Unit 5 - Assignment 4 - Impacts on the local community and area. by Courtney-Lou Venables (Student)

Legal Factors

215310_13 — 2024-01-23 09:33:41 UTC

In 2015, one of the parks most famous and popular rides (the Smiler) had a devastating crash, whereby 4 people were severely injured. this meant the park had to be closed for a long period of time for investigation to take place. this led to a drastic decline in visitor numbers. Lots of people lost trust in the parks safety. Businesses in the local area suffered the knock-on affect from this as they benefitted from the theme parks visitors a lot. If anything like this incident was to ever occur in the future, the park could suffer from the same affect. Both the park and local businesses purely rely on visitors and tourism as their way of income. Without these, they would not be making any profit.

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2015/aug/28/alton-towers-rollercoaster-crash-villagers-wait-for-trade-to-return

215310_13 — 2024-01-23 09:43:20 UTC

Social Factors

215310_13 — 2024-03-12 12:56:24 UTC

Fundraising events such as bake sales, family fun nights, auctions are put on throughout the year by Alton Towers to raise money for important causes. The park also donate to charity frequently and make sure to engage in community projects going on in and around Staffordshire. All these events are very positive for the local community as it encourages them to get involved. It also gives locals the chance to give input on tourist visions. All of this contributes to the positive light shined on both the brand and the attraction.

Another social factor is competitors. Drayton Manor is considered Alton Towers competitor due to the products and services they offer. Drayton Manor do wedding packages whereas Alton Towers do not. I would recommend this as something the park could start doing as it increases income and overall visitor numbers.

https://www.goldington.beds.sch.uk/ckfinder/userfiles/files/Curriculum%20Areas/Travel%20and%20Tourism/Impacts%20of%20Tourism%20Revision%20Notes%20B.pdf https://www.statista.com/statistics/934348/most-popular-wedding-venue-types-united-kingdom/

Economic Factors

215310_13 — 2024-03-12 13:53:04 UTC

Alton Towers has a big impact on the local community. Through local procurement and the constant flow of tourists visiting Staffordshire a year, it generates a lot of income for other businesses as well as itself. many people, when leaving the park, may go for a quick bite to eat or visitor to the town. this contributes to the local GPD, helping to improve infrastructure, benefitting the overall life in the area. They offer many jobs to those living in and around the surrounding area. Currently, they have approximately 2,500 local employees. By employing locals, it has a positive impact on the community too. their wages gets spent within that area on other businesses. in 2019, Alton Towers made £1.74 billion. This is called the multiplier effect. although the employment of locals can be seen as a positive, don to reliability and the multiplier effect, it can also be seen negatively. almost all of the jobs going in this attraction are seasonal, leaving lots of people unemployed around non-peak seasons when the park closes during winter. However, a 10-year plan is currently in discussion for the park, creating the idea for more jobs that are permanent positions. It will also boost the tourism for the park and Staffordshire to be able to keep the park open all year round.

I do think though, if Alton Towers were to be open all year round, they should introduce a limited ticket system to reduce their visitor umber especially during peak season. This is a major issue for locals trying to live their daily lives as they may be faced with long queues of traffic when trying to reach work. I believe the park should also begin working alongside other smaller attractions nearby, such as Awesome Walls or Wetley Moor Alpaca's, by introducing combined ticket prices for visitors to make more out o their day when the park closes and overall make more income for them and other businesses.

https://www.merlinentertainments.biz/responsible-business/people-and-communities/communities/

Environmental Factors

215310_13 — 2024-03-12 14:01:24 UTC

In order to reduce the parks carbon footprint and help towards the current climate issue, Alton Tower have a yearly budget for their environmentally focused initiative for things such as LED lighting, solar PV, water managing etc. They further work on investing into renewable assets at the park and diverting their waste from ending up in landfills to being recycled or generated into energy. They try their best as much to reduce plastic pollution by removing single use plastic items and plastic straws (these were removed in 2018). They offer visitors chance to buy a reusable cup souvenir that can be filled up a many time as they like throughout their time spent there. By having these actions in place, the park are aware of the part they play in the environment and what they can do to help reduce it as much as possible. It may even generate visitors as those concerned about the environment may notice their efforts and feel okay going.

https://www.merlinentertainments.biz/responsible-business/environment/

Technological Factors

215310_13 — 2024-03-12 14:12:12 UTC

Alton Towers make use of technology in multiple ways. Communication is a bi reason, helping them to communicate more efficiently and reach a large customer base, being able to provide additional services. It adds a further layer of convenience to everyone's day as well. Online reservations and tickets can be bought, so upon entry a simple QR can be scanned . With the growth in technology and the larger use of mobile phones in recent years, people would rather get up and email then go and print out tickets. The ability to purchase tickets online results in fewer cars waiting in the village to buy tickets on the day, relieving traffic congestion. In 2019 also, Alton Towers worked with Coca-Cola to test the use of autonomous robots to distribute drinks to their guests. The only downfall to the growth in technology however, over the years, fewer jobs will be required as everything will be replaced with high tech computers or robots. This can include people on the entry gates. It will adversely effect the local workforce in the surrounding region.

https://notlost.com/the-secret-to-enhancing-customer-experience-at-your-visitor-attraction-this-halloween/

215310_13 — 2024-03-12 14:16:14 UTC

215310_13 — 2024-03-12 14:17:04 UTC

215310_13 — 2024-03-12 14:18:00 UTC