Isle of Man TT: Homestay scheme a 'key cornerstone' of accommodation

Homestay has provided thousands of bed spaces for TT visitors

A Manx homestay scheme is a "key cornerstone" of the Isle of Man's visitor accommodation offering during the TT races, the government's head of tourism has said.

At the 2019 races about 950 homes were signed up, providing more than 4,000 bed spaces.

Angela Byrne said it was an important part of meeting visitor demand.

Homeowners who want to host paying guests during the 2022 event can now register their properties.

Those who sign up to the initiative can earn up to £1,800 tax free and have access to the government's public liability insurance.

Registration for the Department for Enterprise's (DfE) scheme, which is run on behalf of the government by firm Miquando, is a legal requirement for any household taking in paying visitors during the TT races in June, and the Classic TT and Manx Grand Prix in September.

'Repeat business'

Registrations from those hosts who had joined the scheme in both 2020 and 2021, when the races were cancelled due to the the island's Covid-19 restrictions, have been rolled over to next year's event.

Ms Byrne, who is the head of the Visit Isle of Man agency, said as a result about 470 properties were already signed up for 2022, equating to "around 2,000 bed spaces", and the department was aiming for a return to 2019 levels.

She said homestay accommodation was a "key" element of the event, which sees hosts get "repeat business year-on-year for the visitors that keep coming back".

"A lot of the feedback we get is the residents they are staying with help them to understand where is the best places to go and watch the racing, so they feel as if they are sort of getting insider information from the hosts," she added.