Blackpool Pleasure Beach: General Discussion

[Thameslink Rail]

I recall someone saying that British parks do better in recessions because those who would usually holiday abroad stay in the UK. If the north wasn't in tier 3 then I think they might have had a good 2nd half of season. I think they might have a good season next year as fewer people can afford to go abroad.

 

[pluk]

Another thing to note is that even though Blackpool’s visitor numbers have reportedly increased since the 1990s, I don’t think these increases are coming from the sort of demographic who would be interested in visiting the Pleasure Beach.

Correct me if I’m wrong, but I get the impression that a lot of visitors to Blackpool these days are either older people looking for a relaxing seaside holiday or groups of younger people coming to Blackpool for its bars and clubs. I’m guessing that neither of these groups would be especially interested in visiting the Pleasure Beach, so this may be why the park has landed itself in the position it is in now.

I think that's part of the thinking behind the potential benefits of allowing free entry; the people the park isn't really aimed at are certainly not going to spend the money being charged currently just to get in to go somewhere they have little interest in being. But tell them it's free for a look around and they might just wander through and buy an beer or ice-cream, play a sideshow, or maybe even ride the express around the park for a couple of quid. That potential 'passing' trade is what they are currently turning down.

 

[Enter Valhalla]

Visiting habits have changed a lot since the 80s and 90s. As already mentioned, the type of people visiting the town of Blackpool are visiting for different reasons, with family groups now favouring either cheap overseas holidays or, if they’re staying in the U.K., places like Center Parcs as opposed to traditional seaside breaks.

It’s no coincidence that BPB have changed their marketing, opening hours and ticketing structure to reflect changes.

BPB now go for the theme park market, which involves people travelling from other towns for the day purely to visit the park, and who generally plan their visit a week or more in advance, and usually prebook. As opposed to in the 90s when people who were already in the town would pop in for a few hours. It just doesn’t work like that any more and there simply isn’t the market for it.

 

[shakey]

BPB now go for the theme park market, which involves people travelling from other towns for the day purely to visit the park, and who generally plan their visit a week or more in advance, and usually prebook.

Well it clearly isn't working is it?

As opposed to in the 90s when people who were already in the town would pop in for a few hours. It just doesn’t work like that any more and there simply isn’t the market for it.

How do you know that it doesn't work like that any more?

Pleasure beach don't currently offer an alternative to a full day ticket so we simply do not know if there is a market there for shorter visits and pay per ride.

They cannot keep going the way they have been over the last 12-15 years. The park is losing money hand over fist and it is not sustainable.









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[ringo]

I think most can agree change is needed, problem is are BPB willing to change or will they just continue until it’s too late.

The park needs meaningful investment, you can’t invest without money, you can’t get money without customers & without real investment you don’t get new / large increase in customers.

There is also the risk of if investment comes along would it mean a sacrifice of a heritage ride(s)?

 

[pluk]

It just doesn’t work like that any more and there simply isn’t the market for it.

Covid aside, Blackpool is still a hugely visited as a holiday resort. The people are there, the people aren't visiting the park while they are there. There certainly is a market, the pricing structure just doesn't currently cater for it.

 

[RoyJess]

I think the loss of profit is a combination of things.

Also back in the day, the pleasure beach used to open after dark during the illumination season.

It looks like they are trying to run the pleasure beach like a theme park, they charge for entry, diched the pay per ride and have short opening hours.

I also think the shows at Blackpool are not anything like they used to be. The Eclipse show was phenomenally fantastic, but sadly go replace in 2008 (?) by forbidden which was not anywhere as good as the Eclipse show. The mystique show in the horse shoe wasn't as good when Richard De Vere took over from Russ Stevens. Russ is currently the magic advisor on ITV BGT.

 

[jon81uk]

10 years of the tories and in particular the acceleration of zero work hr contracts certainly hasn't helped the park. People simply not as flush as they were 10 to 15 years ago.

Lack of investment in the park another huge issue.

And finally a real big one is that Blackpool in general is simply getting tackier and more naff by the year. It feels like the whole town is stuck in a time warp of the 1990's. Lots of people choose to go elsewhere these days.

I haven't been for a few years, but I though Blackpool was getting less tacky?

Although that hasn't helped in all areas, the Tower might be slightly less tacky but some of the exhibits pre-Merlin were pretty interesting really. More expensive doesn't always mean better of course.

 

[rob666]

The council have banned some stuff on the prom, willy shaped rock is now less common, drug stuff has gone under the counter generally, and the beggars etc get moved on more quickly than before, the sea side of the prom has been tarted up nicely, but you can't stop poverty, or the urban decay one street behind the seafront in many places.
Covid hit the town and the Beach hard, if it wasn't for the government support schemes they may have gone to the wall by now due to chronic cash flow.
The weather over the period they were open this year wasn't kind either...most weekends were wet and/or windy, a very wet October, then the "red zone" hit soon after the loonymations were turned on.
Full lockdown killed off the extension to the season.
And they have done considerable investment in the park, it has been tidied up well, Skyforce and Nickland...and they built a big expensive coaster that seems to have pulled in zero new punters.
Can't help but feel sorry for Mandy, and that is saying something!

 

[venny]

I haven't been for a few years, but I though Blackpool was getting less tacky?

Although that hasn't helped in all areas, the Tower might be slightly less tacky but some of the exhibits pre-Merlin were pretty interesting really. More expensive doesn't always mean better of course.

The Town, at least the touristy areas, have certainly been cleaned up. People suggesting that it’s just getting tackier are following a lazy narrative. There are of course large areas of deprivation, but from a visitor’s perspective there have been a whole host of improvements over the decade to clean up the town’s image. Examples include:

- complete new promenade
- renovated tower and attractions
- renovated Houndshill shopping centre
- renovated Winter Gardens and new conference facilities under construction
- influx of Merlin midway attractions like Tussauds
- new tram system
- tramline extension

Suggestions that Blackpool is in terminal decline are misguided. They are fighting a battle but there are multiple examples of improvements.

 

[Benjsh]

I live 45 mins away and visit frequently. It's still as tacky as ever.

They have tidied up the sea front (beach side of the road) and done a good job.But it's the other side of the road which was and still is the tacky bit. Far too many naff shops and stalls, litter is terrible, horse muck all down the roads.

It's known as Cesspool for a reason.

 

[rob666]

Am I the only one who preferred the Tower before it was turned into a Merlin cash cow?
It suddenly turned three times as expensive to visit all the attractions in the Tower, and the aquarium went south, literally!

 

[Sharko]

With all the talk of 90s Blackpool going on, i can't help hearing the quote...

"He punched one of my Beavers!"

Classic.

 

[Orange Ribena]

I went about 5 times during the summer and it was very busy with lots of families on all occasions so Blackpool has done well this summer. As for free entry- it's not going to happen. On a busy day nobody needs people hanging around for free causing trouble.

 

[Thameslink Rail]

I went about 5 times during the summer and it was very busy with lots of families on all occasions so Blackpool has done well this summer. As for free entry- it's not going to happen. On a busy day nobody needs people hanging around for free causing trouble.

Summer was fine but as soon as the north went back into lockdown the place was a ghost town and they lost a lot of money.

 

[Orange Ribena]

Summer was fine but as soon as the north went back into lockdown the place was a ghost town and they lost a lot of money.

Well that was inevitable however that wasn't the point I was countering. Some people upthread said Blackpool is only visited by old people and young people out for a party with little in the way of families.

 

[Benjsh]

I went about 5 times during the summer and it was very busy with lots of families on all occasions so Blackpool has done well this summer. As for free entry- it's not going to happen. On a busy day nobody needs people hanging around for free causing trouble.

Millions of people being unable to travel abroad was always going to make seaside resorts busier.

 

[rob666]

The summer wasn't very busy, full stop.
Blackpool was very busy, the Beach wasn't.
Busy on the limited dry days, mid levels on wet days, but poor summer weather overall meant an average summer holidays, most other days were quiet, or absolutely dead.
It appeared very busy due to the covid restrictions, it appeared full because of the extended queuelines and respacing of tables etc.
The summer holidays are six weeks of a forty week season
The park never reached capacity limits.
Visited pretty much every week of the season, never heard of a single capacity day.
Not one, even on the ten o clock closes.
The superpeak days and school trip days are when the parks make their money...there weren't any.

 

[Enter Valhalla]

Visiting habits have changed a lot since the 80s and 90s. As already mentioned, the type of people visiting the town of Blackpool are visiting for different reasons, with family groups now favouring either cheap overseas holidays or, if they’re staying in the U.K., places like Center Parcs as opposed to traditional seaside breaks.

It’s no coincidence that BPB have changed their marketing, opening hours and ticketing structure to reflect changes.

BPB now go for the theme park market, which involves people travelling from other towns for the day purely to visit the park, and who generally plan their visit a week or more in advance, and usually prebook. As opposed to in the 90s when people who were already in the town would pop in for a few hours. It just doesn’t work like that any more and there simply isn’t the market for it.

Well it clearly isn't working is it?




How do you know that it doesn't work like that any more?

Pleasure beach don't currently offer an alternative to a full day ticket so we simply do not know if there is a market there for shorter visits and pay per ride.

They cannot keep going the way they have been over the last 12-15 years. The park is losing money hand over fist and it is not sustainable.

Covid has been the biggest reason that the park has struggled this year. For most of the season Blackpool has been in tier 2 or tier 3 and people have been deterred from visiting both for the day and for overnight trips, not to mention that Scotland, much of their catchment area, has been under different restrictions.

You say “it’s not working” but this doesn’t mean that just giving up on all the great work that the park has done since the mid noughties and going back to the funfair style entry system of the 90s would be the answer to all their problems.

I keep hearing the argument, from BPB fans of the 90s, that the park should be free and the park open late, essentially just going back in time 20 years, rather than championing new ideas which would work I today’s market. If we want the park to succeed, we should be thinking what’s going to make it a success based on the modern world and modern visiting habits, not just “let’s do what they did in the 90s”

Back in the 90s, for reasons already pointed out, Blackpool, the U.K. and the world are very different places.

 

[Benjsh]

Covid has been the biggest reason that the park has struggled this year. For most of the season Blackpool has been in tier 2 or tier 3 and people have been deterred from visiting both for the day and for overnight trips, not to mention that Scotland, much of their catchment area, has been under different restrictions.

Without a doubt Covid has impacted nearly every single business in the UK.

However looking back at the figures of their profit and loss dating back 10 years it's clear that Covid isn't their biggest issue. This is a struggling business that's struggling to even break even most years. Covid can help explain this year somewhat but the park has been ran terribly for years.