Fortress Management Services, based in Exchange House, Athol Street, has been hosting the trips every quarter for the past year or so.

Last week half a dozen visitors flew in from Manchester for the day to meet Fortress staff and get an insight into the services provided by the company.

But, says Fortess marketing director Andy Lee, the visits are also a chance for other companies and organisations to show what the they and the Isle of Man has to offer.

'The visitors we have are mainly accountants, lawyers and IFAs which is where we get most of our business,' he said.

'It's a chance to showcase what we do but also, rather than it just be for Fortress, we realised it was a great opportunity for other businesses to get involved.'

During last week's visit presentations were made by Isle of Man Finance and Barclays and paid a visit to Collins Stewart stockbrokers and investment managers.

'We get a mix of people, usually about six or eight in the group, and organise a visit so they can fly in for the day and be back home on the same day,' he adds.

'We've had tremendous feedback, we are not just promoting Fortress but giving them a really good impression of the Isle of Man and what it has to offer.'

From talking to clients who have been on the trips Fortress executives have gained an insight into the key factors which make the Isle of Man an attractive place to do business.

Frank Pattison, Fortress operations director, says the fact that the Island is easily accessible and has an infrastructure which offered everything a business could need was a strong selling point for companies thinking of moving here.

Fortress Management Services was set up in 1994 and employs 25 people.