Visit Isle of Man has launched a new marketing campaign to encourage bookings to the 2024 Isle of Man TT Races and inspire visitors to explore the Island beyond the racing.
The campaign, ‘The Isle of Man, There’s More to iTT’, is a collaborative effort between Visit Isle of Man and the Department for Enterprise Motorsport Team. Drawing inspiration from the iconic figure of Top Gear’s ‘The Stig’, viewers are introduced to ‘TTig’, a character designed to capture the attention of potential visitors whilst showcasing the Island’s extensive offering in a comedic and captivating way.
Deborah Heather, CEO of Visit Isle of Man, commented:
‘The Isle of Man TT Races have long been hailed as one of the most thrilling events in the world of motorsport, attracting thousands of visitors to our shores annually. With this new campaign, we want to invite visitors to not only experience the excitement of the races but to also immerse themselves in everything that makes the Island unique.
‘Central to the campaign is the message that the Isle of Man is more than just a destination for motorsport enthusiasts, and we hope it will appeal to a wide variety of audiences. Regardless of whether you’re a fan of the TT Races, the juxtaposition of a leather-clad TTig enjoying a beachside sauna is hopefully going to get people laughing and inspire interest in what else the Isle of Man has to offer beyond the racetrack. We hope residents and visitors alike will engage in the campaign and enjoy following along TTig’s exploration of the Isle of Man.’
Sarah Maltby MHK, Political Member for Tourism and Motorsport, added:
‘Collaborations like these are invaluable in elevating the Isle of Man’s profile on the global stage. The TT Races are more than just a world-class racing event, they offer a gateway to an Island brimming with natural beauty, rich history and endless opportunities for adventure.
‘For a small Island, the breadth of tourism and hospitality businesses that have been highlighted in this campaign is outstanding, demonstrating what I have always felt which is the Isle of Man is simply a wonderful place to live and visit. I feel confident that we will continue to go from strength to strength as a visitor destination, and that the team at Visit Isle of Man, its industry partners, and the local tourism and hospitality businesses are contributing significantly to the Island’s resurgence.’
Despite seeing more than 43,000 visitors travel to the Isle of Man during the 2023 TT Races, approximately 7.5% up on 2022 figures, data from surveys revealed there was additional availability in accommodation and travel across the two-week race period. Occupancy figures showed that serviced and non-serviced accommodation were 82% and 73% full respectively for June, whilst ferry figures showed 36% availability across the two weeks and 64% availability over the final weekend, and 30% availability for flights across both periods.
A revised race schedule was implemented last year as part of the TT’s overarching strategy to drive long-term sustainability of the event and deliver visitor growth, offering two additional races and allowing fans to visit at more convenient periods. Following a survey by Tourism South East which revealed that the average visitor stay for the 2023 TT Races was six nights, the new campaign aims to increase consideration amongst potential visitors to book for the final weekend and beyond, supporting the new schedule and Visit Isle of Man’s targets of increasing TT visitors to 47,000, as outlined in their 2024 Agency Programme.
Those wishing to visit this year’s races can find travel packages available through the TT’s Official Travel Partners, with options for both ferry and air travel. Accommodation is also available through the Visit Isle of Man website and Homestay Isle of Man.
The full campaign video can be viewed on the Visit Isle of Man social media channels, and their website at visitisleofman.com/TT
