Manx town centre events support fund to become permanent

The fund aims to attract more people to events held in town centres

An event grant scheme which aimed to boost visitors to town centres during the winter months of the coronavirus pandemic has been made permanent.

The Department for Enterprise (DfE) set up the Domestic Event Fund in 2020 to help boost footfall in Manx towns.

It said the fund, which provides up to 80% of an event's cost, had led to a 200,000 person increase in footfall.

Enterprise Minister Tim Johnston said it would continue to "add resilience and vibrancy" to the Manx economy.

He said making it permanent was "good news for local authorities and event organisers", as it removed "some of the risks associated with planning new and large scale events that drive footfall".

However, he added that the LoveIOM Gift Card Scheme, which was also set up during the pandemic to promote spending in local hospitality, would close in July 2024.

Thanking the public and businesses for their involvement, he said it had provided "targeted support" but it was time "for this scheme to conclude".

New card sales stopped on Sunday, leaving existing cardholders a year to spend any remaining balance.

First introduced in 2021, the card offered 25% credit back when used in hospitality venues from Monday to Thursday during the winter months when relaunched in 2022.

More than 5,400 of the cards were sold, with £220,000 loaded onto the cards.

The department said about £65,000 remained on cards, which could be spent at 69 businesses across the island.