TT Visitors down - but spend is up

Fri, 21 Sep 2018

The annual Isle of Man TT Races brought a significant amount to the local economy this summer.

The Department for Enterprise’s annual visitor survey for the TT Races has revealed an increase in economic contribution that the event generates for the local economy despite a slight drop in visitor numbers in 2018.

The number of new and non-UK visitors has also significantly increased.

This year’s event saw an estimated spend of £37.1 million in the local economy, up from £34.1 million in 2017, contributing £26.8 million to the local economy, an increase of almost 8.9%.

Over 16,000 people were first time visitors to the TT Races this year, the highest recorded number since the surveys began in 2010, while the number of non-UK visitors increased by almost 50% to over 9,000.

The average length of stay also slightly increased this year from 6.5 to 6.7 nights.