53 minutes | Sunday, 13 September 2020
A Tynwald committee has set out to gather evidence about how the Island's tourism sector might look - or could look - in the future.
Spearheaded by former hotelier Chris Robertshaw MHK, it's looking to bring a report to the November sitting of Tynwald, which will lead to a general debate about how the industry should proceed in years to come.
His committee has been speaking to those at the forefront of the industry this week.
Alongside fellow Tynwald members Jason Moorhouse and Kerry Sharpe, Mr Robertshaw interviewed the leaders of the Department for Enterprise, and also a consultant employed by government to investigate the current health of the sector.
Andrew Keeling is from Hotel Solutions, a hotel development consultancy.
He's produced a report, called 'Isle of Man Accommodation Futures', compiling evidence over several years.
Mr Keeling believes the Isle of Man needs to 'get ahead of the competition' by investing in improved tourist accommodation.
The Island's rival destinations, like Jersey and Guernsey, have a greater luxury accommodation offering, he says, and he thinks government should invest in eco-friendly tourism, and capitalise on the Biosphere status.
Mr Keeling also believes the Island needs more non-serviced accommodation.
In this episode, we hear what the enterprise leaders had to say, and then speak to Mr Robertshaw directly to reflect on everything the committee heard.