triskelion Posted August 31, 2009 Share Posted August 31, 2009 I can't see that the people working in the Tourism Division are any more deluded about the tourist sector than anyone else. The most common theme in all discussion on tourism on the Island is that everyone believes they are an expert who has identified the demographics we need to be targeting and how to do it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bellyup Posted August 31, 2009 Share Posted August 31, 2009 In the face of SR prices, the DTL and all it's propaganda reminds me of the story of The Emperor's New Clothes. They, and many in the government and civil service are kidding no one except themselves, whilst continually bitterly dissapointing many who would like to see tourism increase, including some that have bet businesses on it in believing the government hype about it. I have to agree with you here. I would feel so cheated having spent hundreds of pounds to get here to find out what a complete rundown dump Douglas is. Then if you hire a car you can get out and discover what complete dumps Peel and Ramsey are too. And that Castletown is currently closed. In fact a complete seaside tiphole like Blackpool does not look too bad in comparison to here and at least you can drive there for a few quid and there's entertainment laid on. I have always believed that the DTL are totally deluding themselves with all these adverts and marketing strategies because we want regular visitors not people who come here once and realise that they have been conned to and then tell all their friends how crap their experience was. Its also very sad that our government boasts of a £5bn capital expenditure programme over the last 15 years and yet outside of the TT course you can't even find a decent road to drive on or anything to do once you get here. You mean its not like it is in the video ? Zzzzzzzzzzzzzc.zzzzzzzzzzz...................etc. Now now it may be a tad soporific .............. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
loaf Posted August 31, 2009 Share Posted August 31, 2009 re: Twitter. Well today's experiment hasn't impressed me so far. I joined Twitter ages ago but hadn't used it. I think one friend had found me on there, so I had 1 follower, yet my statistics showed that I had two. (One hidden, or do you follow yourself, so to speak, or is it just crappy coding?) My first 'tweet' causes me to have almost immediately two followers from complete strangers who, surprise surprise, turn out to be money-making scheme spambots. Strangely, I only receive one notification in email that one of them had started to follow me. (I wonder if it's because I was logged in when the other decided to follow me?) I succesfully block one of the bots, the other seems impossible to remove after numerous attempts. Yeah, great stuff... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Twitch Posted August 31, 2009 Share Posted August 31, 2009 You mean its not like it is in the video ? Zzzzzzzzzzzzzc.zzzzzzzzzzz...................etc. Now now it may be a tad soporific .............. I was referring to you of course, you boring twat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldmanxfella Posted August 31, 2009 Share Posted August 31, 2009 The most common theme in all discussion on tourism on the Island is that everyone believes they are an expert who has identified the demographics we need to be targeting and how to do it. I think that generally there is no demographic. We are flogging a dead horse and might as well admit it rather than pumping more millions in and just adding bodies and pension liabilities to this ever expanding government department. Its too expensive to get here in the first place and compared to anywhere else you can go in the UK or Ireland there is not a lot to do when you do get here. You don't need to be a genius in anything to work that out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
manshimajin Posted August 31, 2009 Share Posted August 31, 2009 I have always believed that the DTL are totally deluding themselves with all these adverts and marketing strategies because we want regular visitors not people who come here once and realise that they have been conned and then tell all their friends how crap their experience was. Its also very sad that our government boasts a multi billion capital expenditure programme over the last 15 years and yet outside of the TT course you can't even find a decent road to drive on or anything to do once you get here. To quote lawyers and economists, on the one hand I agree with you and Albert and on the other hand I disagree with you. We are competing to attract people from a 70 million strong immediate market - UK and Ireland despite what the CEO of the SR says. The costs of getting here and staying for a fortnight can be prohibitive if you have a family and no relatives to stay with. I would like to sea the SR use a bit of marketing skill (but Mark Woodward says I am talking nonsense given we only have a market of 84,000). For example why not have proper "Family Package" fares - car + 2 adults kids go free, or a Seniors fare to attract the over 60s? Better to fill a ship with somewhat lower fares than to sail it half empty. I think there's no chance of this happening unless Macquarie want to build up utilisation numbers for a sell-off. The IOMG has signed away its one testicular rip on the SR until 2026 - the User Agreement. OTOH when friends and family have visited (admittedly staying not paying) they have loved the place. They keep coming back too which is great. They are of an age that enjoys countryside, walks along our footpaths, the odd kipper bap, visits to the glens, using their National Trust/English Heritage cards to visit our heritage places, nature and a visit to the pub. They are not looking for ultra-sophistication but for a bit of relative peace and quiet and a chance to relax. I also find when i talk to visitors they generally are very positive about the Island - but this may well be because the people who come here actually WANT to come here anyway and it is giving them what they expected or better. In 2006 the UK had a population in the age range 45-75 years old of 20 million which is not a bad target market for starters. In a couple of years it is projected to have increased to 21.5 million. And then again unless something radical is done about managing our tourism efforts as our competitors are doing then it is a lost cause. Those employment figures show this - over the last (was it 40 years?) down from 7% to 1% of employment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thesultanofsheight Posted August 31, 2009 Share Posted August 31, 2009 OTOH when friends and family have visited (admittedly staying not paying) they have loved the place. They keep coming back too which is great. They are of an age that enjoys countryside, walks along our footpaths, the odd kipper bap, visits to the glens, using their National Trust/English Heritage cards to visit our heritage places, nature and a visit to the pub. They are not looking for ultra-sophistication but for a bit of relative peace and quiet and a chance to relax. I would be interested to know how many people doing this (regularly visiting families and friends here) count towards the tourism figures published by the DTL. I bet the proportion is very high as if you look at it logically SR fares keep on going up and really if you have no connection to people resident on the Island you'd really be hard pushed to justify the cost of getting here. Plus we have lost thousands of hotel beds over the last decade and yet the tourist figures have been relatively static which suggests many of them as staying with relatives when they get here. You are also totally correct that really its the older crowd seeking quiet unsophistication that can be the only real target group for the IoM but again these people are living on fixed incomes from pensions or bank interest and its getting more and more expensive to get here so we are going to cost them out anyway. I really don't think we have any hope for an increase in tourism until something can be done about this - and extending the user agreement to 2026 was crazy in this context. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
manshimajin Posted August 31, 2009 Share Posted August 31, 2009 TBH I would be very doubtful about the accuracy of the numbers. How do the DoTL differentiate between tourists, business people and returning locals? Never seen anyone checking at the airport or the ferry terminal and you don't have to fill in an 'arrival' form so I don't know how they make the differentiation. Does anyone know how it is done (seriously...). Like everyone else I can guess lots of stupid ways of doing it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graculus Posted August 31, 2009 Share Posted August 31, 2009 The cost of travellling to the Island is exorbitant, the price of petrol here is scandalous and when the weather is poor, as it has been of late, there is bugger all to do. Unless you were here to visit friends or family, would you recommend the Isle of Man as a must see destination? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Capt W E Johns Posted September 1, 2009 Share Posted September 1, 2009 Nationalise the Steam Packet! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yorkie Posted September 3, 2009 Share Posted September 3, 2009 I recently asked my kids (boys 6 & 13) where they wanted to go on holiday next year (we went to Anglesey & Holland this year) and the immediate reply from both of them was The Isle of Man!!! We do usually come every 2nd year, as I love the place. I have checked out prices (aprox) and I am expecting to have to pay around £1600 -£1700 for two weeks – accommodation & sailings with the car. Our combined cost to go to Holland for a week in May, (static caravan, on a theme park, via P&O North Sea Ferries, with car) and two weeks in a bungalow at Treaddur Bay on Anglesey (holiday park with swimming pool & bar/restaurant). Total cost less than £1600 total. I realise the standard of accommodation should be slightly higher in IOM (hopefully!! Also not saying it was bad this year either), so expect a rise in cost for this, but even so I have thought long and hard about where we should go. The thing that puts me off the most at the moment is the £400 - £500 it will cost to come over on a very crowded ship. You have no choice either but to sail on a Saturday if booking self catering as most will only do Sat to Sat (understandably). I do not want this post to be negative, I really want to point out that me and my family love holidaying on the IOM and find loads of things to do, you should not need entertainment forced upon you to enjoy a holiday. But cost must be a major factor to anyone from the UK, thinking about the IOM as a holiday destination, whether compared to a hol at home (UK resort) or going abroad. I guess we’ll see you next July/August then!! (Checks bank account and shakes head slowly). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Domino Posted September 3, 2009 Share Posted September 3, 2009 I recently asked my kids (boys 6 & 13) where they wanted to go on holiday next year (we went to Anglesey & Holland this year) and the immediate reply from both of them was The Isle of Man!!! We do usually come every 2nd year, as I love the place.I have checked out prices (aprox) and I am expecting to have to pay around £1600 -£1700 for two weeks – accommodation & sailings with the car. Our combined cost to go to Holland for a week in May, (static caravan, on a theme park, via P&O North Sea Ferries, with car) and two weeks in a bungalow at Treaddur Bay on Anglesey (holiday park with swimming pool & bar/restaurant). Total cost less than £1600 total. I realise the standard of accommodation should be slightly higher in IOM (hopefully!! Also not saying it was bad this year either), so expect a rise in cost for this, but even so I have thought long and hard about where we should go. The thing that puts me off the most at the moment is the £400 - £500 it will cost to come over on a very crowded ship. You have no choice either but to sail on a Saturday if booking self catering as most will only do Sat to Sat (understandably). I do not want this post to be negative, I really want to point out that me and my family love holidaying on the IOM and find loads of things to do, you should not need entertainment forced upon you to enjoy a holiday. But cost must be a major factor to anyone from the UK, thinking about the IOM as a holiday destination, whether compared to a hol at home (UK resort) or going abroad. I guess we’ll see you next July/August then!! (Checks bank account and shakes head slowly). I think you should stick to Holland or Anglesey; far better value for money and interest Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miss Roo Posted September 3, 2009 Share Posted September 3, 2009 would you recommend the Isle of Man as a must see destination? I am ashamed to say it but No i wouldnt! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
queenie Posted September 3, 2009 Share Posted September 3, 2009 I recently asked my kids (boys 6 & 13) where they wanted to go on holiday next year (we went to Anglesey & Holland this year) and the immediate reply from both of them was The Isle of Man!!! We do usually come every 2nd year, as I love the place. What is that you and your family like about the Isle of Man? I was born in the IOM and enjoy living here. While I have spent a couple of years away, I've always ended up back here and have no plans to move. However sadly I can't really see what it has to offer as a holiday destination outside of TT week. Expensive to get here, expensive to eat out, unreliable weather. I suppose if you were into vintage transport or hill walking? There are a few interesting museums etc. Definitely not enough for a return trip though I wouldn't have thought? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gladys Posted September 3, 2009 Share Posted September 3, 2009 Have to say if the adults enjoy the holiday then so will the kids, no matter where. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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