Fewer visitors came to the Isle of Wight last summer but they spent more money with local businesses, the Island’s tourism boss has revealed. Around £280 million was forked out on the Island, by tourists, between October 1, 2022, and September 30, 2023. Speaking at the Isle of Wight Council’s regeneration scrutiny committee on Thursday evening, Mr Myles said more than 1.96 million visitors came to the Island during that period. Comparing it to 2019 — the last year that was not impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic — £275.8 million was spent on the Island and 2.1 million tourists visited. Mr Myles said the fact there was more spending but fewer visitors were the “strange part of it all”. He said it was the tourism board’s goal to recover visitor numbers to pre-pandemic levels and also increase them. Visit Isle of Wight is now part of a national programme that allows it to help shape tourism policy across Britain. Councillor Karl Love said the ferry fares needed to be made cheaper so more people would come to the Island, especially when competing with cheap flights to Europe. When comparing the Island’s tourism numbers with similar major coastal tourism destinations, Mr Myles said “we are sitting alongside a competitive set and doing ok.” Overall, tourism equates to 30 per cent of the Island’s economy, Mr Myles said. One of the key issues, the tourism board is working on is making the Island more accessible for tourists with disabilities. Visit Isle of Wight will be working with the Hidden Disabilities Sunflower charity and delivering training to Island businesses on how to help people. It is also working with Ryde Town Council to provide accessible beach access, in time for summer. Councillors asked what work was being done to extend the season and encourage businesses to be open in the off-season as different audiences will come to the Island at different times. Mr Myles said holding walking festivals outside of the peak season is helping to attract a new audience. He revealed a third of the Island’s tourists visit outside of the main summer season, which they were looking to increase, but also said attractions and hotels needed to be open.
NUMBER OF VISITORS DOWN BUT MONEY TOURISTS SPENT WITH LOCAL BUSINESSES UP
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Of course they spent more,its stupidly expensive here,even so called pub food and drink is shocking
and accommodation prices are a rip off,ferry prices are a joke,its cheaper to go abroad for a week!
“the fact there was more spending but fewer visitors were the “strange part of it all”
Yes it seems Mr Myles is a bit thick. Costs went up 10-20% during that period and it was all passed on to the customer. The higher spending is actually a huge decline when corrected for inflation.
I don’t bother going to pubs no more food mostly crap over priced taseless luke warm i cook better at home with a glass of wine for a fraction of what the rubbish costs.
The same “people” will bitch about the “cost of living crisis”
can’t afford it? don’t buy it you fucking stupid cunts
Tourists will stop coming to the Island
(So many reasons as to why)
Most expensive Ferry crossings per mile in the world.
Majority of toilets are NO longer free.
24/7 364 days a year seafront parking charges.
£2 to use a lift in Shanklin.
So many derelict seafront hotels in Sandown and Shanklin.
The island are clueless when it comes to tourism.
And fuckuing broken never to be fixed and reopened..i wont pay ill piss up against the wall..fuck em..like you said winter car charges on the frontsthe dirty unts..what a shit dump hole we live on..roads are all fucked try looking at the scenery fucking eyes nearlly pop out of sockets..
Bob
Apart from the crime aspect, Khan’s London is a much cleaner place thesedays.
and even Khan does not charge 24/7 364 days a year parking charges or
50p to have a p*ss or £2 to use a lift.
Who is running the Island Dick Turpin.
Looks like, thanks to the super expensive ferries, only the rich can afford to come here now.
for what for ? island fucking shit pearl !! hotels look like should of been knocked down years ago towns look like dog turds..old tatty uninviting.i could go on..
Mr Myles, not strange at all. It’s called price inflation! Or super-inflation when associated with ferry prices.
My family didn’t renew their lease to carry on their cafe/restaurant because footfall reduced over 3 consecutive years. People may still be coming over but they are definitely not spending their money as they were. Ferry prices hideous and an unreliable service by both operators, only those with deep pockets find them of value for money.
I guess that inflation may having something to do with the figures… (literally)
It’s a dump that’s why lol
Far cleverer people than me have commented to this story on the other channel suggesting that because of inflation the spend has actually gone down, not up. So there’s no surprising bit after all.
Surely the visitors are only spending more because everything has gone up so much, so all reflective of a downward trend.
More spending, but fewer visitors, were the “strange part of it all”. Really? Four years of high inflation and price rises may just explain that particular observation. For example, how much has the cost of a pint risen since pre-covid days?
As a matter of interest where do they get the 280 million pounds spent figure.
Friends of mine run hotels, tourist attractions and have never been asked how much income has increased or
spent this season by tourists.
You can thank our utterly greedyand unreliable ferries for lack of.only get eorse and as our island dies
How they calculate 1.9million ?. Of corse more money spent as everything gone up, ferry fare,car parking, attractions and cost of food etc.
why go to the island it’s crap never mind move on i bet dippy Kev will be on hear soon to have his say if he can get out of bed
I’ve visited the Isle of Wight on numerous occasions over the last five years and I was thinking of moving to the island. Unfortunately that’s not the case now as the only thing that puts me off doing that is the ferry company’s that hold the islander’s to ransom. Over shoddy service and constant cancellation because a vital member hasn’t turn up for work. Truly pathetic reason for cancelling a vital service. And I’ve also stopped using the hovercraft and gone over to the Seacat as at least it does offer a much better service out of the three main providers. So yes it’s more expensive 2 go and stay on + island and @ has put people off going. And the cost of things on + island once you are there. It’s cheaper 2 go abroad. Such a shame really
The ferry prices putting off codgers from retiring here.
So every cloud really does have a silver lining.
Is old people’s money less valuable than young gelt, Winky? And us coffin dogers have and cause only a tenth of the costly insurance premium mountain road accidents to say nothing of the millions they don’t cost us older council tax payers for vandalism and social security scrounging by young workshy residents. From what I have seen there are loads of them on the island. If we made a lower age limit of 50 to be allowed to live on the Island, what a lovely safer, healthy and wealthy place it would be.
You will probably get your wish if things keep going the way they are.
Good luck getting anyone to fix you up when you fall and break your hip.
It would make very interesting reading to see how much money the ferry companies make from just tourism compared to Isle of Wight residents.
Wait until the council switch into full ‘regeneration’ mode – miles of new double yellow lines, reduced parking spaces across the island and massively increased charges for those still remaining, lack of public facilities, lots of ‘net zero’ inspired punishment to make the island more ‘woke’ friendly – remember it’s much easier to comply with bureacuraric orders telling you to stop people from doing things, ban them from owning things and make life difficult for them if they dare try to enjoy themselves without first considering their impact to that nebulous beast ‘the climate’ than it is to actually do what local people pay you to do and actually make things better locally in a way that is actually visible and attractive to the masses
Yeah, I too was a tourist who came to IOW for their beautiful parking spaces and ability to park everywhere.
We used to park and get a grill on. Best concrete in the country, and some beautiful road signs I have to say.
If IOW with their AONB and beaches now goes for “nature” then bleeeh, who wants that. I will take my weekend grill and go have some sausage on a Tesco parking lot at Southampton.
£276 million in 2019 is the equivalent of £337 million when adjusted for inflation, so spend has gone down along with visitor numbers. It’s unfortunate that our politicians don’t understand the effect of inflation. Unfortunate but not surprising.
Myles isn’t a politician. He’s a twonk whose salary far outstrips his ability.
As witnessed by his “surprise” at how inflation works.
Can anybody tell me if the ferry companies charge to take a mobility scooter on board as I have just purchased one so that I can park anywhere even on double yellow lines without having to pay. The reason I ask is because I am thinking of going over to the mainland to do a bit of shopping as I am now unable to find anything on the island now that most of the shops have closed.
Around £280 million was forked out on the Island Really?? how is that possible on this dirty old broken isle filthy towns toilet blocks shut for good hotels that look like shit swimming pools closeing down bloody expensive just to get here..where after all this is ANY investment to make it a nice place to come??????./..oh none.