ISLE OF MAN: FISCAL AND MICE PARADISE IN THE IRISH SEA

By Peter van Oyen

From 1 November VLM offers daily flights from Brussels and Antwerp via London City Airport to the Isle of Man, a grain of sand in the Irish Sea. The airline expects a lot of the fiscal reforms that should make this island into a fiscal paradise. VLM (www.flyvlm.com) firmly believes that the seats in its Fokker 50 aircraft will be easy to fill with business travellers and rich individuals who have found the Isle of Man to be the promised land. The tourism policy designers, from their side, hope that these business travellers will pave the way for the MICE guests.

MONEY MAN
The Isle of Man is situated in the Irish Sea between England, Scotland and Ireland. With its 76,000 inhabitants it is an official part of the United Kingdom, but for the rest it is completely autonomous. In order to strengthen the slacking economy the Man authorities have turned the island into a fiscal paradise.
In 1982 the average income on Man was only half (54%) of that in Great Britain. And now it has risen to 108 percent compared to its large neighbour. On the island some 56 banks are active and 35 percent of the turnover in the financial sector is realised. By fine-tuning the fiscal system the local authorities hope to generate even more income. By parking their funds in so-called trusts, this will allow investors on the Isle of Man to skirt the European Savings Directive of July 2005 (in which the authorities levy a tax on interests of savings accounts). On the Isle of Man the banking secrecy still applies on these trusts. Also other taxes are low on the island: there is no wealth tax nor inheritance tax. The corporation tax of 10 percent has been decreased in most sectors to 0 percent and income tax is 18 percent. The Manx authorities are convinced that ‘Money Man’ will become a magnet for wealthy people and companies (www.iomguide.com/economy.ph). This logic is certainly followed by VLM, which primarily targets business travellers with its new route.

WITH (MICE) TOURISTS MAN WANTS TO LINK UP WITH HISTORY
However, Man does not commit the error to only gamble on the financial sector. This could make the island too dependent. So, Man tries to find new sources of income, such as shipping. The authorities also want to renew older sources of income: (MICE) tourism (www.visitisleofman.com).
The Isle of Man once was a tourist top destination. Especially the British wanted to spend their holidays on the tiny island in the Irish Sea, which even opened the first holiday camp in the world. Also the promenade and the belle époque hotels at the beach of the Manx capital of Douglas are heritages of this bygone tourist success.

In the 1970s tourism started to decline. Tourists were massively turning towards the warmer and cheaper resorts in the Mediterranean. Today Man hopes to get its share of the tourist cake back. The first target group in its campaigns are the country people. Man still has unpolluted coasts (like Niarbyl bay), as well as an idyllic hilly inland; which combines the best of Ireland and Scotland, so to speak. This makes the 227 km² island extremely interesting for teambuilding and corporate activities. You can drive quads over the hilltops, and also rafting, speleology and clay-pigeon shooting are possible. More information on www.adventure-centre.co.uk.

The island also likes to use its colourful history as a trump card. (www.gov.im/mnh). There are traces of the original Celtic islanders traces all around (typical crosses, runic stones and old churches). The original language, Manx Gaelic, which has links with Irish, was virtually extinct but is now taught again at school and treasured. The presence of the Vikings is best illustrated by Tynwald Hill, where in 979 the oldest parliamentary democracy of the world was established and which still functions to the present day. Visitors are also welcome in medieval fortresses (like Castle Rushen in the former capital of Castletown, www.iomguide.com/castlerushen.php) to learn something about the Lords of Man who ruled the islands for centuries. By the way, Castle Rushen can host groups for receptions. You can also play soldiers in the woods near Ramsey in the north of the island. Groups that want to have some more peace and quiet, can always go to the Manannan Museum (www.iomguide.com/manannan.php), where the island’s history is represented in an interactive way. The Victorian era revives in the old electric and steam trains that still run on the island. One of the most famous journeys is the so-called Champagne Express in an old steam train.
Nowhere else in the world you will find the Manx Cats –not having tails. Also unique are the TT Race Superbikes (www.ttwebsite.com/map.php), a dangerous street race for motor bikes. It has been held since 1907 on the Isle of Man and attracts thousands of bike lovers. For groups this is an incredible experience.

CONFERENCE FACILITIES
The Isle of Man has sufficient facilities to meet the demands of the modern conference organisers. In 2004 the Villa Marina opened at the Seafront of Douglas. This £15 million complex (including the Gaiety Theatre) is certainly an asset for MICE tourism. The Villa Marina is located near the shopping halls and incorporates the Gaiety Theatre with 900 seats, as well as the Royal Hall Theatre with 1500 seats. Furthermore there is a Promenade Suite at street level, which can be subdivided into three parts and which can host up to 200 conference delegates. The Colonade Suites can house 180 people and boasts all modern meeting infrastructure (www.villagaiety.com).
The four-star Sefton Hotel in the capital of Douglas has an innovating computer centre which is suitable for staff training. The Sefton also has an intimate theatre with 20 seats, which is linked to the computer centre, as well as a conference room for 140 people (www.seftonhotel.co.im).

Near the Castletown Golf course King William’s College is a private school that offers conference and accommodation for more than 200 guests. This 150-year old school breathes the ‘good old times’ and has beautiful wall panelling in the Barrovian Hall, which can host 180 people. The Walker Library (30 persons) and the Bragg Lecture Theatre (80 people) are also available for meetings (www.kwc.sch.im).
The four-star Mount Murray Hotel & Country Club lies half-way between Douglas and the airport. Its facilities include the Viscount Suite (300 guests), the Lord Henry Room (40 people), Murray’s Restaurant (100 guests) and the Trophy Room (25 persons) with a breath-taking view of the golf course (www.mountmurray.com).
The Brightlife Hotel is a unique base for teambuilding. Situated in the quiet north near Andreas, it has a conference centre for 40 persons and other rooms for up to 20 guests  (www.brightlife.com).
The recently renovated Admiral House looks out onto Douglas Bay and offers two conference rooms for up to 50 people in theatre style (www.admiralhouse.com).
The Hilton Douglas is larger and has 5 meeting rooms from 30 to 300 people. It has various conference packages (www.hilton.co.uk). Finally, the Empress Hotel (also in Douglas) has capacity for conferences for up to 200 people. The Connaught Suite can host 60 conference delegates in theatre style (www.theempresshotel.net)