My letters to the papers are becoming like London buses - you wait ages and then two come along close together. Like John R Orme (Examiner letters 18 November) I was surprised that the Department of Economic Development chose to appoint a new Director of Tourism, albeit on a fixed non-pensionable term. But the reasons for my surprise differ greatly from his. He says that “tourism is dead” and “remains a zombie business”. I say the visitor economy already has the strategic direction that you would expect a director to develop. Tourists travel to the Isle of Man throughout the year but, unlike the “good old days” they do not sit on a crowded beach with raw sewerage being pumped into the sea in which they bathe. They stay in good quality hotels and many play golf, travel on the vintage railways and walk or cycle around the countryside. The majority bring their cars and many stay outside of the towns in self catering properties the market for which continues to expand. They visit the Manx National Heritage sites, they have fun on segways and motorised trikes. Visitors bring motorbikes every week of the year and thousands more come by coach. Almost without exception, first time visitors to the Isle of Man are surprised at the variety of landscape and attractions. Hotel prices for business visitors represent excellent value compared to other business centres. The Isle of Man is not competing with cheap sunshine destinations but is in the same market as the Lake District and Cornwall but is often cheaper and is certainly less crowded (a strength not a weakness). Remove year round tourism and you lose the capacity required for the special events. Neglect tourism and you can no longer justify many of the heritage sites, glens and walks that add so much amenity value for the Manx and other residents. Grow tourism and other parts of the economy benefit too. Restaurants and cafes that gain custom from business visitors would not be there without tourists. Discourage tourists and there will far fewer travel options for residents. The comparison between visitors to the Isle of Man and the numbers at Alton Towers is meaningless. I question whether we can maintain so much public transport and so many heritage sites and I certainly do not believe that government spending on such assets generates as much benefit for the economy as it says, Undoubtedly some expenditure is greater than it need be. But Tourism in the Isle of Man is not dead and it will be live longer if people from within ceased saying it is. Its integration with other areas of economic activity to pay for the services that the government provides and the amenities that we all enjoy can be the only justification for the revival of this post. Furthermore, I hope I am wrong and that the incumbent builds positively on the good work already being provided by the officers supporting the industry.
Posted on: Tue, 18 Nov 2014 22:15:18 +0000
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