Merlin and Murdoch

[Thomas]

Something I've always wondered about the free ticket giveaways, is who pays who? Alton Towers get up to three weeks 'free' advertising from the sun promotion, and they get a lovely four page spread towards the peak of the campaign.

On the other hand, Merlin give away what I can imagine would be thousands of tickets which must come at a cost to the business! Or does it? Does entry apart from increased maintenance for rides as a result of higher guest figures actually cost the park? I mean with over 50 rides and attractions to maintain, there's a lot to upkeep at Alton Towers

Or do Merlin manage to claw back money through car parking, food and beverages and souvenirs? On the other side of the fence, does Murdoch see a boost in sales from such a generous give away?

Whoever pays who, it must work because it gets repeated for nearly every park in the chain every year!

 

[nickhutson]

Offices have free tickets lying around in an abundance - it's just a piece of paper to them, or an email that needs to be sent. Like cinemas and theatres, their main money comes from the stuff one buys in the park.

So - yes - you've answered your own question. One free ticket will mean that person will often bring a guest or two (who will pay), they will pay for parking, lunch, photos, t shirts, doughnuts, lunch, dinner...

 

[djtruefitt]

I have also found, many guests who get in for free with the Sun tickets, will then buy fastrack as they feel they haven't spent any money to get in the park!

I have no idea who pays who, but it probably works well for both companies, Towers get free marketing and lots of guests, the Sun gets more readers, meaning more money for them.