Give our southern villages tourism boost, say families

Give our southern villages a tourism boost, families say

Rob and Dawn Sim said 2026 has been the hardest year so far for trade in the town.

People living in the south of the Isle of Man have urged a renewed push for tourism ahead of the island’s upcoming election, while also pointing to pressure on local shops and worries about young people.

Rushen, the island’s southernmost constituency, includes the villages of Port Erin and Port St Mary, as well as the parish that shares its name.

Long dominated by fishing and farming, the coastal villages later benefited from the so-called "bucket and spade brigade" tourism surge, before that trade declined.

That downturn, together with the rising cost of living, is a major concern for traders, including Port Erin gift shop owner Dawn Sim, who said people were "just not coming out".

She said: "This year's been the hardest, it's the world situation, the cost of energy, even if people have got money they're hanging on to it. It's just very, very difficult."

Her husband Rob Sim said that although the government had run a "shop local" campaign during the Covid pandemic, the message had since faded.

He added that government support schemes for businesses, while "well intentioned", had mostly centred on hospitality, and retail "doesn't seem to come into any of their equations".

"We are grateful to our local who keep us going, but figures are down generally," he said. "I'm not just talking the income, but the number of people."

Dawn Sim also said changes to the TT schedule in recent years, which introduced back-to-back race days, had meant fewer visitors coming south.

Vivienne Clarke said it was getting harder for trades in Port Erin.

Dan Blythe, who owns an antiques and vintage shop in Port Erin, said his business did not "particularly rely on tourism", which made it different from most shop owners in the village.

Even so, he said commercial property rates could be reviewed because they were "something that affects all bricks and mortar businesses".

He also said concessions for firms that need to use the government-owned ferry services "to make life easier for small business holders to do trade on and off the island" would help.

"If people don't want town centres to keep shrinking then let's make it easier for them."

Vivienne Clarke, who works part-time in the village pet shop, agreed that everyone "works hard to keep these small shops going, and it becomes harder every year".

She said parking nearby could be a problem and that "disc zone" areas limited how long people could spend in shops and cafes.

"I think keeping the communities alive is the most important thing and affordable," she added.

Chris Beards, who rans a card shop in Port Erin, said more cruise passengers could help small shops.

Chris Beards, who runs a card shop on Port Erin high street, said it was essential to improve the economy so businesses could grow.

"If people have got money to spend then hopefully they spend it locally, and I think people want to support the local shops generally," he said.

He said attracting more high-end cruise ships to the island "could be a really important market for us" in the south.

"I think there's been a bit of a focus on tourism numbers rather than the quality of the person coming.

"If we could get sort of a more high-quality tourist over then it has to benefit the economy really, I can't see that it wouldn't."

"Definitely more people could be pushed to come down south," he said, by shifting some attention away from Douglas.

Kay O'Meara said she feared for the future of young people in Port St Mary.

But Kay O'Meara, who runs a pub in the neighbouring village of Port St Mary, said walkers were more valuable to the hospitality trade because "they will come in for a pint".

Her son, Callum O'Meara, said cruise passengers did sometimes come in, but "usually you just wave as the coach goes by".

"We're better off bringing in hikers, because they will spend more money - they need places to stay, they have to buy things to eat."

Callum O'Meara said cruise passengers rarely came into the family's pub in Port St Mary.

Looking at wider issues in the constituency, Kay O'Meara said she saw "no future" for the younger generation in the village.

"I see we have young people that don't want to be here... there's nothing in place for them, there's no housing," she said.

"I feel disillusioned. I mean, I've had my life, I was born here, I love it, I don't want to live anywhere else, but I can't see much of a future for the likes of my son and his baby."

Other concerns raised in Rushen included access to GP appointments, foot path maintenance mental health support, the condition of High Street in Port St Mary, and the effect of the island's ageing population on the welfare bill.