A NEW travel website that has been set up in the Isle of Man will improve communication in the tourism and hospitality industry.
TravelNews.im has been set up by Hattie Castle who said the Island was "falling short of its competitors" in terms of communication.
The website is described as a "one stop shop" which carries news and information about the Isle of Man's tourism and hospitality sectors as well as off Island travel news.
Hattie, who is the director of TravelNews.im, explained: "TravelNews.im is a new innovative travel, hospitality and tourism product that is there to improve the communication between the travel and hospitality industry.
"The main format of it is a weekly newsletter that subscribers can sign up for free of charge and this will include the latest and most important travel and hospitality news from the Island.
"When you are on an island you need to get on and you need to get off - everyone in the world needs to know about travel."
Geoff Corkish MHK, political member for the Department of Economic Development with responsibility for tourism, welcomed the launch of the site.
He said: "It's another arrow in our quiver. Times are hard in the Isle of Man and tourism has an important part to play. It's still a significant earner for the treasury in the Isle of Man and here we see another innovative and exciting addition to promote tourism and what the Isle of Man has to offer. That is great for the people who are the movers and shakers in tourism who are doing so much.
"Tourism is doing very very well – don't let anybody else tell you anything different. The Isle of Man has a tremendous amount to offer and very importantly the people who are involved in tourism are dedicated people who want to do as much as they can to make the Isle of Man different, to make the person who comes to the Isle of Man want to come again."
TravelNews.im has been supported by the Department of Economic Development and the Isle of Man Chamber of Commerce.
However Hattie refutes that this is a project that could have been carried out by the tourism division within government.
She said: "We're working with Isle of Man Tourism to do this – they haven't got the time on their hands to produce a product like this and to spend as much time as they may like to on it.
"It's not competition for www.visitisleofman.com - we're working together to produce an extra product to fill the communication gap."
This is a view shared by Mr Corkish. He said: "Tourism is a global market and we have people coming from all over the world. It is in our interests to support, in any way we can, the work that TravelNews.im does. It is a very valuable service that they will be providing.
"This is building upon what we have in different sections throughout the tourism industry. It is another way of streamlining - telling people wherever they are about the Isle of Man. It will be a quick and easy reference and that is good for the Isle of Man.
"This is a tremendous way forward and we'll support it all we can. It's good for tourism and what's good for tourism is good for the Isle of Man."
TravelNews.im has been set up as an independent business but is currently being sponsored by Manx2.com.
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