2019 Isle of Man TT enjoys largest attendance figures for 10 years

The 2019 Isle of Man TT attracted its highest number of spectators for a decade, it has been revealed, with more than 46,000 people visiting the tiny island over two weeks of competition.

An event that has been running for more than a century, the enduring popularity of the event saw a pivotal increase in overseas visitors making the trip.

Indeed, though English travellers – which account for 58 per cent of the spectators’ figures (around 25,000 people) were down by 6% on the 2018 Isle of Man TT, a jump in visitors from the likes of Germany and France saw the 2019 edition rise by 4% overall. 

The rise, which was announced following a government survey, comes despite significant schedule disruption caused by inclement weather conditions.

The direct benefit to the Manx Government – which totals £4.8m - remains unchanged from the previous years.

The challenges facing the 2020 Isle of Man TT

Though the figures are a positive reflection of the growth and global significance the Isle of Man TT enjoys increasingly around the world, it represents a trade-off issue in terms of facilities and calls to limit disruption on existing residents.

A proposal by Andrew Jessopp, chairman of Braddan Commissioners, has suggested the 219-turn Mountain Course – which has been largely unchanged since 1911 – should be re-routed to be less of a strain on residents.

“I have been in discussions with the Department of Infrastructure with suggestions made to me that the route of the TT course should be changed,” he told the local papers in September."

Those comments come as VisitIOM says it has experienced a larger uptake in interest for the 2020 Isle of Man TT, compared with previous years, raising expectations that attendance figures will rise again next year.

When is the 2020 Isle of Man TT?