Visit Isle of Man has requested a mandate to develop a tourism levy following consultation with the visitor economy sector.
The request comes in a report to Tynwald, which responds to a July 2025 motion asking the Department for Enterprise to consult businesses and report back by February 2026.
More than 40 industry representatives attended workshops, with 102 responses received through an online survey.
Visit Isle of Man said the levy should be “a collaborative, not punitive, focus on partnership, integrated registration, visitor engagement and regenerative/purposeful tourism approach”.
Develop
The report states that any funds raised could be used to “protect and develop heritage railways and national heritage sites, developing cultural and art initiatives or funding the upkeep of the Raad Ny Foillan coastal path”.
Stakeholders emphasised that any levy “must be simple, transparent, and ringfenced for the visitor economy” and that the benefits “should be proportional”.
The report notes two existing pilot schemes, including a cruise initiative where passengers contributed to Beach Buddies and a voluntary £3 donation per booking introduced by Island Escapes in 2018, which has seen “less than 1% opt-out rate”.
Visit Isle of Man said it would continue to work with industry to explore how a workable levy could be administered and reinvested into the visitor economy.