The Isle of Wight has been named in a poll of the top UK destinations by a global travel firm, and is the only island to feature.
Big 7 Travel compiled the list following a poll of their readers’ favourite UK staycation destinations who are looking forward to travelling when it is safe to do so.
The Isle of Wight came 6 in the countdown, making it the only Island in the top 10 and seeing off competition from popular locations such as Bath, Manchester and the Norfolk Broads.
Highlighting our ‘stunning sandy beaches… vibrant local culture and rich prehistoric history’ the article also points out the popular English Heritage attraction at Osborne.
Will Myles, Managing Director at Visit Isle of Wight, says:
“Again the Isle of Wight features strongly in a national poll of where to visit for your UK holiday, for those of us that live, work and play here, we already know it is amazing, to get that national stamp of approval just emphasises it.
“Our Island people and our island businesses should all be justly proud”.
You can see the full list at https://bigseventravel.com/best-staycation-destinations-uk/.
Brilliant! – Here we go again, then.
We prefer such not to be shouted to the world. As the last time we were at a position to shout about our Islands beauty, many paid later with their lives.
Still, it kept a few tills pinging, so to the mercenary, that makes it ‘justified’, yet to the rest of us, it doesn’t, and never will.
Tourism gave a good living in the 1980’s and 90’s, and i was proud to be able to employ several island kids during their school holidays and other full time staff. Tourism has always been a big draw for the Isle of Wight and i was proud to have moved here from the capital 40 years ago. The Island is my home and i still tell people what a great place it is to come and visit. The article in question should make us all feel great about living and working here not dis it like the comments from the insular inward thinking gentleman Mr Moul. When the Island is ready and safe to open up again i think we will all welcome visitors back.
Oh, so it’s just great to be on our island, but not good be insular? Please look up the word insular and refrain from harking back to the good old days of proper seaside holidays for working families. Not so now. Entitled superiority on hollibobs (pandemic or not) staying in second, and third, homes. The rest of the Isle of Wight will be poor housing and concrete everywhere. Mmm. Welcome, one and all.
Insular? When i last looked it meant illiberal or narrow-minded?? The 70’s and 80’s were great days for tourism, and a lot of people made very good livings from this sector and created a lot of jobs part and full time. Tourism then was main drive of this Island. Radcliffe’s in Blackwater, independent shops, newsagents relied heavily on those main seasonal months to make three quarters of their income for the year, and yes whilst the accommodation bed spaces have decreased, it’s still a major driving force, and it’s why you and the rest of you moaning can shop in the supermarkets that we have over here, enjoy a decent bus service etc etc,
Best you go to Specsavers and then buy a proper dictionary..
Insular… ‘ relating to or from an island.’
Oh and if you think that the Island is poor housing and concrete everywhere my love, i’ll give you a wander for half hour where i grew up in on the Mile End road in East London, because that is what you associate poor housing, concrete tower blocks and a crime rate through the roof! You’d run back the Isle of Wight quicker than you could say it! So please, don’t try that one.
It is a certain ‘type’ of person which causes most of the crimes there, and all other places anywhere on the globe they ‘choose’ to settle. Hence such crime is low here in compared with, atm. Unfortunately when we too are ‘blessed’ as many such fill the new properties here, all that will alter for the worst.
Thank you for coming here, from London, to educate we simple rural types. I’m happier now, knowing that you have had it ever so tough, while those of us blessed with beaches and downland have lain about chomping straws all our lives. Those who can’t hack their home town, so seek refuge here, are predictably forthcoming with advice for locals on how to be just like them. Regards, Lady Dunstanding.
Perfect and accurate reply M’lady.
Be also aware, that it is not just pure ‘coincidence’ that wherever certain people decide to inflict themselves upon others to live, that the vilest of crimes then escalates way out of all proportion to the increase in population.
As this happens across the entire globe, then we can rule out the ‘coincidence’ assumption.
Hence the indigenous then naturally wish to ‘escape’ their home towns but in doing so, they ruin our lives by causing more building, higher house prices and as you say, trying to change what they ‘escaped from’. Next, their ‘reason to run’ will follow here soon.
Not for much longer when the island is covered in concrete and ugly crammed in houses
Such a shame really.
If you don’t like it move
I was born here and lived here ever since and it’s so sad to see how much beauty has been lost. The rot started way back with beautiful old houses disappearing and lovely gardens being destroyed. Now the whole of Ryde has become a concrete jungle full of many undesirable people. So many of these people who have forever changed the look of our Island came here from elsewhere. If only we had become independent years ago as some people tried to make it I believe.
I fear it’s only going to get even worse. (As if that is possible, but sadly I think it is.)
Independent. That’s a thought. Perhaps not fully independent, but maybe a Crown Dependency, like Jersey and the IOM. That would have stopped the deterioration experienced in recent years, with no second home owners, no undesirable housing developments and no imported lowlifes. Would get my vote.
I replied just now but it’s not showing up for some reason. The Island has already become the way you describe in many areas, Beautiful old houses been destroyed and lovely gardens been destroyed and built on. The character of our Island has already been forever changed for the worse. Especially in certain areas, Rough people everywhere, far more than there used to be. I was born here and always lived here and saddened beyond belief by what has been done to this, once lovely, place.
rough people used to be housed in the same areas, however, some hand wringing lefty do gooder thought that socially engineering the population to all live together would increase the standard across the whole area – they of course were spectacularly wrong.
rough people are like a virus, put them in a different area and their disgusting, filthy ways of life spread out into the new area, ruining it for those unfortunate enough to be unable to move away
Well done to all those involved in making visitors feel welcome to our island.. The tiny majority who spout their hatred on here will dislike this wonderful news but for the rest of us we welcome visitors with open arms (when lockdown is over) of course …
You must live in cuckoo land ,unfortunately things have now changed forever, the
thing we need is different variations of the virus strain coming over here. We need to learn our lesson when the second home owners came over here spreading the virus before lockdown
You must live in cuckoo land to think a virus with above a 98% survival rate should shut the whole of society down as it has!
So Boris, you’re ok with one hundred and fifty two million dying? Because that is the 2% that you say will die.
yes – globally 99.98% survival rate – means lockdowns are a stupid waste of time.
Yea till you get it and people come here and don’t give a s—t
Of course nobody left the island and bought it back with them? How ridiculous.. lol.. Let’s blame everyone else … I ain’t living in lockdown forever and if you want to hunker down frightened of a virus for the rest of your days the carry on however I intend to make the most of the years I got left… I’m going to live my best life regardless . I’ve observed the rules for now however once lockdown is over I won’t be obeying them again.
I tried to vote your comment up, but the site is not letting me for some reason.
The whole of Cornwall voted us the best place to visit..
Goodness knows what the other islands were like,I bet they haven’t seen Sandown with burnt out hotels, abandoned building sites and derilect buildings,Browns derilect golf course and a beach that hasn’t been cleaned for over 3 years.Tourist, will have to be paid to come here.
The isle’s business leader for the c o u n c i l owns many seaside outlets in Ryde, so will always ensure the area is built up to the max, to max profits, perhaps he can afford to put staff ON the books this season?
Les, you know of his alleged escapades too then?
We run a competitive business and have struggled badly this last year and all made worse by those who allegedly cheat the system by doing such things, and of course it makes it hard to compete with cretins who do employ cheap staff by such means.
Made even worse when such handles public funds of millions and ‘instructs businesses in it’s main role’.
I am gathering evidence now, photos, statements etc, so please, if you have anything important to add, perhaps we could find some way of private comms?
Something needs to be done to clean up Sandown in general, especially Kings and what was the Ocean Hotel oh and not forgetting The Grand which is a complete eyesore along with the others. These sites are all prime holiday destinations, clean them up or knock them down and build new and get them earning money again for God’s sake.
Proud of what.. ??? Letting over landers come here and bring their viruses’ ?? Ruin our Island with all their rubbish and abuse.. has no one ever noticed the rubbish they leave on our beaches… Thanks, but no thanks I say ! Would rather be poor, healthy and clean !