Three ’product champions’ are to be appointed to help tourism chiefs meet their ambitious targets to boost visitor numbers.

Central to Visit Isle of Man’s strategic plan, unveiled last week, is a goal to attract 380,000 visitors to the island by 2023 - and with an ambition to see that figure grow to 500,000 by 2030.

To support that plan, Visit Isle of Man says it wants to appoint a walking champion, a golf champion and a cycling champion.

Quick quote expressions of interest were posted on the government’s website, with a closing date of noon last Thursday. More than 500 expressions have been received for the three roles from individuals and companies.

The Department for Enterprise said the budget will depend on the length of the contract and the volume of work completed.

A spokesman said: ’Visit Isle of Man is looking to appoint three product champion posts to support the development of walking, golf, and cycling products in line with the new three-year strategy. Development of the island’s primary products is a key factor in the Visit agency’s three-year strategy.

’Walking, golf, and cycling have a mature market in the surrounding visitor economies (UK and Ireland) and key enablers have been delivered over the last 12 months to facilitate future growth in these areas.’

She said key performance indicators have been set to attract 13,000 extra visitors by 2023 from these core products.

This would equate to an additional average spend of £8.2m in the visitor economy and a direct exchequer benefit of £1m, she said.

The spokesman said: ’To deliver on these targets a different approach is required, and therefore the Visit Agency board voted to engage specialist product champions to lead the growth of their respective areas.

’This work will complement the ongoing work of the Visit Agency and marketing team.’

She said the three product champions will act as the ’face and voice’ of their specific product, ’engage with specialist communities to develop representative committees’, and ’ultimately drive the growth of the product in partnership with the Visit Agency’.

The Visit Agency is following the government’s procurement process to find the right people for the roles.

’Over 500 expressions of interest have been received so far,’ the spokesman said.

Strategy

’The budget will depend on the length of the contract (up to 12 months) and the volume of work completed.’

Increasing visitor numbers to 380,000 annually, let alone 500,000, is a big ask, given that the latest figure show that just 308,000 came to the island in 2018.

Visit Isle of Man’s three-year strategy outlines three priority areas - nurture current visitors, grow developing markets and extend the holiday season.

The three-year strategy document notes: ’Central is the focus on developing leisure markets across the UK, Ireland, Europe and America with a particular emphasis on niche interest groups which play to the island’s strengths of marine and nature, active and adventure, cycling, walking and golf.

’By clearly identifying these markets we have provided the foundations for a clear path for product and policy development over the period of the strategy.’

The document lists three categories of visitors - ’traditional travellers’, ’curious explorers’ and ’experience seekers’.