50% visitor increase for motorcycling festival

There has been a 50 per cent increase in the number of visitors attending the Isle of Man Festival of Motorcycling in the last four years.

The Treasury originally surveyed the original Manx Grand Prix event in 2009 before replicating the study at this year's new-look festival.

The Steam Packet has also seen a 37 per cent increase and air traffic at Ronaldsway was up 172 per cent with 2,346 visitors this year from 860 during the same period in 2009.

MHK Laurence Skelly has political responsibility for motorsport - he says the visitor spend has also increased: