Is £173k government spent on influencers good value?

The revelation that £173,000 has been spent by the Isle of Man Government on bringing influencers to the island has sparked debate over whether it provides value for money.

The amount spent by Visit Isle of Man using social media stars to promote the island over the last five years was disclosed in response to a Freedom of Information request.

The tourism agency says influencers might be able to reach audiences that traditional marketing campaigns cannot.

But a former councillor, himself digital content creator, said there were people on the island who used social media to promote it for free.

Frank Schuengel, who previously represented Douglas, said while "this type of marketing is almost inevitable these days", his "only concern" would be "that the right metrics are used" to bring the best people to the island.

He said he had previously spoken to government bodies, including Locate Isle of Man and Visit Isle of Man, about working with them, but had reservations about accepting payment because of the effect it could have on his independence.

He said this was important to his audience because his relocation videos were popular with people considering moving to the island.

"There are a lot of good influencers here and people who love the island and who love to show it off," he said.

Visit Isle of Man said around £35,000 was spent hosting influencers, with the money being spent within the local tourism industry to help deliver the content.

Travel influencer Daniel Herszberg visited the island in 2024 as part of this strategy, and focused on the island's culture, history, and landscape.

He said his audience responded strongly to the island, describing it as "such a hidden gem" and a "beautiful place".

The Australian, who said he had travelled to all 197 countries of the world by the age of 30, has more than 68,000 followers on Instagram and runs a travel insight website.

He said his trip here produced "one of my most viral reels and contents for that year", while an article he wrote about the island's food scene also "went particularly viral".

"I've had countless people message me saying they've planned trips and weekends after seeing my content," he said.

Herszberg said his content focused on the island's stories and culture, including visits to castles, Peel and Laxey, as well as an introduction to the Manx language through Culture Vannin.

He said he had learned about "legends and the stories and the giants and the fairies. And I loved it".

He said he had been surprised the island was not "more of a popular weekend escape", being just an hour's flight from London.

Visit Isle of Man said influencer partnerships formed part of a wider marketing approach aimed at reaching visitors to spend more time and money on the island, particularly during quieter periods of the year.

Chief executive Deborah Heather said they used a combination of marketing tools.

While visitor numbers from cruises had hit an all time high last year, Heather said it was important to focus on overnight tourists.

She said cruise passengers generated around £2.3m for the island in 2025, compared with more than £400m from overnight visitors.

She added that while they did not have a specific influencer policy, creators were addressed on a case-by-case basis looking at audience demographics, engagement, and relevance.

Visit Isle of Man currently has agreements with two influencers due to visit the island in September, with their campaigns focused on luxury travel, outdoor adventure and nature.

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