The Blackpool Slump

[Gary]

It's official..Blackpool Guesthouses and small hotels have had their worst season for 10 years.
Guest house takings are down 17% with some facing bankruptcy.
It's been blamed on the number of people who only visit Blackpool for the day.


..although Blackpool Pleasure Beach reports a bumper season..

Temporary blip or something more deep?

Blackpool has to be on the edge of change...

[Nick]

If people are blaming it on day trippers, why has there been such a reduction in the number of overnight stays in the space of one year? The weather this year has been quite good, I can't see why people haven't been going to Blackpool.

Hopefully the town is on the verge of change, because it does seem to be on the decline (but not the Pleasure Beach!)

Nick

[Graeme]

Personally, I haven't been up there since 2001 and am not planning a return trip anytime soon. That's not to say I think the place is bad, I just can't keep visiting the same places every year.

What makes people want to stay in an area is multiple good attractions. They can't keep relying on just the Pleasure Beach. BPB hasn't got a fully comprehensive range of coasters or rides anyway, so the resort really needs a rival theme or amusement park.

[bpb daft]

The above comment really is nonsense. There are many problems within Blackpool relating to tourism and social problems.

There are two cast iron certainties - Blackpool has an incredible amount to offer the tourist. Its range of attractions is unrivalled within Europe. Secondly, stating that BPB doesn't have a comprehensive range of rides or rollercoasters has to be either a flame post or a lack of common sense.

[Graeme]

The above comment really is nonsense. There are many problems within Blackpool relating to tourism and social problems.

...Secondly, stating that BPB doesn't have a comprehensive range of rides or rollercoasters has to be either a flame post or a lack of common sense.

Oh yeah, I'm going to take your comments seriously with as biased a username as "bpb daft"... There are loads of things Blackpool doesn't have, so open your eyes and open your mind, you ignorant twerp.

[bpb daft]

Dear me, pal. What colour's the sky in your world ?

[Mancfire]

Woah! Calm down there guys, but to be honest Graeme BPB has the most coasters in Europe, and it certainly is a comprehensive list compared to any other park in the UK....
3 Classic Wooden Coasters (one being a mobius loop racer)
1 Wooden Wild Mouse
1 Wooden Kiddie Out and Back Coaster
1 Mack (?) Steel Bobsled
An arrow Shuttle loop (may be dated but that first drop packs a hell of a punch)
Racing Steeplchase coaster (can't fnd one of those anywhere else?)
A (ok cheap, but themed) Steel Schwartkopf indoor coaster
An Arrow hypercoaster
Now that's ONE HELL of a comprehensive list if you ask me! The biggest rival has to be Alton Towers with a Vekoma Corkscrew, a very good B&M Inverted, B&M Dive Machine, an indoor Schwartzkopf and a B&M Flying Coaster. I'd say that's not nearly as comprehensive!
BOTH parks are good, and I accept that BPB is lacking an ultramodern looping steel coaster, but I'd say BPB has much more variety and damn good value for money, and as you can argue BPB has no steel multilooper, AT has no classic Big Dippers? Much of a muchness
Let's stop the argument here though as EVERY park has it's merits! No need to argue!

[dave]

yes the takings are down in the hotels a lot of families not going because
of the stag and hen parties culture blackpool as become the mecca for this and people are not going because of potential trouble.
day trippers are drawn there because of the pleasure beach but there is a lot more going on as well.
also to stop a week now at blackpool its very expensive and people can go abroad cheaper.
maybe when all the casino resorts are all sorted this is when the crowds will start flocking back to my favourite holiday resort.
only living 45 mins away i go every other week at the weekends

for the lack of space at the pleasure beach a ride that could be good is a half pipe coaster thats recently opened at sarkanniemi amusement park finland it doesent take up that much room and blackpool needs to keep up with the alton towers and thorpe parks to maintain its popurality
regards dave..

[Wilko]

When I got off Half Pipe I commented that t would be perfect for Blackpool up until the point I hear how much power it takes. It would need to take a lot of money an hour (maybe 5 tickets per rider) to have any chance of making a profit.

What I can see them building is the Gerstauler 97 degree drop coaster on the site of the old divers tank. This area is large enough for the station and the lift/drop tower. The rest of the ride can take place over footpaths. Fits in a small space and they can advertise it as 'steeper than Oblivion.' The other advantage is that they arefairly cheap.

John Wilkes

[Fraser]

I think something along the lines of a Screaming Squirrel might be a decent big-ride filler for BPB. But for me the thing that Blackpool PB really lacks is good modern flat rides. There are too many quaint but not very thrilling things. How many powered car rides does a park need? And two sets of dodgems in a cramaped space is ludicrous.
However, a state-of-the-art big scale steel coaster would certainly get the crowds coming in droves.
As for Blackpool town itself - it really has become a dump. I went up there in May to spend a few days and was horrified by the tackiness and "greyness" of the place. Strip away the cheaply painted facades and you are left with a 60s concrete nightmare. The Pleasure Beach is one of the few tasteful places there is!

[Chris]

Strange, that poor Mr. Cassidy didn’t even mention Alton Towers in his first response and yet the response he got was “BPB has more to offer than AT” which is considerably unfair and the backlash from external online theme park chat about our two fine venues which should be respected for doing their own thing and not compared.

Though there may be some logic to be found in his statement, BPB doesn’t have a comprehensive range of coasters as most of them are wooden coasters which the fickle general public may see as old fashioned – NOT that there is anything wrong with this, in fact many as yourselves do find this is an advantage it’s just that Joe Bloggs from Britain has been brought up on a diet of high tech steel from the aggressive marketing of Alton Towers over the past 20 years, so perhaps if the park did have modern steels to offer as well, as parks like Cedar Point do, something to offer the best of both worlds it could deserve the title of a “comprehensive coaster collection”

Back to the original question, there has been a dramatic focus on the Short Break market in the UK, and even the theme parks are cashing in on it, the reason for the downturn in Blackpool is a lot but not entirely down to presentation, the town needs to smarten itself up and more people would feel comfortable there, the Kiss Me Quick hats and rampant stag parties are not traditional to the resorts origin and need to be amended as do the attractions, including the pleasure beach which is heading in the right direction with the Big Blue Hotel.

[Graeme]

Yes, thanks Chris. I wasn't trying to stir, or to say that any other particular park was better. I could have put it better than I did, yes, but all I meant was that the Pleasure Beach doesn't offer everything to all tastes. And nor should it have to! It's a private concern and they can spend their money how they like. Of course they build rides to their taste. So would I.

That's why I think competition should be allowed and encouraged. Geoffrey Thompson may not want to build a 150ft floorless, but you can bet the general public would lap it up! And it's not just steel. I love woodies and would love to see another one at Blackpool, preferably a big Intamin new gen.

I suggest that what was a flame, was to call my post "nonsense" and say I lacked "common sense". I didn't come here for an argument, but that sort of comment's going to wind up anyone! And my original post certainly wasn't to wind anyone up.

Thank you.

[cliffc]

Yes, thanks Chris. I wasn't trying to stir, or to say that any other particular park was better. I could have put it better than I did, yes, but all I meant was that the Pleasure Beach doesn't offer everything to all tastes. And nor should it have to! It's a private concern and they can spend their money how they like. Of course they build rides to their taste. So would I.

That's why I think competition should be allowed and encouraged. Geoffrey Thompson may not want to build a 150ft floorless, but you can bet the general public would lap it up! And it's not just steel. I love woodies and would love to see another one at Blackpool, preferably a big Intamin new gen.

I suggest that what was a flame, was to call my post "nonsense" and say I lacked "common sense". I didn't come here for an argument, but that sort of comment's going to wind up anyone! And my original post certainly wasn't to wind anyone up.

Thank you.

Hi All

I tend to beleve its the stag and hens that are putting people off, i love Blackpool and i go there at least once a year and will be off soon, if i am going for a couple of days stay I prefer mid week as sat and sun are full of the normal lot of drunknen stag and hens, i dont have a family but if i did i would not take them to Blackpool on a weekend.
I feel that the town does have many attractions for visitors other than BPB, allthough no visit to would be complete without a trip there, there is still the tower, sea life, tussauds, the three piers, stanley park and the zoo and model village, there is still a good selection of summer shows to go and see, allthough not as many as there were in the late 60's and early 70's when we used to visit there for a week every Aug, and you have all of the arcades along the front, so there is still plenty to do in the town.

Cliff C

[Graeme]

This is a blast from the past. I'm afraid I was more agressive then than I am now! No idea why I was so frustrated by Blackpool. I apologise to Nick, and to Gary for tainting the thread.

I tend to beleve its the stag and hens that are putting people off, i love Blackpool and i go there at least once a year and will be off soon, if i am going for a couple of days stay I prefer mid week as sat and sun are full of the normal lot of drunknen stag and hens, i dont have a family but if i did i would not take them to Blackpool on a weekend.

Yes, the behaviour is awful. What you see there during broad daylight is what you get at night in most normal towns. Pubs and clubs aren't family attractions. Trouble is, nor are casinos.

[Neil]

I agree with Graeme Cassidy about Casinos being a little short sighted, and I too don't see it as the answer. I would rather see the town concentrate on the core business of families, and at the moment the only people doing this seems to be the Sand Castle who really seem to be pulling out all the stops.

Blackpool Pleasure is really going down hill.
Many rides removed: Whip, Turtles Chase, Cable car, Spin Doctor, Vikingar and not a lot of replacement.
Getting very greedy. Upcharging for the 4D cinema, £8 to ride a rubbish ride like Bling.
Almost all the merchandise (eg video, postcards) removed.
Second year running when the park gets no new ride.
Rubbish park map makes a farce of this new 'style' lark.

If the visitors going to Blackpool are decreasing then the Pleasurebeach should be pulling out all the stops, not just getting flippant and giving in.