This page contains important information specific to your tourism business and visitors and requires your attention.
We are committed to upholding the reputation of our beautiful Island as a visitor destination during this difficult time and appreciate your understanding and cooperation to work together to achieve this.
We encourage all tourism businesses to keep up to date with all the latest COVID-19 information and guidance from the Isle of Man Government here.
Isle of Man Border closure
As of 6am on Friday 27 March 2020, the Isle of Man’s borders are closed to passengers. There are only two exceptions to these travel restrictions which can be viewed here. These measures will be in place until further notice. This will be kept under review in light of the spread of infection on the Island and the situation in the UK.
We advise you as responsible business owners to make contact with:
• Any visitors due to arrive after this date to inform them of the current situation;
• Third party websites and booking agents that you advertise your business through (e.g. Premier Holidays, Booking.com, Expedia, Trip Advisor etc.) to inform them of the new restrictions in place for people travelling to the Isle of Man.
Other Useful Information for Accommodation Providers:
Deposits and Refunds to Visitors
Guidance Notes for Deposits can be viewed here.
Booking.com & Expedia Guidance
Third party website operators such as Booking.com and Expedia have acknowledged the level of disruption these unprecedented times are causing to visitor bookings and have provided guidance notes to help businesses navigate and manage visitors’ requests for cancellations, date modifications and refund requests.
In some instances, the provider has modified their systems to allow businesses to manage this process between you and the visitor with ease, without needing to contact the third party directly.
If you have accounts with any of these providers we would strongly suggest reading over the information in the links below to ensure you are up-to-date with the new procedures and guidance.
Booking.com
• https://partner.booking.com/en-gb/help/legal-security/important-message-our-partners
• https://partner.booking.com/en-gb/help/reservations/temporary-changes-help-you-manage-date-modifications
Expedia
• https://welcome.expediagroup.com/en/covid-resource-center
Postponement of Accommodation and Taste Assessments
Due to factors outside of our control and the impacts of COVID-19, Visit Isle of Man and Quality In Tourism (assessors) have taken the decision to postpone all accommodation and taste quality assessments from Monday 23rd March 2020, until further notice.
All the above information is correct at the time of publishing but is continually being reviewed. Any changes will be communicated to industry members as soon as possible.
A wide range of financial support schemes and measures are in place to help protect and support your business throughout the on-going COVID-19 pandemic.
