It is thought that the Isles of Scilly could have their best tourist season ever this year, with advance bookings up between 30 and 40% across the whole range of accommodation, from camping through to five star hotels.

February has seen tourist information enquiries increase threefold as compared to last year and staff have been overwhelmed by the level of interest. On a single day last week, the tourism office sent out over 2000 holiday brochures. Despite the fantastic level of interest, the tourism office are keen to point out that the mass influx can be coped with due to the infrastructure in place within the Islands.

There has been a particular rise in day trip enquiries and bookings over school holidays and the general advice is to book early for both travel and accommodation.

Jay Pengelly, Senior Tourism Assistant, told Scilly News that the massive rise in enquiries should not deter people who rate the Islands for their tranquil value. When asked the question could the services cope with such an enormous increase in business, he answered “It is important to remember; Scilly is Busy, not Full.”

The tourism office cite three major reasons for the intense interest this year, one, unsurprisingly, is the general reluctance to travel abroad after the September 11th attacks despite the public ‘brave face’ stance. Another factor is the great weather which Scilly enjoyed last year which made people realise that you didn’t have to travel abroad for sun, sea and sand. The final reason is the massive programme which the ‘Isles of Scilly Initiative’ have set up.

The Isles of Scilly Initiative is made up of five bodies, the Island’s Council, British International Helicopters, The Steamship Company, Tresco Estate and the Isles Of Scilly Tourism Association (IOSTA). This group have been promoting destination marketing at a variety of levels, ranging from newspaper and glossy magazine advertisements to press releases and promotion through television and radio. There have even been Isles of Scilly exhibitions set up around the country in order to promote the Island’s primary industry.

“subinfo”All the travel operators are braced for a busy season./span

The two major travel operators, British International Helicopters and the Steamship Company (Skybus and the Scillonian) are implementing contingencies to cope with the increase in demand. There is already talk of extra sailings for the Scillonian on some of the busiest weekends and the Helicopter service has recruited extra staff in anticipation. There are also rumours circulating that BIH will operate three helicopters during the peak season, as opposed to the traditional two.

Jay Pengelly says that the rise in popularity for the Islands are mirrored throughout the southwest and the Ryanair link from Stansted to Newquay is a great help. When we asked how the statistics compared to those in Cornwall he said “The Newquay link is certainly a big boost. It brings the travelling time from London to Scilly down to two and a half hours, that’s including transfers.”

Recent estimates have revealed a level of 85% of Islanders’ incomes come from the tourism industry, whether it be ground staff at the airport or caf? employees. The number of seasonal workers is also set to rise this year in order to cope with the influx. Tourism is the mainstay of the Scillonian economy and is vitally important to a huge majority. It is bound to be welcomed that Scilly is attracting more and more visitors but it is also crucial to point out that such an increase will not ruin the peace and tranquillity for which visitors return year after year. It is certainly the case that more people can enjoy the Islands for what Ithey/I are renowned for, as opposed to what the popular Mediterranean destinations have turned into with over-commercialisation.

Links: