The tourism industry is exciting and vibrant and operating a visitor accommodation business can be an extremely rewarding experience.
There are a few things you should consider before embarking on the visitor accommodation journey to ensure it is the right decision for you.
Operating visitor accommodation is the same as running any business and there is work required to ensure its success. Organisation is key and you will be responsible for managing diaries, keeping on top of cleaning and maintenance schedules, arranging changeovers and replying to visitor queries. A commitment to delivering an exceptional service is equally as important. You will need to consider how you are going to market your business, ‘who are your customers’, ‘why are you targeting them?' 'does your property meet their requirements?’ and ‘how you are going to attract them?’.
There are a number of business support schemes to help you to create your new visitor accommodation including working with a business mentor, creating a website, setting up social media channels, marketing strategy, branding, energy saving equipment and much more! Please click here to view all of the schemes available.
Registering your accommodation
There are two types of visitor accommodation registrations:
Permanent Visitor Accommodation - operate anytime across 12 months of the year
Homestay Visitor Accommodation - operate TT and MGP only
Operating Homestay accommodation entails registering with MiQuando who will then come and visit your property to ensure quality and fire safety, they will then confirm your registration and you will be permitted to operate for those festival periods. If you wish to operate Homestay accommodation, please click the Homestay option below.
If you wish to operate permanent visitor accommodation then you must follow a registration process. The registration process ensures that all legal, health and safety and accommodation quality standards have been adhered to so that the safety and wellbeing of visitors is ensured during their stay. The process differs slightly for each type of accommodation but typically requires permission is sought from Planning, Building Control, Fire Safety and Environmental Health. You will be asked to complete a Fire Risk Assessment and ensure Public Liability Insurance is in place to protect visitors staying in your accommodation. Finally, you will be required to create an ‘Access Statement’. This is a clear description of how visitors are to get in and around your accommodation so that they can make an informed decision of whether it meets their personal requirements.
Once the registration process is complete the Visit Isle of Man team will send a link to an online form to register your visitor accommodation. On completion you will be invoiced for the annual registration fee. Under the Tourist Act 1975 it is a legal requirement for all types of visitor accommodation to be registered with the Department for Enterprise. You will be required to complete the form and submit the payment each year to renew your registration. Once you have registered your accommodation it’s time to advertise your accommodation and accept your first visitors!
Registering your accommodation with the Department authorises you to operate 12 months of the year however, this is your business and it is your choice when to open your doors.
Take a look at our videos featuring Paul from Englewood Lodge and Pam from Manx National Heritage about their experiences following the registration process:
To begin your registration journey simply select your accommodation type below. Let’s get started!
Accommodation where visitors have sole use of the property, including full kitchen facilities.
On this page you will find the answers to some of the most frequently asked questions when registering accommodation.
