The amusements industry is the beating heart of Blackpool – the UK’s number 1 seaside resort. The town whose civic motto is ‘Progress’ has reinvented itself on numerous occasions to retain its status as the country’s number one holiday playground providing a plentiful choice of affordable family entertainment. A combination of private and public investment combined with a ‘can do’ attitude has seen visitor numbers continue to rise with tourism and hospitality sectors accounting for up to 30 percent of local employment.
History
Blackpool’s name derives from a stream that carried dark peat-stained water to the sea – the ‘black pool.’ In the 18th century, doctors began prescribing sea bathing as a cure-all and the wealthy arrived in carriages to dip themselves in chilly waves, attended by wooden bathing machines that rolled into the sea. Blackpool had begun its life as a seaside retreat.
Things changed from 1846 when the railway from industrial Lancashire brought thousands of mill workers and their families to the coast. Blackpool transformed becoming the resort of the working classes. Factory holidays or wakes weeks sent entire towns to enjoy the entertainment provided by the North Pier (1863), Central Pier (1868), and South Pier (1893).
In 1879 Blackpool became one of the first towns in the world to have electric street lighting. The Pleasure Beach grew into one of the world’s great amusement parks, boasting wooden rollercoasters notably the Big Dipper (1923) and later The Big One (1994), which was once the tallest in the world. Responding to the challenge presented by cheap package holidays which began to lure families to Spain and beyond, Blackpool reinvented itself as a party resort.
More recently the Tower and Winter Gardens have been refurbished, the Pleasure Beach continues to invest in new rides and the Piers remain beacons of affordable family entertainment ensuring that the town retains its status as Britain’s number one resort.
Bacta Member Perspective
Stuart Murray, Blackpool Piers. “The main local issue facing operators is the decline in visitor days. People who used to come for the week, now come for the weekend and people who used to come for the weekend, now just come for the day.
“It’s important that the town has a healthy amusements sector. An FEC stands alone as one of the very few places you can go and have fun for three or four hours on 2p pushers or other machines for just £5. Over that period, you can enjoy yourself, and hopefully forget real life, and it is like escapism from the world for a brief but fun time. What else can you do, over that time period and get so much enjoyment for just a fiver?
“I think the Council could do a little more, and be more pro-active with the piers, as they are such a pivotal part of Blackpool Heritage. The tower and piers are Blackpool. Nobody can think of this town without them springing to mind.”
Politics
Blackpool is represented by two Labour Party MPs. Lorraine Beavers’ constituency is Blackpool North and Fleetwood. Chris Webb who was elected to Blackpool South, twice in three months first in the by-election of May 2024 followed by the July 2024 general election, recognises the importance of the amusements industry to his constituency.
He told Coinslot: “You only have to witness the buzz along the Promenade in summer to understand how important amusements are to Blackpool. They provide jobs, support local businesses and keep millions of visitors entertained every year. They’re part of our culture – Blackpool’s identity has been built around affordable entertainment, laughter and a sense of escape for generations. Amusement arcades continue to diversify and expand – from a new traditional arcade opening in 2023 next to Blackpool Tower [Blackpool Amusements] to Europe’s biggest video and pinball arcade [Arcade Club] the year before. I’d love to see further diversification with retro gaming bars in the vein of NQ64 in Manchester or Level in Preston. But nothing beats the thrill of feeding 2ps into a slot until you hear that satisfying clatter inside a proper Blackpool arcade.”
Demographics
According to the Office for National Statistics Blackpool has an older than national average population profile with 18.7 percent of residents aged 65+. Blackpool is ranked #1 (most deprived) out of 317 local authorities in England on the Index of Multiple Deprivation.
Care Quality Commission data shows that 58 percent of residents live in areas classified in the most deprived decile in England. The Blackpool Gazette reports that 61.8 percent of households were deprived in at least one of the four ‘dimensions’ in the 2021 census compared to the England and Wales figure of 51.7 percent. Many of the town’s challenges comprising health, housing, employment, and life expectancy are worse than national averages.
Visitor Numbers
Blackpool’s visitor numbers are on the rise. According to the STEAM report there were an estimated 66.7m tourism visits to the region in 2023, up by 2.8 percent from the previous year. Visitor numbers have recovered steadily over the past four years and are now only 3 percent below pre-covid figures. In 2023, 7.6m visitors stayed in some sort of accommodation within the area. Visitor numbers are dominated by the day visitor sector, which represents 89 percent of the total. The town attracted 21.5m unique tourists – a 6 percent increase on 2022.
Blackpool continues to be the UK’s most visited seaside resort thanks to a diverse programme of major events, the launch of new attractions, an extension of the autumn Illuminations season, and the expansion of the Christmas By The Sea village proposition. Investments during 2023 included the £2.3m Gruffalo & Friends Clubhouse on the Promenade, the return of Valhalla at Pleasure Beach Resort following a £4m transformation, and the opening of Blackpool Zoo’s £1.5m big cat facility.
A multi-media marketing campaign featuring ‘resort ambassador’ Nigel C Gull, a seagull puppet voiced by the comedian Johnny Vegas has the core objective of establishing Blackpool as a thriving 12-month a year destination.
Visitor Profile
Blackpool Council Tourism Reports and Data show the majority of visitors to Blackpool are from within the UK with large numbers travelling from Lancashire, Manchester, Warrington, Bolton and the Midlands. Blackpool Council has specifically targeted advertising campaigns to attract visitors from Scotland.
Value of Tourism Activity
The annual STEAM report calculated the direct economic impact of tourism which comprises the expenditure of visitors on goods and services, totalled £4.07bn. Further to this, indirect and induced economic effects of local businesses and residents spending tourism revenues locally, were estimated to account for a further £1.33bn, together totalling £5.4bn.
Employment
For the period October 2023 to September 2024 the employment rate in Blackpool was 65.3 percent, lower than both the North West (73 percent) and Great Britain (75.5 percent). Blackpool is one of the UK’s most tourism-dependent towns. According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service the number of full-time tourism and hospitality jobs supported in Blackpool totals 23,419 which is between 25 – 30 percent of total local employment and a 5.3 percent year-on-year increase. Jobs include those in hotels, B&Bs, restaurants, bars and attractions.
Part of our culture
Chris Webb MP said……. “You only have to witness the buzz along the Promenade in summer to understand how important amusements are to Blackpool. They provide jobs, support local businesses and keep millions of visitors entertained every year. They’re part of our culture – Blackpool’s identity has been built around affordable entertainment, laughter and a sense of escape for generations. Amusement arcades continue to diversify and expand – from a new traditional arcade opening in 2023 next to Blackpool Tower [Blackpool Amusements] to Europe’s biggest video and pinball arcade [Arcade Club] the year before……
