yarmouth Castle, has seen a 63% growth – from 13,820 visitors in 2019 to 22,550 last year. Mottistone Gardens, which is owned by National Trust, has seen a positive 10% visitor growth over the pandemic period going from 37,941 visitors to 41,828. 
ISLAND’S TOP ATTRACTIONS STRUGGLE TO BOUNCE BACK AFTER COVID BUT OTHERS EXCEL
- Trending
- Comments
- Latest
TOP STORIES THIS WEEK
-
POLICE NEGOTIATE WITH ARMED MAN IN PETROL STATION STANDOFF
-
2 YOUTHS ARRESTED AFTER TESCO TROUBLE PROMPTS POLICE RESPONSE
-
BROADWAY CLOSED AS MOTORCYCLE AND CAR COLLIDE AT SANDOWN JUNCTION
-
HOUR-LONG FERRY DELAYS AFTER WIGHTLINK VESSEL DIVERTED TO SOLENT SEARCH
-
LATEST CASES AT THE ISLE OF WIGHT MAGISTRATES COURT (25TH MAY – 29TH MAY 2026)
Useful Links
External Links
Thanks to 14 years of Tory support and cutbacks, I hear the food banks are doing a roaring trade.
An incredible’ coincidence’ that food banks , housing shortages, long waits for doctors, dentist and hospitals, huge rise in crime have all risen since masse immigration.
Odd as most seem to imagine that filling your country with people who arrive with nothing (apart from the phone) so need everything from a land to reside on, too food, clothing, medical care, money, costly education, more energy, sewage, water, landfill etc would have made the country and its citizens wealthier.
Should have voted Reform. Too late now
The weather has been cold and wet of late.
I blame them immigrants!
VoTE DeFoRm
Of course you don’t. They in thick peoples minds can do no wrong.
Thick people think that having a truly never ending supply of poor people means they will ALWAYS work hard and not, as soon as allowed to stay, just have scattered kids, give up working, sell drugs, commit crime, and do as many Brits do, live for free’cos I gotta kid’ innit bruv.
Check out the children and grandchildren of earlier ethnic immigrants in inner cities to gauge what happens.
Think, IF capable then vote REFORM
Reform will never get in power in the UK
It would never be allowed to happen.
Keep dreaming, get another Tattoo.
Tw@T
Tattoo shops are booming!
So many uneducated Caulkheads
are running out of room on their bodies for more.
New one opening in the old bank in Shanklin
along the High Street.
So many uneducated B’stards will be lining up to
go in.
Osborne House and Carisbrook Castle are simply too expensive…
Like most National Trust sites (and car parks).
Don’t you mean English Heritage?
So is Blackgang Chine plus many more.
I no longer go to Shanklin Chine since they refused to
accept cash when trying to go in.
Their greed and awkwardness will be their demise.
And Robin Hill … Was the demise because it was too expensive ( never went there)
They are not expensive. You are just living in the 1980s.
Someone has to pay for all the locals who use the NT car parks and never pay.
The Councils G’estapo Enforcement Officers slap
Parking tickets on vehicles who go a few minutes over their
time, yet the Builders who are working along Arthurs Hill
Shanklin are parked on Double Yellow Lines on the kerb
causing disruption for pedestrians and motorists.
Seems that the Useless B’stards who work for the
Council are only targeting holidaymakers etc.
Personally I park free of charge on the pavement opposite
Sandown pier where the old burger van use to be.
The Island is a joke
This is the crux of it. “Since the pandemic” is a red herring. It has nothing to do with Covid or the war in the Ukraine and everything to do with the cost of living crisis. People who are struggling to pay their bills and heat their homes let alone feed their families do not have the kind of money to visit Osborne House and Carisbrooke Castle. The donkey sanctuary has seen its visitor numbers double – it is free to visit. Tourist attractions need to look at their finances because their net take will be no better for higher prices if fewer people visit. They need perhaps to take a smaller slice now to preserve the tourist industry for the future.
Perhaps if the joke of the National Trust didn’t charge stupid prices they would see more visitors and the same applies to English Heritage as well, just greed to finance their bloated and incompetent management.
Somebody has to fund their woke preaching and propaganda.
You don’t have to pay anything to visit the beautifully kept Ventnor Park, l bet they have more visitors than ever.
Gorgeous park
I think that the rise in visitors to the Donkey sanctuary might be partly due to the Isle of Wight bus museum on the Rydabus (May) and the Wightryder (October) events as the Donkey Sanctuary is a terminus for the free bus rides.
Speaking from personal experience, I know that a good number of island visitors this year have been put off by the ferry prices. Not rocket science that is it?
When tourists are striped for over £200 for a trip, then we can see the results.
My daughter wanted to come over for a day trip for my birthday. Day return for her and her little girl was £125. I refused to let her pay that. She came over as a surprise as a foot passenger instead. Parking at Pompey, she was collected at Fishborne. Whilst I was happy, she is just 1 traveller.
Look around the cafes and attractions, where are the tourists? My son can drive to Devon and spend a week in the property there. His journey there and back costs half of the ferry fare.
Fares are killing tourism.
Ferry fares are a con.
They make Khan’s ULEZ CHARGE seem fair
Very true. We were going to cross the Solent this weekend, but both ferry companies have priced themselves out of a return car crossing.
I thought I should stand in for the idiot who usually turns up at this point and says “if you don’t like it then why don’t you move……” etc etc yawn .
Unfortunately, I think the truth is that the high ferry prices mostly affect people living here and not the tourists so much.
More than 1.96 million visitors came to the Island last year, although that’s slightly down from the pre-pandemic total of around 2.1 million, but it’s still a lot of tourists. Many of those tourists would have got subsidised ferry fares by booking through the larger hotels, holiday parks etc or come as part of a coach trip. It’s the one-off car trips that are more expensive, like us going to the mainland or a relative coming to visit us in a car. Hotels and holiday parks understandably get discounts for block bookings.
If residents got substantially reduced fares, like 50% off, we’d all be happier.
Its not rocket science the ferries charge through the roof add that to a rent caravan/hotel for two weeks its out of alot of peopls reach. The other thing is look at all the holiday attroctions that have closed over the last 10 years flimingo park..robin hill..lavender farm ect. You will struggle to find something new to do every day if you are not a beach going family.
Soon there will be no attractions left.
Too expensive and overpriced eateries.