The Islands’ Partnership, the destination management organisation for the Isles of Scilly, is delighted to reveal its official Islands Guide for 2018. The much anticipated, 124-page annual brochure is available to read and download online from today, while printed copies will be available from the end of the week.

Once again, the 2018 Guide has a high quality feel with stunning photography and engaging editorial from the likes of TV presenter Kate Humble and Lonely Planet’s James Kay. This year, one of the main themes for the Guide is “Treasure Islands”, drawing on Scilly’s distinctive, but often hidden, culture and  heritage – from its isolated location, resourceful community and long association with the sea, right through to its more familiar role today as a source of inspiration and enjoyment to so many.

In addition, the 2018 Guide continues the popular #myScilly series which introduces readers to some of the islands’ local characters and what they love most about the islands. It also takes a closer look at the islands’ thriving food and drink scene – from the perspective of the growers and producers; local tour guides tell of their favourite walks around Scilly; adventure journalists Jen and Sim Benson, retell their tales of their fantastic time on Scilly with their two small children, whilst the Island Garden feature reveals more about how the islands are a true living landscape. 

The Guide also includes the usual island highlights – including the spirit of each of the inhabited islands and suggestions on what to do and where to go when visiting. There are also details on how to get to Scilly, how to get around once you’ve arrived, as well as more than 40 pages of accommodation options.

“In recent years, the Isles of Scilly Guide has been widely regarded as one of best destination guides in the country which is something we’re incredibly proud of and naturally keen to see continue,” says David Jackson, Islands’ Partnership Executive Director. “Every year we strive to produce a guide that comes close to doing justice to what a truly special place Scilly really is. With another original and distinctive cover this year, coupled with its inspiring content of authentic island experiences and compelling reasons to visit, I’m sure that the 2018 Guide will be another huge success.”

The Islands’ Partnership produces 30,000 printed copies of the Isles of Scilly Guide every year, which is distributed nationwide.  It is also read by thousands more online. In 2017 over 40% of visitors said they had used or consulted the Guide when planning their visit (Isles of Scilly Visitor Survey, 2017).

Printed copies of the 2018 Guide can be ordered via visitislesofscilly.com/get-our-guide, or it can be read/ downloaded on ISSUU: https://issuu.com/simplyscilly/docs/isles_of_scilly_2018_islands_guide

This week, the UK Government published its Industrial Strategy setting out a long-term plan to boost the productivity and earning power of people throughout the UK.

One could be forgiven for questioning how much direct relevance or impact this may have on Scilly. Well, you might be surprised to hear that the answer to this is, quite a lot. In fact, Scilly – and our Smart Islands initiative – is highlighted in the Strategy as a direct case study of investment in the UK’s energy infrastructure and innovation towards a low carbon economy.

Of direct relevance too is the fact that Tourism – so often overlooked, or disregarded as a low wage, low value industry – is recognised and listed as one of the UK’s eight main industry sectors, giving hope that the tourism industry’s collective efforts to put forward a proposal for more support and investment – a so called, ‘Sector Deal’, could be successful.

This bid for a Tourism Sector Deal is being led by the Tourism Industry Council, a group set up to collaborate between Government and the tourism industry and facilitated by VisitBritain/VisitEngland. In September, it signed off on the following priorities: 

• A 10-year tourism and hospitality skills campaign to boost recruitment, skills and long-term careers; 
• Boosting productivity by extending the tourism season year-round, and encouraging more business and event tourism;
• Improving connections to increase international visitor numbers, and make it easier for them (and domestic tourists) to travel not only to the UK but also explore more of it; 
• Creating ‘tourism zones’ to improve the visitor experience through better quality tourism products, a longer tourism season and improved localised transport.

These priorities draw many parallels with Scilly and our own work in producing a Destination Management Plan (DMP) for the islands which, when published in early 2018, will set out a new strategic vision and direction for Scilly’s visitor economy and a roadmap for our industry.

Scilly is heavily reliant on the tourism sector yet, alongside Cornwall, has one of the lowest productivity levels anywhere in the UK. Connectivity, as we all know, is challenging too, given our location as the last outpost of England. And our lack of digital capability on the islands, in particular with respect to online bookability and distribution is now having an adverse effect on our ability to compete on a level playing field.

The DMP will seek to address many of these issues: a digital transformation programme and a cultural programme for Scilly are both in the pipeline for 2018, whilst we’ll also continue to work in partnership with organisations across the islands and beyond on vital programmes including the Smart Islands Partnership, improvements in our transport system and support and skills development for our business community.