Are theme parks less liked/less popular in Britain than in other countries?

[Matt N]

Hi guys. As many of you may know, the London Resort recently announced intentions to hold public consultations later in 2020. However, I’ve noticed that there seems to be growing cynicism surrounding the project as of late. While I know that there are many reasons why people are cynical about that particular project, it leads back to something I’ve noticed in general; I think British people seem to have far more cynicism surrounding theme parks on the whole than in other countries. Let me explain why I think this.

Now, I may have used the cynicism surrounding the London Resort as an example above, but I think there are numerous, better examples I could use. For example; most theme park projects touted for this country seem to be majorly opposed by locals and the media. As an example, I remember reading about a project named Legend Court that would have been built not far from where I live. It was billed at the time (I think this was late 1990s to early 2000s) as being one of Europe’s largest theme parks. However, the locals majorly opposed it and planning permission was almost unanimously rejected, and Legend Court then became infamous for how hated it was and locals feared another project like it being opposed. Projects like this one seem to get off the ground far more easily and with far more support in other countries than they do in Britain.

Another example I can think of is a project that did actually materialise; Icon at Blackpool Pleasure Beach. I remember reading through a news article that had some scathing comments on it from locals, including:

What a waste of money; think about how many houses £16m could build!

The town and the country need things other than a new roller coaster right now; some investment into things that are actually important like road improvements and public services would be a start!

That definitely doesn’t imply that theme parks are well liked in Britain.

Another thing that I think backs up my point is the strict planning restrictions that most theme parks in this country are subjected to in comparison to theme parks in other countries. Most theme parks in Britain seem to have some form of height restrictions, noise restrictions or some other form of restriction in place, which you don’t tend to find as much abroad. A significant proportion of theme park projects in Britain seem to get fierce opposition, in some cases so fierce that the application is withdrawn or rejected. And even excluding new rides, British residents do not seem supportive of theme parks on the whole; take the Ropers and Alton Towers, for example.

There’s also the matter that I think theme parks are often treated as being quite childish in this country; I quite often get told that I should “get out of theme parks and get into the real world more” or “grow out” of my theme park enthusiasm.

But what are your thoughts?

 

[D4n]

I'll be the first to point out that theme parks just straight up aren't as good or as well operated in the UK relative to their European counterparts. The US has a mixed bag but it has a lot of theme parks of genuine quality to win the public over.

The Merlin parks feel very corporate in nature, relative to the likes of Phantasialand and Europa Park which win people over with their charm, and the fact that they are family-owned businesses.

Are theme parks less liked in the UK though? I wouldn't say so. The number of people visiting Orlando, PortAventura and Disneyland Paris on trips abroad (amongst others, but these are the main ones) speaks volumes. The rising number of visitors to Paultons Park also tells us that, where a genuinely charming park does invest in the customer experience, UK parks can be popular and well received.

It's just obvious to the public that UK theme parks do not represent value for money for the most part. They are generally charmless, corporate and seek to milk every last penny from their customers. People aren't stupid.

Theme parks aren't less liked in Britain. It's just our theme parks like *us* less.

 

[Pleasure Beach Valhalla]

The fact that you've got so many other parks out there that have so much is just why it seems that way when it really isn't. Yes we haven't got an Intamin Blitz or an RMC or even a Mack Big Dipper. Yet. Maybe if the UK can take a sensible approach to invest in good coasters that win everyone over like Icon and Wicker man in my opinion, then they could be very successful but if they choose to add clones or less so thrilling or common coasters, then it's not going to entice people to visit them more as often.

 

[imanautie]

Hi guys. As many of you may know, the London Resort recently announced intentions to hold public consultations later in 2020. However, I’ve noticed that there seems to be growing cynicism surrounding the project as of late. While I know that there are many reasons why people are cynical about that particular project, it leads back to something I’ve noticed in general; I think British people seem to have far more cynicism surrounding theme parks on the whole than in other countries. Let me explain why I think this.

Now, I may have used the cynicism surrounding the London Resort as an example above, but I think there are numerous, better examples I could use. For example; most theme park projects touted for this country seem to be majorly opposed by locals and the media. As an example, I remember reading about a project named Legend Court that would have been built not far from where I live. It was billed at the time (I think this was late 1990s to early 2000s) as being one of Europe’s largest theme parks. However, the locals majorly opposed it and planning permission was almost unanimously rejected, and Legend Court then became infamous for how hated it was and locals feared another project like it being opposed. Projects like this one seem to get off the ground far more easily and with far more support in other countries than they do in Britain.

Another example I can think of is a project that did actually materialise; Icon at Blackpool Pleasure Beach. I remember reading through a news article that had some scathing comments on it from locals, including:

That definitely doesn’t imply that theme parks are well liked in Britain.

Another thing that I think backs up my point is the strict planning restrictions that most theme parks in this country are subjected to in comparison to theme parks in other countries. Most theme parks in Britain seem to have some form of height restrictions, noise restrictions or some other form of restriction in place, which you don’t tend to find as much abroad. A significant proportion of theme park projects in Britain seem to get fierce opposition, in some cases so fierce that the application is withdrawn or rejected. And even excluding new rides, British residents do not seem supportive of theme parks on the whole; take the Ropers and Alton Towers, for example.

There’s also the matter that I think theme parks are often treated as being quite childish in this country; I quite often get told that I should “get out of theme parks and get into the real world more” or “grow out” of my theme park enthusiasm.

But what are your thoughts?

Brits like an excuse to complain.

Sent from my SM-G960F using Tapatalk

 

[Tim]

There is a problem, but It doesn't have anything to do with planning permissions, local opposition or any other restrictions, which can be just as bad elsewhere as they are here. The best examples of local opposition would be Disneland Paris or Disney's America (The latter of which was completely stopped). Germany's health and safety can be even stricter than ours. We do have some of the worst planning permission restrictions, but only because we have a lot of built up areas and protected sites. Remember that a lot of American parks are miles away from the nearest settlements.
Also dont forget we have a lot of parks. The market is saturated for such a small island.

The real problem is how the British public see Theme Parks. John Wardley highlighted it back in the 90s. Most people in Britain see Theme Parks as permanent fairs. Places to take their kids with big scary rides but nothing of substance. To refer to Matt N's original post the British see parks as childish.
And I can't really blame them, given what our parks offer. Tussauds did their best to introduce actual themes to their theme parks but looking at them now i'd hesitate to call them Theme Parks. They have themed rides but the themes tend to be limited to the rides, none of the exploring and discovery a true Theme Park has. Because of this we also approach theme parks in a different way. A perfect example of this was when I visited Florida. I went with a big group and I genuinely felt sorry for the people I was with. Each day we'd visit a park, they'd run between each big ride, do them and call it a day. They even skipped most of the Magic Kingdom because it was too kiddy. Half of them skipped Animal Kingdom altogether, but of us that did go I managed to convince them to take it slow and we ended up having an amazing time!
Like D4n said if we had Theme Parks that appealed to an adult market (not thrill seekers and not X rated, just normal people) they might be accepted just like any other form of entertainment.

 

[MaxPower]

I think some people have shifted towards things like Go Ape and Zip World rather than theme parks to get their adrenaline rush.

The current state of some of the U.K parks and recent accidents certainly won't of helped people's perceptions either.

 

[QTXAdsy]

I don't know for England and Wales, but from a Scottish perspective, we're just happy to spend a day at parks down south in which many of you might consider 'not value for money', then again when you have M&D's we're lumbered with which lowers your expectations to such a low that attractions like Charlie or Sub Terra are like Disney quality to the Scottish GP.

Guess it can depend where your from and how high/low expectations are. Only hope we had something decent up here rather than spending a lot of money going to Towers or Blackpool....

 

[Pleasure Beach Valhalla]

I think some people have shifted towards things like Go Ape and Zip World rather than theme parks to get their adrenaline rush.

The current state of some of the U.K parks and recent accidents certainly won't of helped people's perceptions either.

I get more thrill on rides than I do on ziplines tbh but yh I guess the accidents still keep people partially away because I asked my mate if they'd ever like to go to Alton when it reopens and the reply I got was "don't trust Alton Towers, Drayton Manor instead."

 

[Mr Pearse]

I honestly think it’s a mixture of nothing major being invested in other parks and lack of marketing and variation. Most average punters will always know what Alton towers is etc. But not many know of all the different parks in the uk. It’s like they been to one and that’s all they need. The U.K. parks haven’t got the ability to heavily invest apart from the obvious parks. They nothing to keep the smaller parks relevant and when they do invest they lack the marketing to reach the whole Of the uk.

 

[Dave]

Guest attendance figures in the UK suggest we still like theme parks. Pre-Smiler incident Towers pulled in 3 million guests, compared to the biggest park attendance in Europe at 5.5 million (and considering Towers is seasonal and those parks are either year round or have winter seasons) it suggests the appetite is there. The Smiler crash definitely knocked consumer confidence but all indication are that people where coming back.

I think the reputation of theme parks in the UK is not as good as elsewhere, and that is mostly down to Merlins operating standards.

 

[RoyJess]

I've not been abroad for the last decade due to my Jess's medical condition. But in my own opinion based on my last visit abroad (10yrs ago), I've always felt that we have the better white knuckle roller-coasters here in the UK. However I can't say if this has change recently.

For theme parks abroad, I've always felt that the roller-coasters were a bit tame, however the themeing has always been very detailed and you can feel like you are in a completely different world. Here in the UK, Chessington had originally led the way for themeing, but still none of the parks here in the UK are any where near as good as themeing as those that can be seen in Europe. I've only ever visited theme parks away from the UK in Holland and France.

As for operation, I feel that the UK themeparks operation have deteriorated over the years.

Again, I'm only going by comparison from 10 years ago, I can't really compare them in recent times as I've not been abroad since then.

I've not choice, I can only visit our UK parks and because of Covid-19 it could be a while before Jess and I could just go out let alone visit a theme park. Going abroad is definitely off the cards for us for the foreseeable future.

 

[pluk]

The general atrociousness of the UK parks drives a lack of popularity here. The parks have earned themselves a reputation for being somewhere to be ripped off, to have a poor value day, to stand in queues for disproportionate amounts of time, to not be entertained etc etc. Merlin, and to be honest a good amount of the smaller parks, oblige by fulfilling this expectation. Often positively excelling in exceeding it.

A general stereotype here is a family being reluctantly dragged to a themepark by one of the kids because they've fallen for the marketing. Most places abroad you get the feeling that families view it as a place they all want to be, as a genuinely valuable form of entertainment.

I've said for a long time I enjoy theme park trips in the UK in spite of the parks themselves and how they are run rather than because of them, it's like they are actively trying to make me not enjoy my day at every opportunity. For a theme park enthusiast, as I undoubtedly am, to actually visit a theme park so infrequently says a lot about the state of it all.
Bottom line is I love rides, and there's no viable alternative than being launched up Stealth or swung around Nemesis. Hardware aside I would not consider for a moment visiting any UK Merlin park, nor very many others.

Paultons leads the way in showing how it can and should be done. A fair price, not voucher discount let, no hidden charges (fastrack, parking, free coin op rides etc), no fastrack queue jumping so fairness between all guests, manageable queues even when it's bust as a result of sensible solid investment, decent opening hours, incredible happy staff, fantastic operations, an immaculately presented park, attractions for all the family, actual entertainment. The result? Paultons excels in feedback, trip adviser, nothing but love on the socials (I challenge you to find a negative post on their facebook page!), families happily giving them their money repeatedly without having to rely on cheap marketing gimmicks to drum up interest and business.

Paultons (and some other much smaller scale local places) aside, the UK parks are not loved, and it's only their own fault.

Huge amounts of people want rides, want escapism, want quality family fun time. No one wants to be ripped off.

 

[Themeparksandy1981]

When I was growing up my parents took me&my sister to Alton Towers, Drayton Manor and the American Adventure and friends do also and we talked about the rides at school. The last time I went to a theme park with friends was to Blackpool for drinking and the WOW weekends 10 years ago. I just go to Drayton Manor now as it’s just half hour away in the car and me and my daughter got a annual pass and I go to Alton Towers once a year but now only 1 of my friends also goes to Merlin attractions with his wife and kids. I invite the rest and offer them my discounted tickets but they neither too busy or not got the money.
I speak to the 18th to 25th age range at work and many have never been to Alton Towers and maybe went to Drayton Manor when they were young. I offered them my vouchers but a good weekend to them is how high they got or if they took any laughing gas. We live in a world of Technology where Parents work hard all week to save up every penny to go on holidays abroad so there kids end up stuck on there video games and Watching you tube.
It’s also the cost like a average day at a theme park now for a family of 4 is £200 and they don’t see that as value for money when they only open for 7 hours and most the time you spend your time queuing with most guests stuck in there phones.
Also in the uk there no completion with Merlin taking up most of the attractions so theses little parks can only attract families with young children with kids IP’s.
I think Devon theme parks have the best mixture of entertainment and good value for money and every attraction on the parks were included in the price.
We went to Watermouth Castle which I been to every time I stayed in Devon since the late 80’s and the place hasn’t changed much but they added small details every year. With the entrance fee and lunch it cost less than £60 for the 3 of us.
We also visited the Milky Way and I thought that was even more good value with live shows on all day with the birds of Prey, Live Magic shows and science experiences. It may only have only 5 rides but there’s so much to do there and we were never bored and that was also roughly £60 day out.
I been to Universal and Disney Parks and the UK can’t match them in anyway but I also know with the costs nearly £10000 for a holiday to Orlando for a family of 4 it taken me 5/6 years to save up to go again but so much they been added already since my last visit in 2016 and we going back in 2023.