Sorry for sending this topic off post. Hopefully someone from Towers will see that video, and try to create there own. I can not think of any Towers published videos like that, which try to sell the park.
Alton Towers is the best we have in Britain, but like all the Merlin parks and others, it is hard to justify spending more than 1 day on park. There could be a case made for staying over at the parks down south to visit CWOA or Legoland or Thrope.
Disneyland, Europa Park, Port Aventura are all parks that require more than 1 day to visit, and get the most out of. They are parks that are better than UK parks, and when comparing Towers to Disneyland, or Europa Park(its not really fair to compare Europa Park to any other park, as its a show room and development/concent ride test location, so more TLC will be given, however, when recommending people which park to go to, Europa Park is easily the first place I recommend anyone, so needs to be included, whether it is fair or not), is it a distant third.
Disneyland is certainly easier to get to for certain people in the UK than it is to Towers. For starters, if you live in London, you can jump on a train and get off the train at Disneyland Paris. Getting the train to Alton Towers, involves numerous changes, and waiting on a un-reliable bus service in this members opinion.
Europa Park is a little more tricky, and for most people will require a flight, and transfers from the airport to the park. I think Dave's challenge of getting to Europa Park for £80 might be do able with a car of 5 people, but getting home might be a little tricky
When trying to explain to people about Towers, it is difficult currently, when a lot of the magic, which you can use to explain things is gone but I will have a go below.
Alton Towers is a Theme Park, where the rides transfer you to a different place. You forget the ride you are on, and are amazed by the journey you go on. The rides can make you smile, laugh, or scream, but you will have memories to share with friends and family for a lifetime.
That sounds a bit chessey at the end, but its what Alton Towers should be doing. Looking at the recent attractions, I think they have not done a bad attempt, however, parts of the park are starting to lose that magic, and simple maintenance, and TLC could do a lot to fix this. Look how much better Oblivion looks now it has been repainted, but then it lets you down with the actual trains still looking tacky.
That being said, there is still a lot of happy memories to be made at Towers for people who are not as enthusiastic as us, who expect everything to be of a unreachable standard
Ian