Editorial: The gamble of reopening the Smiler
Reopening the Smiler is not as simple as it may first seem, even when it has been determined as being safe. Alton Towers faces a huge headache on how to proceed with a ride which…
Editorials
Editorial: Flawed systems at work on The Smiler
Alton Towers is in an unprecedented third day of closure, following the worst accident in the theme park’s history. When the Smiler rollercoaster collided and seriously injured four guests on Tuesday, the whole country seemed…
Editorial: Merlin’s wood gamble worth taking
Merlin Entertainments would appear to be finally taking the plunge and constructing a new wooden ride. All signs in the plans for Alton Towers’ next major addition point to a wooden rollercoaster being the park’s…
Editorial: VAT cut campaign becoming desperate
Calls for the UK government to cut VAT on tourist attractions and hotels rooms are continuing to fall on deaf ears. Although the campaign has never gone away since it begin shortly after the Conservative…
Editorial: Lightwater Valley’s unique selling points
There has to be a reason why a small independent theme park such as Lightwater Valley has survived in the face of a larger neighbour. In actually fact, the park is not as close to…
Editorial: How Merlin’s Annual Pass is damaging
Many will have seen the claims of how quickly a Merlin Annual Pass “pays for itself”, or how much it can “save” its owners. It is abundantly clear that comparing the product’s price to, and…
Editorial: Smoking bans mean nothing unenforced
A number of theme parks have now taken the populist approach of becoming ‘smoke free’, although the reality is somewhat different. Originating with the parks operated by Merlin Entertainments, smoking in queues has been ‘banned’…
Editorial: Alton Towers’ poor after-sales care
Alton Towers’ staff are renowned for their friendly and helpful attitude – when you are at the park, that is. What is quite different is the level of service and care guests receive after they…