Blackpool Pleasure Beach: 2023 Discussion

[Alsty]

Do any other POP parks use turnstiles you have to scan your entrance ticket at, or is it exclusively a Pleasure Beach peculiarity?

 

[Matt N]

It appears that the pay-per-ride vs pay-one-price debate has hit the local news, as The Gazette has done an article detailing some of the local discontent at the park’s current entry policy: https://www.blackpoolgazette.co.uk/...vUEBc152Nn9sjXtHTmkTM8AI23MFdR_Trm0zrCyvyG6mY

The article says the following:

Calls for Blackpool Pleasure Beach to remove entry fee after park reveals 20% drop in attendance
Locals are calling for Blackpool Pleasure Beach to “go back to the old days” when families could walk freely around the park without paying an entry fee.

Current prices start at £27 for a junior and £31 for an adult.

Many Blackpool residents remember the days when they could visit the park and pay-per-ride, before introducing an entry fee in 2009.

Yvonne Anderson recalls how she used to enjoy walking around with her children. “[I’d hold] coats & bags whilst they went on rides. Then treat them to lunch, ice-cream, a toy or two, but not any more.”

Locals are calling for a return to the old system where visitors could buy a book of tickets with A, B and C class rides and pay for what they wanted.

“£50 for a non-rider is outrageous”
“Having to pay £50 for a non-rider is outrageous” said Kay Whittle. “It was good when you could just walk in and I’d always go buy a hot dog and a waffle. Maybe it’s time the Pleasure Beach need to re-think its paying system especially if they’re making a loss”.

£522,000 pre-tax loss
This comes as Blackpool Pleasure Beach reported a £522,000 pre-tax loss in the year to March 2023, citing lower attendance numbers and the 10% rise in the national minimum wage as the reasons.

“Scrap the entry fee and go back to the old school pay per ride” said Dan Hulme. “It’ll increase footfall and fuel temptation spending”.

Accounts, filed with Companies House, show that turnover fell by £7million, to £32million.

This compares to the previous year, when the park reported a pre-tax profit of £8.6million.

Entry fee stops antisocial behaviour
A spokesperson claimed the “current economic climate” had an “adverse effect” on attendance numbers. They added that its situation was compounded by a 10% rise in the national minimum wage.

Others have said that the entry fee is needed to prevent kids from causing trouble in the park.

“[Before they] charged to walk round, antisocial behaviour was horrendously bad” said Wayne Fishwick. “They really had to do something. Drug users in the loos. Needles left where kids could find [them]”. Dale Palmer added “She only did what all other theme parks do all over the UK”.

It would appear that there is quite a bit of local discontent around free entry going…

 

[rob666]

Just do the sensible thing and bring back cheap paid entry for non riders.
Free ungated entry meant massive crowds in the holidays, pickpockets, beggars and footie hooligans.
No sensible reason not to, just mandy.

 

[Tom]

Journalism by Facebook comments?

With regard to scanning. To me, it suggests alternative ride access/admission options are on the table and will come at some point. I can’t see walk-up free entry coming back, but possibly a cheaper park access only pass or, if they are bold, a free pre book system (with or without some fees for peak days) as per Winter Wonderland.

 

[ScottishChris]

It appears that the pay-per-ride vs pay-one-price debate has hit the local news, as The Gazette has done an article detailing some of the local discontent at the park’s current entry policy: https://www.blackpoolgazette.co.uk/...vUEBc152Nn9sjXtHTmkTM8AI23MFdR_Trm0zrCyvyG6mY

The article says the following:


It would appear that there is quite a bit of local discontent around free entry going…

They do this 3 or 4 times a year. You find the people who comment are the general jobsworths who comment wanting everything for nothing. And what's more the people who comment rarely have any intention of actually visiting.

 

[Dipper_Dave]

It’s utterly absurd and I’ll go as far to say a disgrace that the walk round pass hasn’t returned. There will always be those who don’t want to ride - parents, grandparents, etc, but want to take along those who do.

These people will still buy food and drink once inside, so to turn them away unless they pay £40-£50 for a wristband is absolutely bonkers. The park really don’t help themselves with these things.

 

[Shaggy_Dog_]

Do any other POP parks use turnstiles you have to scan your entrance ticket at, or is it exclusively a Pleasure Beach peculiarity?

There are a couple of parks such as Liseberg, Tivoli Gardens, and Bakken that use turnstiles with a NFC wristband, but those parks all use a hybrid POP and PAYG system rather than being POP only.

 

[ScottishChris]

It’s utterly absurd and I’ll go as far to say a disgrace that the walk round pass hasn’t returned. There will always be those who don’t want to ride - parents, grandparents, etc, but want to take along those who do.

These people will still buy food and drink once inside, so to turn them away unless they pay £40-£50 for a wristband is absolutely bonkers. The park really don’t help themselves with these things.

I agree with the emotional argument you make, but I don't agree with the financial argument. If the walk around pass returned I have little doubt that it would make a negative impact on the parks bottom line. As much as the argument is made regularly that people walking around would spend money in the park that would result in a net financial gain is beyond realistic.

I believe bringing the walk-round pass would encourage additional people (such as grandparents) to visit, but it would have a massive impact on downgrading families [who would be visiting anyway] to downgrade some of their tickets to be non-riders. Many of which would be perfectly happy paying the full ticket price if that was the only option.

And for every one person who downgrades their ticket to a non-rider, theoretically you would need a additional 3 non-riders or full paying person to visit to compensate.

My working being, if a family of 4 (2 adults two teens) visits the park they currently need to pay circa £152 (£38 per ticket). If you bring the walk round pass back (at £10) the potential entry cost drops to £76 considering 2 non-riders. Would these non-riders spend an additional £76 on food?

Like I say, I totally agree with the emotional want for the walk-around pass to return, I just can't see it ever being a positive financial decision.

I return to the drum I always bang - the move to POP could have, and should have, been communicated and marketed better. This would have helped remove some of the incessant nonsense bleated every time a media outlet digs up this old chestnut.

 

[rob666]

That would all make sense if the park was busy.
It really hasn't been.
Often it has been dead.
Many family groups who used to attend simply stopped, I know a great many that have.
I know more than a few groups who have simply stopped visiting without discount entry for others who do not ride.
Me as a regular season pass holder included.
I want to attend with my non riding wife...I simply can't without paying over the top.
So we don't bother going this year...simple economic logic.
Price elasticity of demand is not simple to master...as Mandy shows.

 

[Tom]

Icon was an opportunity to take Merlin on properly. The design/manufacturer/marketing decision was poor. Hopefully it is not the last chance they get at a £10m+ ride.

 

[pjanvil]

Icon was an opportunity to take Merlin on properly. The design/manufacturer/marketing decision was poor. Hopefully it is not the last chance they get at a £10m+ ride.

I would agree the marketing was poor but disagree on Design and Manufacturer being poor. Mack is a top quality rollercoaster manufacturer and they fitted as much ride as they could in a tiny space so can't criticise the Design. Compared to merlin rides it's a very decent length and a fun ride. It's just it wasn't marketed well

 

[Relife]

Icon was an opportunity to take Merlin on properly. The design/manufacturer/marketing decision was poor. Hopefully it is not the last chance they get at a £10m+ ride.

Pleasurebeech should be getting a new ride ever 3-4 years just to stay competitive. I don't necessarily mean a new coaster it could be a new flat ride but Icon is the only new ride in the last 10 years. Nevermind Ticket prices, the lack of new rides means less incentive for people to return.

If you could only go to one UK park this year why would you pick Pleasurebeech?

 

[John_P]

I'd definitely agree that if you were only visiting one park in 2024 there's no current reason for it to be BPB

Regarding new additions that's a bit unfair, the park opened Nickelodeon Land with a whole raft of new rides in 2011.
Wallace and Gromit in 2012.
Red Arrows Sky Force in 2015.

After Icon in 2018 they closed and committed to investing quite a bit into Valhalla (which should've reopened in 2021) and then had a pandemic and then the resultant delays which resulted in it reopening in 2023.

So the park did seem to be having some sort of rhythm to new additions, even going back to Infusion in 2007, and the pandemic which hit as they were trying to deal with the money pit that is Valhalla has no doubt tied their hands investment wise until that was reopened.

They do need to be looking at adding something for 2025 though.

 

[venny]

I think the post-Icon period has probably been the quietest period for new additions in the park’s recent history, if not far longer.

 

[Katy]

I would agree the marketing was poor but disagree on Design and Manufacturer being poor. Mack is a top quality rollercoaster manufacturer and they fitted as much ride as they could in a tiny space so can't criticise the Design. Compared to merlin rides it's a very decent length and a fun ride. It's just it wasn't marketed well

Agree totally with this. The park wanted a family thrill multi-launch coaster with at most 1 (or 2 depending on how you count) inversions. They got a good family thrill coaster from a decent manufacturer. The problem was then the limited marketing they did was claiming it as the best coaster in the world, and the scariest thing ever ("dare to ride"). It's Thirteen all over again.

 

[jon81uk]

I agree with the emotional argument you make, but I don't agree with the financial argument. If the walk around pass returned I have little doubt that it would make a negative impact on the parks bottom line. As much as the argument is made regularly that people walking around would spend money in the park that would result in a net financial gain is beyond realistic.

I believe bringing the walk-round pass would encourage additional people (such as grandparents) to visit, but it would have a massive impact on downgrading families [who would be visiting anyway] to downgrade some of their tickets to be non-riders. Many of which would be perfectly happy paying the full ticket price if that was the only option.

And for every one person who downgrades their ticket to a non-rider, theoretically you would need a additional 3 non-riders or full paying person to visit to compensate.

My working being, if a family of 4 (2 adults two teens) visits the park they currently need to pay circa £152 (£38 per ticket). If you bring the walk round pass back (at £10) the potential entry cost drops to £76 considering 2 non-riders. Would these non-riders spend an additional £76 on food?

Like I say, I totally agree with the emotional want for the walk-around pass to return, I just can't see it ever being a positive financial decision.

I return to the drum I always bang - the move to POP could have, and should have, been communicated and marketed better. This would have helped remove some of the incessant nonsense bleated every time a media outlet digs up this old chestnut.

The sort-of solution could be a non-thrill pass only instead of just entry so it can justify a higher price. So for £20-25 you can ride Alice, Ghost Train, River Caves, the train, Flying Machines, Derby Racer, Wallace & Gromit etc. Then £40 gets all rides in the park. That way it gives a bit more income than just charging £10 for entry only and makes those people feel like they are getting something.

 

[shakey]

Could the reason they are keeping the turnstiles, simply be that they have not completely ditched the idea of bringing back a walk round pass ?

I don't think it is entirely out of the question that it may come back at some point.

 

[venny]

The sort-of solution could be a non-thrill pass only instead of just entry so it can justify a higher price. So for £20-25 you can ride Alice, Ghost Train, River Caves, the train, Flying Machines, Derby Racer, Wallace & Gromit etc. Then £40 gets all rides in the park. That way it gives a bit more income than just charging £10 for entry only and makes those people feel like they are getting something.

I genuinely think that this model would cause absolute chaos. Can you imagine the amount of arguments there would be at turnstiles for someone who “thought it was included in my ticket”?

I know there are not dissimilar ticketing systems in other parks, but I think people are only just getting conditioned to having to pay at all to get in the park (and some have clearly not and never will come to terms with it). Changing again is going to make some people’s brain explode.

 

[shakey]

Just had a quick look at opening times and prices for 2024, and currently every day is the same price £33 for adults and £28 children. (including the option to change the date of your visit at any time up to the original date of your visit)

If this is correct then it is a massive improvement from their previous pricing structure which was over complicated and had at least 5 or 6 different pricing tiers.

One price for any day seems like a much better system to me.

But this is pleasure beach so it would be no surprise if it changes completely before the start of the season.

 

[Katy]

Just had a quick look at opening times and prices for 2024, and currently every day is the same price £33 for adults and £28 children. (including the option to change the date of your visit at any time up to the date of your visit)

If this is correct then it is a massive improvement from their previous pricing structure which was over complicated and had at least 5 or 6 different pricing tiers.

One price for any day seems like a much better system to me.

But this is pleasure beach so it would be no surprise if it changes completely before the start of the season.

I'd expect them to go up to £43 when we get within 7 days of the date, but £33 over a week in advance for any day is much better than the random pricing structure previously (where you could find weird things such as an 11-5 day costing more than a 10-6 occasionally)