There are encouraging signs for the Isle of Wight tourism industry, with visitors spending significantly more on the island despite continued pressure on household budgets and the rising cost of doing business.
New figures for April to June 2026, produced by Tourism South East for Visit Isle of Wight, show that leisure visitor spending reached £75.2 million – up 13% on the same period last year. Average spend per leisure visitor also increased by more than 15%, while overnight visitors spent more than 20% more than they did in Q2 2025.
The figures provide a mixed picture for the island’s tourism businesses. Overall visitor numbers were down by around 30,000 compared with Q2 last year, reflecting the challenging economic environment, including the continued impact of the cost of living, fuel prices and increased business costs.
However, visitors who did come to the island continued to make a valuable contribution to the local economy. Leisure travellers spent £8.6 million more during the quarter than in Q2 2025, while the average overnight stay increased from 3.3 nights to almost four nights.
There was also good news for day visits, with the number of domestic leisure day visitors increasing by 4.1% year-on-year.
The timing of Easter is also an important factor when looking at the figures. Easter fell earlier in 2026 than in 2025, meaning the two Q2 periods are not directly like-for-like in terms of when this important holiday period fell.
Dominic Wray, CEO of Visit Isle of Wight, said:
“We know that this is a difficult time for many businesses, and the pressures facing our tourism industry are very real. Rising costs, fuel prices and the squeeze on household finances are all having an impact, so we understand that these figures will be viewed in that context.
“But there are some really positive messages here too. Visitors are continuing to choose the Isle of Wight, and importantly, they are spending more when they get here. Leisure visitor spend is up by 13%, with overnight visitor spend particularly strong.
“We are not taking this for granted. We have continued to invest in marketing the island during the peak summer, driving demand with targeted digital campaigns across Meta and Google, Out of Home billboard advertising in Southampton and Portsmouth and a three-month TripAdvisor campaign.
“There is still a lot of work to do, but these figures show the value of tourism to our economy and give us some real reasons to be positive as we look ahead to the rest of the summer.”
The latest figures highlight the resilience of the Isle of Wight’s tourism sector and the continued importance of encouraging visitors to stay longer, spend locally and return to the island.
Visit Isle of Wight will continue its programme of marketing activity throughout the summer and into the autumn, with a focus on driving bookings, increasing day visits and showcasing the island as a destination for breaks and experiences.
View the full report here.