Last month VisitGuernsey attended the annual Britain and Ireland Marketplace (BIM). BIM, organised by the European Tourism Association (ETOA) in partnership with UKInbound and VisitBritain, brings together leading tourism suppliers and buyers to build valuable relationships, plan itineraries, gain competitive insights and share the latest destination knowledge. The event provides a key opportunity for operators to secure space in 2027 and explore options for 2028 and beyond.
This year a record number of buyers registered. The event centres around a match-making format and facilitated over 6,000+ scheduled meetings on Friday 30th January.
VisitGuernsey’s lead travel trade relationship manager, Josephine Ferguson, attended and was given an early access tour of the venue by CEO of ETOA Tom Jenkins, ahead of the day’s meetings.
Josephine Ferguson said,
"The event was very well organised. We submitted our preferred meeting requests ahead of the event and an agenda was generated, we had a full schedule, which showed strong interest in the Islands of Guernsey.
It was really uplifting to see high levels of interest and confidence in our new product, connectivity and island hopping itineraries. I rated the majority of the meetings 10/10 for quality and potential for future programming with each operator."
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Long haul unlocked: Guernsey’s new British Airways connection, offers seamless worldwide connections through London Heathrow with the daily service starting in April 2026. Canadian, American, Spanish and Australian markets in particular.
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Strong forward bookings from existing partner tour operators.
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Strong interest in programming ‘Millenium – 2027 European Year of the Normans’ events.
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Concerns raised over trade rates from accommodation providers, which was noted as a common prohibitive factor to programming the Islands.
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Strong demand for school groups, and group operator assistance in planning trips for 20-45 pax. Which echoes the feedback from other trade conferences in the UK and France.
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Requests for: German and French speaking guides, themed itineraries such as walking and gardens, high quality self-catering units for 2-5 guest
