Visit Isle of Wight has released visitor statistics for the first half of 2025, providing a detailed look at how the Island’s tourism sector is performing.
The organisation, which is the accredited Local Visitor Economy Partnership for the Island, presented combined data from the first two quarters of the year to give a clearer view. Easter fell in Quarter 2 in 2025, compared to Quarter 1 in 2024, which would otherwise skew comparisons.
Short stays and day visits rise
From January to June 2025, the Island saw a small 1.4% increase in short break staying visitors, compared to the same period in 2024.
Day visitors rose by 6.2% year-on-year, with those visiting from home increasing by 12.2% — notably higher than the national average of 10%, as reported by VisitEngland.
Visits of one to three nights increased by 9.1%. In contrast, longer stays of four or more nights dropped by 4.6%.
Total visitor numbers fall slightly
Despite increases in some categories, total visitor numbers (including day and overnight stays) decreased by 5.1% between January and June 2025, compared to the same period in 2024.
VisitEngland’s national figures suggest a sharper decline across the UK, with overnight trips down 21% year-on-year up to the end of April 2025. Day visits nationally rose by 10%.
Spending habits shift
While overall visitor spend on the Island dropped slightly by 1.5% to £101.2 million (excluding cross-Solent travel), the amount each visitor spent increased.
Average spend rose by 17% for overnight visitors and nearly 40% for day visitors.
Myles: ‘Not as bad as national picture’
Will Myles, Managing Director of Visit Isle of Wight, said the combined Q1 and Q2 figures show a decline, but less severe than national trends.
He said,
“I have spoken to many businesses in the sector and while some are feeling the hit more than others, I hope that the Island’s tourism industry will see that the picture here is not as bad as the national picture.”
He continued,
“Of course, a decrease in figures is never a good thing, but to fight the tide of the national decline in domestic tourism to deliver a less damaging impact is testament to the collaborative work between the Island’s hard-working businesses and Visit Isle of Wight.”
Looking ahead
Will Myles pointed to recent findings from VisitEngland’s Domestic Sentiment Tracker, issued on 22nd July.
He said,
“The most recent research shows that 45% of UK adults state that they think ‘the worst is still to come’ regarding the cost-of-living crisis, citing the top three barriers to taking a domestic overnight trip as the rising cost of living, UK weather and rising costs of holidays/leisure.”
Will Myles reaffirmed Visit Isle of Wight’s commitment, saying,
“We continue to have our sleeves rolled up, ready to battle our corner with and on behalf of the Island’s tourism industry. I am proud of the team at Visit Isle of Wight who, while small in number, always fight for the Island with great passion.”
Article edit
2.25pm 30th Jul 2025 – “decreased by 5.3%” corrected to 5.1%
