No it doesn't, firstly it's spent a hundred years with a system that almost everyone expects of a pleasure beach style park. But secondarly and more importantly is this silly ticket system, if it's one price to get in why do you need to scan your phone at every ride? Why do they need a picture of me and why on earth is the whole virtual portal system so confusing. If anything they're wasting money, bring back a system with a ability to pay per ride with tickets or a wristband. The system your talking about doesn't exist anymore.
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Blackpool Pleasure Beach: 2023 Discussion
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ScottishChris
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Oh, I agree their system is daft. I also understand your point regarding the historic system, but it is important to point out the system you are talking about all but ended 15 years ago. Yes, on paper you could still buy ride tickets (along with paying an entry price) until the pandemic... so this nonsense that what they are doing is a recent thing is not accurate.
People have rose tinted glasses about the "good old days" when ride tickets were what they done. It was busy - yes. But it was a crime hotspot and wast a particularly pleasant place to be. People complained about paying the "walk around" ticket price when that was a thing, and not many people did to just visit for a walk around. All that ticket done the majority of the time was downgrade people who would normally buy a full price ticket.
I regret posting the newspaper link. My point in doing so was to highlight unflattering press coverage and the ridiculous demand a family had for free tickets. It seemed to re-open the pointless debate over ticket systems.
You pay one price to get into the Pleasure Beach. That's what it is... it needs to be accepted as it is unlikely to change.
Why exactly is it unlikely to change?
I would agree, but the park has been dead for most of the year.
It was only busy under previous "POP or nothing" due to the false market of covid, nothing more.
That false market is gone.
Economically, the current system is failing, the secondary spend in the park has fallen off a cliff with full pop and spoons next door.
I don't think you could still buy tickets just before covid, they were phased out a few years before, apart from Big One and entry.
I would like to see the ticket only entrance figures, but nobody knows apart from the park, and they aren't telling.
Keep the gates, bring back paid entry...
If they keep going pop, they might just go bust.
Boom, Boom.
I would agree, but the park has been dead for most of the year.
It was only busy under previous "POP or nothing" due to the false market of covid, nothing more.
That false market is gone.
Economically, the current system is failing, the secondary spend in the park has fallen off a cliff with full pop and spoons next door.
I don't think you could still buy tickets just before covid, they were phased out a few years before, apart from Big One and entry.
I would like to see the ticket only entrance figures, but nobody knows apart from the park, and they aren't telling.
Keep the gates, bring back paid entry...
If they keep going pop, they might just go bust.
Boom, Boom.
Matt N
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As much as I agree that it does seem as though the park is prospering less with the full POP system than the previous walk-around system on paper, it should be said that a quieter park is not always an indicator of lower profitability, or vice versa.
Blackpool could be pursuing a pay-one-price model to purposely limit their guest figures to extract more money from each individual guest and provide a better guest experience, in a similar manner to somewhere like Paultons Park. Paultons Park is never overly busy, from what I can tell (I went in the summer holidays, and it wasn’t even busy then), but if their recent accounts are anything to go by, they aren’t doing too badly financially!
I’m not sure that Blackpool has necessarily repeated the success of Paultons Park if this was their initial aim, though, and with this in mind, I agree that a return to a nominal walk-around fee and some form of pay-per-ride coexisting alongside wristbands would suit the location better. However, I do concede that the issue is more nuanced than “quieter park = less money”. It’s about whether the increased spend from the guests who are coming in offsets the lower guest figures.
Blackpool could be pursuing a pay-one-price model to purposely limit their guest figures to extract more money from each individual guest and provide a better guest experience, in a similar manner to somewhere like Paultons Park. Paultons Park is never overly busy, from what I can tell (I went in the summer holidays, and it wasn’t even busy then), but if their recent accounts are anything to go by, they aren’t doing too badly financially!
I’m not sure that Blackpool has necessarily repeated the success of Paultons Park if this was their initial aim, though, and with this in mind, I agree that a return to a nominal walk-around fee and some form of pay-per-ride coexisting alongside wristbands would suit the location better. However, I do concede that the issue is more nuanced than “quieter park = less money”. It’s about whether the increased spend from the guests who are coming in offsets the lower guest figures.
GooseOnTheLoose
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We're also all missing that in this particular instance they wanted free entry full stop. Paying any sort of fee to walk around Blackpool Pleasure Beach would have been too much for them, and resulted in the same article, whether it included rides or not.
Blackpool have an identity issue. It has the ability to present itself as a fun day out for all of the family again, and to be a premium option compared to the tat on the pier, but it needs to polish its offering. It's an all day attraction and they can definitely get more people through if they position themselves as that again.
Very few people are likely to buy an entry only pass, if it existed, and go on their own to have a walk around. They're likely to be older relatives, or more timid friends, of a party that's already going. The park is leaving money on the table by charging them a lower fee for entry only, when they'll be pressured into buying a full price ticket regardless. If Granny is taking you to Alton Towers, she doesn't sit in the car whilst you go into the park, she goes in with you because she wants to spend time with you. Admittedly there's nothing else to do within the immediate vicinity of Alton Towers, so Granny's hand is sort of pushed in this instance, but if she wants to spend time with you she'll pay for it.
The people a single priced entry effects are mostly people who live in the immediate vicinity, who want to be able to walk around during a lunch break, have a sandwich and maybe get on a singular ride. The annual pass, whilst an initial upfront financial hit, is a decent solution to this.
The fact that we're still having this discussion around pay one price vs paid entry and wristbands, and that we can't all agree on which part of which system was phased out when, and why, demonstrates that Blackpool Pleasure Beach have done an absolutely awful job at marketing and communications.
The slump in profit isn't down to pay one price, it's down to an identity crisis at the park itself. They need to explain what they offer, why it's the best around, how much of a full day out it is for visitors and that it will only cost you X amount. They have the right to position themselves as the premium attraction in the area, they just need to bloody well do it.
ScottishChris
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I feel that this is quite often the norm. I would also suggest that the vast majority of people who say "let us in for free and we will spend money in the shops and food places" absolutely would not. When you have people who weren't even willing to spend a tenner to get past the gat line are not going to buy PB food when there is a Spoons right next door.
Absolutely. I band on about this so often. They genuinely have a great product but do sod-all to tell people about it. And don't even get me started on social media, the ultimate free marketing tool and they just don't use it!
Coaster
TS Member
I feel that PB's 'pay-one-price' model limits them because it fails to capitalise on the park's location. Pleasure Beach has a bustling seaside town just outside its gate, full of families and holidaymakers who want to go in for a few hours and ride a few rides, but who get priced out by the £50-per-person gate price. In the current climate (or any climate, frankly), families cannot afford to shell out £200 on a whim. This leads to a situation I have witnessed all-too-often, where Blackpool is absolutely heaving right through the day and evening, yet Pleasure Beach is running a half-baked service to a few hundred people before closing up at 5 or 6pm. Surely, this has to be considered a problem, when the town is packed yet the biggest tourist attraction within that town is struggling for custom. It says that Pleasure Beach are not delivering a pricing model that suits their customer-base, and that something has to change.
If Pleasure Beach inticed more people into the park, my argument is that it would be much easier to keep them there. Instead of having to go and buy tickets, why not innovate and add contactless card scanners at the entrance to each ride? Customers want things to be simple, and if you could walk up to a ride and scan your phone/card to pay for a ride, I think a lot of people would do so. Then, in addition to that, wristbands could be advertised to the hilt, making them the more appealing option for people who want to ride more than a few rides.
This idea would mean that ride entrances would have to be staffed, but that is good practice for customer service anyway. If they removed the e-ticket system and replaced it with these, whereby you could also build in the ability to check-in wristbands, I feel that it would increase profit-per-ride and improve customer experience whilst also not increasing the number of staff needed.
If Pleasure Beach inticed more people into the park, my argument is that it would be much easier to keep them there. Instead of having to go and buy tickets, why not innovate and add contactless card scanners at the entrance to each ride? Customers want things to be simple, and if you could walk up to a ride and scan your phone/card to pay for a ride, I think a lot of people would do so. Then, in addition to that, wristbands could be advertised to the hilt, making them the more appealing option for people who want to ride more than a few rides.
This idea would mean that ride entrances would have to be staffed, but that is good practice for customer service anyway. If they removed the e-ticket system and replaced it with these, whereby you could also build in the ability to check-in wristbands, I feel that it would increase profit-per-ride and improve customer experience whilst also not increasing the number of staff needed.
ScottishChris
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I feel that you make a few good points, but I can't agree.
1. The Pleasure Beach does not have a bustling sea side town at its gate. Anything that is 'bustling' is a 30 minute walk down the prom. People need to make a concerted effort to go to the PB nowadays.
2. A lot of the arguments regarding pricing go along the lines of "get passing trade to pop in and they might spend a few quid". There is not passing trade - the PB is out of the way. What they need to do is market themselves as THE destination, and get away from the mindset of popping in for a couple of hours if you are in Blackpool. Just like people book to spend a day at Flamingo Land, Drayton, Towers etc. PB need to get people to book to visit them, and then maybe pop into Blackpool.
3. You state "families cannot afford to spend £200 on a whim". You are, ofcourse, right. Nothing should be done on a whim, People are pre-booking and planning their summers now (look at what Towers and Thorpe are pumping out on the socials). DLP are hammering the advertising for the coming year. My question would be - why are BPB not? Get people booked now for the summer. Why not let them pay it up too?
Ultimately you are showing the mindset that BPB is a place you can pop into for an hour or two. This, to me, sums up BPB's massive marketing failure. There have more rides and attractions at PB than most parks - it should be an easy full-day visit park.
There is still an awful lot of footfall around the south promenade.
The south pier is often extremely busy when the Beach is more than half empty.
The Sandcastle is a massive footfall draw in the area, ideal for a pre/post Beach visit, if there is a cheap entry option to the Beach.
One of the biggest Spoons in the country right outside your gates would be a benefit, not a massive drawback, if there was cheap park entry after your spoons meal.
So many people meet outside the park now instead of inside.
They are missing out on a large number of non riders, and "half rider" groups are now non attenders...I have been part of such a group twice recently, three didn't want to ride, so the group of six did Southport instead...
None of us know the numbers...the consultants did, and they suggested changes...and were ignored, especially the ice show bit.
The south pier is often extremely busy when the Beach is more than half empty.
The Sandcastle is a massive footfall draw in the area, ideal for a pre/post Beach visit, if there is a cheap entry option to the Beach.
One of the biggest Spoons in the country right outside your gates would be a benefit, not a massive drawback, if there was cheap park entry after your spoons meal.
So many people meet outside the park now instead of inside.
They are missing out on a large number of non riders, and "half rider" groups are now non attenders...I have been part of such a group twice recently, three didn't want to ride, so the group of six did Southport instead...
None of us know the numbers...the consultants did, and they suggested changes...and were ignored, especially the ice show bit.
Steve74
TS Member
Blackpool Pleasure Beach is now calling itself a resort?
From: https://x.com/yrexperienceg/status/1746884612196909491?s=20
From: https://x.com/yrexperienceg/status/1746884612196909491?s=20
Katy
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It did this in about 2006 for a few years, before reverting back to "Blackpool Pleasure Beach". Okay they have a second hotel now but still, very strange decision.
Allegedly called in to advise on profitability, at considerable cost.
Paid advice not followed.
The owner knows best.
Very sound source I have known for decades.
AT86
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Did Nick Varney lead a takeover coup while we weren’t looking?
ScottishChris
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I actually don't mind the Resort thing. What gets me is the font, the bastardised exclamation mark and that ridiculous tagline "More than you think".... seriously, what? Add in the pictures they have used and clearly their marketing team know sod-all.
Marketing 101: you want people to fear they will miss out if they don't buy your product.
Stick a picture of a family having fun at the park, either on or in front of the attractions. Taglines such as "Visit for the day. Make memories for life" or "We all remember our first roller coaster"
Oh, and everyone literally knows the place as Blackpool Pleasure Beach! Why are the deliberately ripping up their own brand?
They just seem to get it wrong time and time again.
I genuinely thought those images were a wind-up until I checked. At least the pictures lack colour, they quite accurately reflect the masses of grey and white appearing all over the park
Absolutely nobody is going to call it Pleasure Beach Resort. I'd be impressed if their marketing department (assuming they have one) keeps it up. Dropping the word Blackpool is hilarious in itself, but calling it a resort is just sad - it's like they're pretending to be something they aren't. Are the average family staying at Big blue/Blvd? Absolutely not, they're either day tripping, in a B&B or perhaps one from the selection of Premier/Holiday Inn/Travelodge. Or more realistically they're at Alton Towers.
Absolutely nobody is going to call it Pleasure Beach Resort. I'd be impressed if their marketing department (assuming they have one) keeps it up. Dropping the word Blackpool is hilarious in itself, but calling it a resort is just sad - it's like they're pretending to be something they aren't. Are the average family staying at Big blue/Blvd? Absolutely not, they're either day tripping, in a B&B or perhaps one from the selection of Premier/Holiday Inn/Travelodge. Or more realistically they're at Alton Towers.
Tom
TS Member
Vloggers might. They’re the only ones that call Merlin attractions resorts.
jon81uk
TS Member
The picture is to promote the "white knuckle weekends" so in that case those make sense, as it literally is a picture of someone showing their white knuckles. If they were trying to advertise a family-focused event then a picture of a family would make more sense, but for a thrill ride focused weekend, showing people on a thrill ride does seem sensible! Although I agree in general it doesn't show anything about the park or the ride, but if the images are only used in places where people already know the product (like their own social media) that doesn't matter as much as promoting the specific event.
Coaster
TS Member
I've seen it myself, many times, packed on the South Promenade whilst Pleasure Beach is quiet and closing early. I've seen South Pier heaving during the evening whilst PB is sat closed on too many occasions.
Pleasure Beach is absolutely a full day park, to some, including myself, but my argument is that they are currently only catering to one of their two potential markets.
PB is only out of the way because they've isolated themselves. When there were entrance gates at both ends of the park, the Ocean Boulevard area was much busier.
There is no reason (as far as I can see) that the park can't continue to provide for the 'stay-all-day' market, as well as also opening the gates to holidaymakers already in the town who wish to go in and ride a few rides. Not everybody wants to book online, a lot of people who are already in the town just want to go in and ride a few rides as part of their day. Liseberg manages to cater for both, and Pleasure Beach used to. It's additional income, surely?
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