Blackpool Tourism Season Launch

20 March 2018

Blackpool’s 2018 tourism season was officially launched today (Tuesday 20th March) with the unveiling of three major new visitor attractions, new events and a spectacular programme of live entertainment.

The launch event at Blackpool Pleasure Beach was attended by several hundred hoteliers and tourism-based businesses who heard that more than £100m of new investment had been made in the UK’s favourite seaside destination for the forthcoming season including:

A £16m rollercoaster, ICON, which will open at the Pleasure Beach shortly and is the UK’s first double launch rollercoaster

A newly-completed £5m elephant house at Blackpool Zoo, providing a magnificent new breeding and conservation facility for a new herd of Asian elephants

A new and interactive Marvel Comics super-heroes attraction within Madame Tussauds, opening in time for Easter

Completion of the electrification of the Preston to Blackpool railway line by the end of April, opening up direct links to the resort from throughout the UK

Completion of a new Hampton by Hilton, the first of a series of “next generation” hotels planned for the resort over the next two years

A programme of circus-themed entertainment throughout the season, celebrating Blackpool’s designation as one of Britain’s six “cities of circus”

The audience heard that in addition to major annual events such as the two-day Blackpool Air Show, World Fireworks Championship Blackpool, and the Switch-On of the world-famous Illuminations, the summer of 2018 would also include a series of live outdoor music concerts on the Tower Festival Headland with performances by the likes of Britney Spears, Kenny Rogers, and Boyz II Men, with more big names to follow.

Blackpool will once again host the UK’s only Nickelodeon SLIMEFEST shows over the October half-term, with performances already lined up by the likes of Diversity and US YouTube phenomenon, JoJo Siwa.

Cllr Gillian Campbell, Deputy Leader of Blackpool Council, said: “The 2018 season promises to be an incredibly exciting one given the sheer scale of investment that is being made in the visitor economy.

“A key part of our tourism growth strategy is to create compelling new reasons for people to come to Blackpool, not just once, but over and over again.

“Apart from the investment in new attractions and tourism infrastructure, 2018 promises to be the most spectacular season of live entertainment in living memory.”

Marketing of the destination will be led by VisitBlackpool, Merlin Entertainments and Blackpool Pleasure Beach, supported by other key partners. A £600k campaign under the Blackpool Has It All title will include a new TV advertisement as well as extensive digital and PR activity.

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