Over £170,000 spent on Visit influences

Visit currently has two active influencer agreements

Visit Isle of Man has spent more than £173,000 on holiday influencers in the last five years. 

The figure was revealed as part of a Freedom of Information request which sought figures, and policies, on third-party promotion of the Island as a destination for tourism and future residents.

In total taxpayers have paid out £173,707.35 since 2021.

This includes content fees and trip expenses such as travel, accommodation, food, drink, and activities.

The Department for Enterprise said: "Visit Isle of Man works with influencers and content creators as part of its wider PR and marketing activity to increase destination awareness and showcase the Island through authentic storytelling. 

"Influencer collaborations align with Visit Isle of Man's brand values, campaign objectives and key tourism product pillars, with a focus on reaching audiences that are relevant to the Isle of Man's visitor economy objectives."

Visit currently has two active influencer agreements with Amy Hulley and Alice Smith who focus on high-end holidays and outdoors trips respectively. 

A spokesperson for DfE added: "Both influencers are due to visit the Isle of Man in September 2026 to showcase the Island's shoulder season offer, demonstrating the breadth of experiences available outside the peak summer months and supporting Visit Isle of Man's objective of growing visitor numbers year-round and encouraging travel during the shoulder season."

The department said its agreements are made on a 'case-by-case basis' through the use of London based PR firms. 

Until July this was handled by Lexington Communications with Lansons taking over since then. 

It added that it has not paid out any money for influencers for Locate Isle of Man - the agency which is responsible for encouraging people to make the move and live on the Island. 

However it did participate in elements of a Visit Isle of Man-led campaign, involving Amy Jackson-Westwick, which included lifestyle and relocation related content relevant to potential future residents.