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Blackpool Pleasure Beach | Icon | Mack Multi-Launch

rob666

Hyper Poster
1 Absolute shambles on the trains in the spring through the summer, BPB has its own station, and is used by a great many northerners in the grim mill towns...Colne, Nelson, Burnley, Accrington, Blackburn and Preston have always had direct "beery" trains on a good timetable every year...until this year.
2 **** marketing of the new ride.
3 Cautious punters unhappy to spend on leisure just before brexit...there is a lot of quiet saving going on...just in case.
4 Dead weird weather...extremely wet spring, extremely hot summer.
5 Towers season passes for fifty quid.
6 Dead mouse.
Add them all together, and that covers it I would say.
 

bob_3_

Giga Poster
Giving out names of sources when it would threaten their jobs isn't really my style... You'll just have to take my word for it.
AAAhhh I get you, so it's all bull****.

I get you. I'm not asking for names, I'm asking for the source for this data to be backed up by evidence. A report, a news article, a representative from the park! Just something instead of someone posting on (may I add, an Alton Towers) forum.

They definitely would not have had had a decline in attendance I can put money on that. I do see them missing their target, the theme park industry is still feeling an impact from the smiler incident, this and wickerman are the first big rides since, there was bound to be some caution from the GP. I would like to read a report though on attendance it would be really interesting as it would shape the future of investment in the market.

So yeah, if you're going to give a dramatic account of the massive failure of a ride which is actually pretty decent. Then please give a shred of evidence.
 
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Smithy

Strata Poster
AAAhhh I get you, so it's all bull:emoji_poop:.

I get you. I'm not asking for names, I'm asking for the source for this data to be backed up by evidence. A report, a news article, a representative from the park! Just something instead of someone posting on (may I add, an Alton Towers) forum.

They definitely would not have had had a decline in attendance I can put money on that. I do see them missing their target, the theme park industry is still feeling an impact from the smiler incident, this and wickerman are the first big rides since, there was bound to be some caution from the GP. I would like to read a report though on attendance it would be really interesting as it would shape the future of investment in the market.

So yeah, if you're going to give a dramatic account of the massive failure of a ride which is actually pretty decent. Then please give a shred of evidence.

How much?

Whilst I think the amount quoted unlikely, a decline in general isn't all that unlikely given the current market condition.
 

sandgrown

Mega Poster
There is no decent source for that data. A blert on another forum doesn't count. Not saying it's not possible, just saying it's hot air until we have some real info. Blackpool as a place has a had a couple of decent seasons with the trend for holidaying in the UK. If Blackpool has done okay again, the Pleas will have too.
 

rob666

Hyper Poster
The "blert" has passed on correct information on a large number of occasions in the past.
The "blert" has good contacts within the organisation, and I have only known him give the wrong information once.
And I don't really know the guy, but he certainly comes across as the right sort on our brief chats in the coaster queues.
 

sandgrown

Mega Poster
Okay then.
What was the wrong information though? River Caves to be turned into a sex dungeon level of lies? Or no more free sugar in the bag with doughnuts level?
I confess to being curious.
 

rob666

Hyper Poster
Incorrect costing of this year's (edit...next years!) season passes.
A large number of his previous...early...posts were proved correct.
Can't remember all the examples, but they were spot on.
Including confirming Icons name, but it had been mentioned as a possibility before.
 

Coaster

Mega Poster
There is no decent source for that data. A blert on another forum doesn't count. Not saying it's not possible, just saying it's hot air until we have some real info. Blackpool as a place has a had a couple of decent seasons with the trend for holidaying in the UK. If Blackpool has done okay again, the Pleas will have too.
Not necessarily, since they (arguably) turn away a lot of potential custom through driving online bookings and closing when they want to, not when the public want them to. Blackpool is a busy seaside town yet BPB don't cater for on-the-day visitors at all, and their opening hours do not fit in with the town - especially during illuminations and summer holidays. There are many instances whereby Blackpool as a town is heaving, but Pleasure Beach is quiet.

Based on how quiet the park has been during most of my visits this year compared with previous ones, a drop of 200,000 seems plausible.
 

Robbie

Hyper Poster
It's been confirmed today that Blackpool had 400,000 fewer visitors this year than last (mostly day trippers). BPB and Blackpool Council have blamed the train chaos, but that can't be the only reason.
 

streetmagix

Mega Poster
Source: https://www.blackpoolgazette.co.uk/...opportunities-for-blackpool-tourism-1-9431420

Not just the timetable and strike issue but the train prices were noticeably more expensive this year too. Virgin Trains now do a direct link from London but it was over £80 standard return, £120 first.

But, like Robbie mentioned, I don't think that's the entire story. I had a horrible time at Blackpool Pleasure Beach (that's a story for another day) and have no desire to go back despite how great Icon is. I know a few others who have had similar horror stories in Blackpool too. And then there's the botched advertising campaign for ICON and a general lack of advertising for Blackpool itself, I'm sure in years past I've seen more buzz for Blackpool.
 

Matt N

CF Legend
It's been confirmed today that Blackpool had 400,000 fewer visitors this year than last (mostly day trippers). BPB and Blackpool Council have blamed the train chaos, but that can't be the only reason.
Is that BPB or the town as a whole, out of interest? Whichever one it is, that's a large decrease, in my opinion.
 

streetmagix

Mega Poster
Is that BPB or the town as a whole, out of interest? Whichever one it is, that's a large decrease, in my opinion.

It's the whole town/city. Interestingly enough the number of overnight visitors was the same, so it was 400,000 fewer day trippers. I don't think BPB release gate figures, or if they do i can't find them.
 

Ben

CF Legend
Yeah Pleasure Beach never actually release their visitor figures - people say it's so no-one is like oh why was there such a big drop off when they swapped to a (bit of a) paid entry model, but that was so long ago now I just don't think they feel the need to release them.

Everyone's saying their numbers are down and not where they need to be after Icon but who knows?

If they didn't hit the numbers you can blame the shoddy marketing and PR though.
 

sandgrown

Mega Poster
Day Trippers falling off does suggest that trains were a big factor. In the decades in which Blackpool has struggled more, it hasn't been short of day trippers, rather the people who would stay a whole week. Even in the 80s there were plenty of families that did that.
 

Robbie

Hyper Poster
Yeah Pleasure Beach never actually release their visitor figures - people say it's so no-one is like oh why was there such a big drop off when they swapped to a (bit of a) paid entry model, but that was so long ago now I just don't think they feel the need to release them.

Everyone's saying their numbers are down and not where they need to be after Icon but who knows?

If they didn't hit the numbers you can blame the shoddy marketing and PR though.

The BBC TV News report directly quoted Pleasure Beach as blaming the trains for a fall in numbers, so they’ve definitely had a drop. According to the same report the only Blackpool attraction to see a rise in visitors was the zoo, which is up thanks to the new elephant house and baby animals.
 

Ben

CF Legend
I mean, that’s not what your post said - your post said they were commenting on visitor numbers dropping to the town. So sorry if I read your post and took what it said... that quote in the Blackpool Gazette is very cleverly worded not to mention their visitor numbers either they talk about the town as a whole.

Either way they’re not exactly gonna go ‘we advertised our new ride really badly lol’
 

Matt N

CF Legend
people say it's so no-one is like oh why was there such a big drop off when they swapped to a (bit of a) paid entry model, but that was so long ago now I just don't think they feel the need to release them.
Would that be why Pleasure Beach was listed on 2007's TEA report as having 5.5million visitors, but then mysteriously weren't present in 2008's version?
 

Robbie

Hyper Poster
Having rewatched the BBC News report (on iPlayer here until 6.30pm UK time tonight, 7 minutes in) they compare 1 months drop of rail visitors against the whole summer's drop in visitors. I see the Gazette does a similar job of cherry-picking but if that bus replacement rail drop continued all summer that does account for over half the drop. It's significant the zoo is a place you have to drive to. Blackpool Grand had a poor panto season last year because of the travel issues, it's definitely a big factor in people staying away.
 
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