Saint Helena is trying to write a new tourism story: the “world’s most remote marathon” announced as a major draw for 2027.
Saint Helena, a British Overseas Territory in the middle of the South Atlantic, is increasingly openly trying to turn its exceptional isolation into a tourism advantage. The latest and most ambitious step in that direction is the promotion of a race that the local tourism organization describes as the “world’s most remote marathon”, and which has been announced on the destination’s official website for 28 February 2027. The race is conceived as the central event of the island’s Adventure Week programme, which, according to official information, should run from 23 February to 2 March 2027, as Saint Helena tries to attract a new type of guest: athletes, nature lovers, travellers eager for isolated destinations, and visitors seeking an experience outside standard tourist routes.
At first glance, this is a sports story. But in a broader context, the marathon is much more than a one-off event. For an island that has been seeking a sustainable model of economic development for decades, tourism is increasingly clearly emerging as one of the key pillars. That is precisely why the local authorities and the tourism sector present this race as a symbol of a new era, in which Saint Helena wants to remain exclusive, preserved and hard to reach, yet still visible enough on the international tourism market.
An island that decided to turn its distance into a brand
Saint Helena is often described as one of the most isolated inhabited islands in the world. Official tourism information states that it is located around 1,200 miles from Africa and around 1,800 miles from South America. For decades, this geographical remoteness was an obstacle to stronger tourism development, but today it is increasingly being used as the main element of the destination’s identity. Instead of mass tourism, the island sells peace. Instead of crowds, it sells a sense of exclusivity. Instead of urban spectacle, it offers landscapes, silence, history and nature that has not been worn out by an excessive number of visitors.
The official tourism promotion openly plays that card. Clean air, a safe community of around four thousand residents, a relatively slow pace of life and the fact that on many trails a visitor can remain almost alone are all emphasized. At a time when a large part of the world is facing the problems of overtourism, Saint Helena is trying to position itself as a kind of opposite to that model: a destination for those who want to experience a place, not consume it.
That is precisely why the marathon on this island is not conceived as a classic city race with tens of thousands of participants. On the contrary, its market strength lies in its limitation, logistical demands and the impression that the participant is not coming only for a competition, but for a special journey. For part of the global running community, that is precisely its greatest asset: a race as a life experience, not just a result at the finish line.
The race date and the Adventure Week concept
According to the official information published on Saint Helena’s tourism website, the World’s Most Remote Marathon is planned for 28 February 2027. The race is presented as the highlight of Adventure Week, a programme that also includes other activities linked to nature, the sea and exploring the island. The official description states that registration for the marathon also opens access to the broader programme, including, among other things, open-water swimming, guided hiking tours and climbs on island challenges such as the famous Jacob’s Ladder steps.
Such a concept clearly shows that the goal is not to attract only runners. The organizers are trying to create a package event that encourages a longer stay, greater spending on the island and a stronger connection between sport and other tourism content. This includes natural attractions, historical sites, local guides, hospitality providers and service providers from the accommodation sector. That is precisely where the greatest economic meaning of such events lies: they do not only fill the starting list, but also fill rooms, restaurants, excursions and local tours.
For travellers who would plan their arrival because of the race, the practical side of the organization is also important, so it is understandable that interest could also grow in
accommodation on Saint Helena, especially in the period immediately before and after the race. Since this is a small island with limited capacity, accommodation itself could become one of the key points of the overall tourism offer during such specialized events.
How do you even get to Saint Helena
One of the reasons why the marathon is promoted as the “most remote” is the very fact that getting to the island is still not a routine matter. Until late 2017, Saint Helena did not have air connectivity in the form of commercial passenger flights. Official tourism data state that before the opening of the airport, the island was mainly accessible by sea, with the journey from Cape Town taking around five days. After the opening of St Helena Airport in October 2017, the situation changed, but the destination remained logistically demanding compared with most tourism markets.
According to the current information available on the destination’s official website, commercial connectivity is provided by Airlink, and the basic connection goes via Johannesburg. The journey takes around six hours, which for visitors is a huge difference compared with the former multi-day arrival by ship, but still maintains the feeling of travelling to the edge of the world. It is precisely this combination of relative accessibility and real remoteness that shapes the island’s identity today: close enough to be visited, but far enough to retain the aura of a rare destination.
For the tourism strategy, that is crucial. The island clearly cannot compete with destinations that rely on a large daily influx of guests. That is why it is focusing on the market of visitors who are ready to travel longer, spend more and stay longer. In such a model, it is logical that there will also be greater demand for
accommodation offers on Saint Helena that suit travellers interested in experiential and active tourism, not just a short transit visit.
The marathon as a tool of economic development, not just a sporting event
Official statistical data show why tourism is more than a matter of promotion for Saint Helena. Government statistics pages state that in the period from July 2024 to June 2025, 5,298 arrivals were recorded, which is 954 more than in the previous comparable period. The same page also states that estimated visitor spending in 2024 amounted to between £4.9 million and £6.7 million. For a small island economy, this is not a secondary figure, but a serious indicator that every additional tourism impulse can have a visible effect.
The same official statistical overview also states that Saint Helena’s gross domestic product in the fiscal year 2023/2024 amounted to £39.4 million. When the size of the economy and the level of estimated tourism spending are compared, it becomes clear why local institutions insist so strongly on tourism as a development direction. An event such as the marathon may be relatively small in terms of the number of participants, but economically significant because of the type of guests it brings: people who spend on transport, local guides, hospitality, excursions, sports logistics and
accommodation close to the event venue.
The Government of Saint Helena had already identified tourism in earlier strategic documents and public announcements as one of the important sectors for recovery and development. Documents dedicated to tourism recovery emphasized product development, strengthening market visibility, raising service quality and increasing accommodation capacity. Now the marathon acts as a concrete tool by which those strategic goals are being translated into a recognizable international product.
Why sport in particular could change the perception of the island
Tourist destinations often look for one strong event that will differentiate them from the competition. In the case of Saint Helena, the problem is not a lack of stories, but a lack of global visibility. The island has an incredible historical background, including the most famous period linked to the exile of Napoleon Bonaparte, but history by itself is not always enough for a breakthrough in the modern market. Sport and adventure tourism offer a different type of visibility: they enter international media more quickly, attract specialized communities and create content that is easily shared on social networks and in travel formats.
The official route description suggests that the race is conceived not only as a physical challenge, but also as a visual journey through the island’s identity. It mentions a passage from green highlands to rocky coasts, finishing in Jamestown, the main settlement on the coast. Such dramaturgy fits the contemporary logic of tourism marketing: the visitor does not receive only a race number, but a story that can be retold and photographs that promote the destination on their own.
An additional advantage for Saint Helena is that sport naturally connects several of the island’s distinctive features. Mountainous terrain increases the marathon’s difficulty and makes it more attractive to serious runners. The sea and rich marine life open space for additional activities. The historic core of Jamestown and the Napoleonic heritage provide cultural depth. And the small community and limited number of visitors create a sense of exclusivity that many more hyped destinations can no longer offer.
Nature, history and a sense of safety as the triangle of the offer
The official tourism promotion of Saint Helena persistently highlights three major assets: nature, heritage and safety. The island is presented as a place with remarkably diverse landscapes in a small area, from green highlands and cloud-covered forests to volcanic formations, steep cliffs and marine areas rich in life. The tourism website states that a large number of plant and animal species that exist nowhere else on Earth have been recorded on the island and in its surroundings, further strengthening its recognizability among nature lovers.
The historical layer is equally strong. For centuries, Saint Helena has had a special place in global maritime history, colonial routes and forced exile. The best-known symbol of this heritage is Napoleon, whose final period of life was spent here in exile. But the island’s official materials also recall other layers of history, including military, maritime and social traces that have left a visible mark in Jamestown and other parts of the island.
The third element is safety. The official tourism website explicitly highlights a “safe community”. At a time when travellers are increasingly choosing destinations according to their sense of personal safety, that argument can be important, especially for solo travellers, older guests and those who do not want typical mass destinations. Combined with the small number of residents and the fact that the destination has not been “overrun” by tourism, this creates a very clear market profile.
Can Saint Helena avoid the trap of mass success
The greatest challenge for Saint Helena is not how to attract as many people as possible at any cost, but how to grow without losing what makes it special. That is precisely why the marathon, if it remains carefully controlled and limited in capacity, could be an ideal format. It is media-strong enough to draw the world’s attention to the island, while specialized enough not to produce the type of tourism pressure that would endanger the local community and the environment.
In that sense, the story of a “new era of tourism” should not be read as an announcement of mass expansion, but as an attempt at precise positioning. Saint Helena does not want to be everything to everyone. It wants to be a place for those seeking peace, a more demanding journey, a strong sense of separation and a combination of natural and historical experience. The marathon scheduled for 28 February 2027 acts in that strategy as a carefully chosen symbol: attractive enough to draw global attention, yet sufficiently aligned with the island’s character not to look like a foreign body imposed on the destination.
If the organization succeeds, Saint Helena could gain what small and remote destinations find hardest to achieve: international recognizability not based on cheap mass tourism, but on a clear identity. And in a tourism world that increasingly values authenticity, limitation and experience outside the main currents, that could be precisely its most valuable capital.
Sources:- St Helena Tourism – official marathon page with the race date of 28 February 2027 and route description (link)- St Helena Tourism – official Adventure Week page with programme dates from 23 February to 2 March 2027 and an overview of activities (link)- St Helena Tourism – official information on getting to the island, the opening of the airport in 2017 and current air connectivity (link)- St Helena Tourism – general overview of the destination, including emphasis on a safe community and the island’s tourism identity (link)- St Helena Tourism – official overview of the island with data on location, distance, population and transport accessibility (link)- St Helena Government Statistics – official statistical overview with data on arrivals, estimated tourism spending, GDP and population (link)- St Helena Government, The Economy – official economic overview with the estimate that visitors spent between £4.9 million and £6.7 million in 2024 (link)- St Helena Government – announcement on the tourism recovery strategy and sector development goals, including strengthening the offer, services and capacity (link)
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