Thameslink Rail
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The Ebbsfleet you are looking for has a station called Ebbsfleet International which Eurostar trains sometimes stop at on the way to Paris.
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London Entertainment Resort: All Discussion
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pluk
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It's not.
(Real answer, look at a map, where Tilbury is in Essex, roughly in line with the train station, exactly opposite that)
I'm not even that sure that having a guy connected to the Dome is that smart a move if getting rich investors on board was the aim there - didn't the Dome end up losing something mad like £500 for every visitor they had? Hardly a record of commercial success.
Given the dude's age I'm inclined to believe he's stands to do fairly well out of this whatever happens and that'll set up his retirement nicely - and for that all he has to do is a few interviews like this every few months.
Or it could be someone inclined to go out with a bang, just for you @Matt N
Given the dude's age I'm inclined to believe he's stands to do fairly well out of this whatever happens and that'll set up his retirement nicely - and for that all he has to do is a few interviews like this every few months.
Or it could be someone inclined to go out with a bang, just for you @Matt N
Matt N
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I thought PY Gerbeau turned the Dome around after a very bad opening month? His personal role in the Millennium Dome has been cited as a very positive one in pretty much every place I’ve read about it.
I know he also massively turned around Disneyland Paris in the few years after that opened, so he does also have a successful turnaround of DLP on his CV. Admittedly, it seemed to go downhill again when he left, but when he was there, the park’s finances and guest figures did improve.
EDIT: Here’s a really interesting article from KentOnline about PY Gerbeau’s career over time, which talks about both his time at DLP and the Millennium Dome: https://www.kentonline.co.uk/kent-b...bout-new-london-resort-ceo-py-gerbeau-207462/
I know he also massively turned around Disneyland Paris in the few years after that opened, so he does also have a successful turnaround of DLP on his CV. Admittedly, it seemed to go downhill again when he left, but when he was there, the park’s finances and guest figures did improve.
EDIT: Here’s a really interesting article from KentOnline about PY Gerbeau’s career over time, which talks about both his time at DLP and the Millennium Dome: https://www.kentonline.co.uk/kent-b...bout-new-london-resort-ceo-py-gerbeau-207462/
jon81uk
TS Member
I'm not even that sure that having a guy connected to the Dome is that smart a move if getting rich investors on board was the aim there - didn't the Dome end up losing something mad like £500 for every visitor they had? Hardly a record of commercial success.
Given the dude's age I'm inclined to believe he's stands to do fairly well out of this whatever happens and that'll set up his retirement nicely - and for that all he has to do is a few interviews like this every few months.
Or it could be someone inclined to go out with a bang, just for you @Matt N
The problem with the dome is also one of the major issues with London Resort. They predicted enormous visitor numbers that didn't come. Many people who did visit had a good enough day out, but the business plan was just wrong.
I posted this a while back
The dome thought it could get 4million more visitors than Alton Towers, Madame Tussauds and the London Eye achieved. If it had been costed based on a realistic expectation it may have not required so much of a bail-out,
Matt N
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The recent BBC Southeast interview that PY Gerbeau did said that the Resort wants to bring in 4 million guests within its first year of operation. Given that Alton Towers pulled in 2,130,000 guests in 2019, and Legoland Windsor pulled in 2,410,000 guests in 2019, I don’t think that is at all unrealistic, personally. Especially given that the London Resort will have a 365 day operating season (presumably), while these parks only operate March-November.
jon81uk
TS Member
Getting 3-4 million in the first year seems possible, but then it is likely to taper off unless there is a big new draw again. New hype in the first year will attract more people, but keeping them coming back every year is harder.
Matt N
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What most parks tend to do is add new attractions gradually. Developments like this tend to be phased; they definitely don’t intend to open the entire development in 2024. I’ve heard rumblings that the first elements of it will open in 2024 (i.e. the first theme park and the first two hotels at least, probably with the water park and the entertainment district too), with it being completed by 2029 (second theme park and next set of hotels built).
They’ve also asked in the environmental survey for flexibility to add new attractions as time goes on, so they definitely intend to grow the Resort over time!
jon81uk
TS Member
There aren't that many new theme parks to compare to, but Islands of Adventure didn't add a new ride for 10 years or so, Disneyland Paris opened some attractions a bit later like Space Mountain but the park was opened pretty fully formed.
If it is obvious it is only half a park in year one they won't attract people in the first year, people will wait for the full experience.
Look at the figures for Alton Towers following 1994, Nemesis brought a big crowd, but it tapered off over the following few years, even with other new rides. I expect it would be a similar thing, shiny new park attracts a lot of people, but it needs to offer something awesome to get the international guests coming over in the following years.
Matt N
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Didn’t Space Mountain bring huge amounts of visitors to DLP? I seem to remember hearing that it turned the park’s fortunes around massively, bringing visitors to 10.7 million up from 8.8 million the year before.
If the London Resort manages to pull something similar out of the bag a few years after opening, then that will surely raise guest figures?
If the London Resort manages to pull something similar out of the bag a few years after opening, then that will surely raise guest figures?
jon81uk
TS Member
But would it be better to open with that ride? Maybe then they would have got 10 million in both years?
London resort might open with a small line-up and it doesn't seem worth visiting.
(If it opens at all
)
Benjsh
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Putting aside the point they have no money and this park will never be built for a second.......
Can't you see the issue there. Alton Towers (Merlin) are a household name in the UK and the leaders in the domestic Theme Park market and they get 2m or just over in the their very best years. And Legoland is similar. The most loved toy brand in the world. Easily the best IP there is basically and they don't get anything like 4m either.
You think this newcomer with no track record would get 4m in the first year just like that? It's ridiculous. It won't happen. These people are charlatans and are just kicking the can down the street is all.
Thameslink Rail
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While Alton Towers gets 2 million now, they used to get 2.5-3 million through the 90s and 00s, the UK population has grown since then. What's changed is that people view theme parks as unsafe and poor value for money. If the London Entertainment Resort can prove that both of those fears are invalid then they may be more successful. Also as Matt N pointed out, London Entertainment Resort will be year round so they will be getting people around what is closed season for many parks so their capacity will be higher still.
Benjsh
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They will be shut 365 days a year because it's never happening.
Matt N
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I don’t think it’s worth dismissing this; they insist that they are fully funded by KEH and other sources, and they have people bidding for construction contracts, so there’s clearly money somewhere. These people wouldn’t enter into a project like this if there was no money available.
The project seems to be appearing far more often now than it did a year or two back, and the stuff appearing does seem to be development of some sort as opposed to just a press release (for example, the environmental report is the most in-depth, concrete thing we’ve had since at least 2014, and the construction contracts are definitely promising news, in my opinion).
These aren’t the days where we’d go months without news, and even then the only news we’d get is a press release delaying it by another year. Stuff seems to be happening every few weeks now, even days in some cases, and it’s stuff worth talking about as opposed to just the same old press release regurgitated and reworded slightly to talk about the next delay like it was a few years back. For the first time in a while, I can look at the project from an outsider’s perspective and say that stuff seems to be happening. They’ve stayed very consistent with their 2024 timeline for quite a while now, and things do seem to be gaining steam.
The project seems to be appearing far more often now than it did a year or two back, and the stuff appearing does seem to be development of some sort as opposed to just a press release (for example, the environmental report is the most in-depth, concrete thing we’ve had since at least 2014, and the construction contracts are definitely promising news, in my opinion).
These aren’t the days where we’d go months without news, and even then the only news we’d get is a press release delaying it by another year. Stuff seems to be happening every few weeks now, even days in some cases, and it’s stuff worth talking about as opposed to just the same old press release regurgitated and reworded slightly to talk about the next delay like it was a few years back. For the first time in a while, I can look at the project from an outsider’s perspective and say that stuff seems to be happening. They’ve stayed very consistent with their 2024 timeline for quite a while now, and things do seem to be gaining steam.
Benjsh
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They should have just had their 1st year anniversary Matt. They were meant to open in 2019 and there's not been a single brick put on site.
Who in their right minds would invest 4bn into this industry right now? Covid, Brexit not to mention the awful accidents we've recently had in the industry too.
It's not happening. Even the park map images that they released looked like they were done on Microsoft Paint. It's all a sham this project.
Thameslink Rail
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This discussion will keep looping forever until either
1. Construction starts
2. The project is cancelled
1. Construction starts
2. The project is cancelled
Plastic Person
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Matt N
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I have actual news to report once again! Public consultations are beginning on 27th July, and they will run until 21st September. They will be held online and will include webinars, telephone surgeries (I don’t know what these are?) and online Q&A sessions.
Here’s a Blooloop article talking about this, while also offering a few other interesting bits of info about the project: https://blooloop.com/news/the-london-resort-public-consultation/
Exciting stuff! Do you guys think I would be allowed to ask a question or two, as they’re online, as I must admit, I have some things I’d be very interested to know?
Here’s a Blooloop article talking about this, while also offering a few other interesting bits of info about the project: https://blooloop.com/news/the-london-resort-public-consultation/
Exciting stuff! Do you guys think I would be allowed to ask a question or two, as they’re online, as I must admit, I have some things I’d be very interested to know?