Colourful rides, sea views and a bustling atmosphere – piers are often the heart of a seaside town.
Now, access to Bournemouth’s characterful pier will remain free until at least the end of October 2029.
In a bid to increase tourism and visitor numbers to the area, Adventure Attractions – which operates the rides and attractions on the pier – has invested £700,000 alongside the local council.
The money reportedly to replace the loss of income from the lost entry fees.
Last year, the charge was initially temporarily suspended but this has now been extended until the end of Adventure Attractions’ term which is over in around three years, the BBC reports.
Sarah Hunter, managing director of Adventure Attractions, emphasised how the decision was based around accessibility to the pier.
She told the news outlet: ‘Increasing accessibility to the pier has always been our ambition, and the response over the past year has been incredibly positive.
‘Continuing the toll suspension allows us to build on that momentum and ensure the pier remains a place everyone can enjoy, all year round.’
Bournemouth’s characterful pier will remain free to enter until at least the end of October 2029
In a bid to increase tourism and visitor numbers to the area, Adventure Attractions – which operates the rides and attractions on the pier – has invested £700,000 alongside the local council
Amanda Barrie, director of commercial operations at Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council echoed this and added how keeping the pier ‘open and accessible benefits both residents and visitors’.
Earlier this month, the Prince of Wales, 43, visited the pier during a trip to Bournemouth.
He posed for selfies and enjoyed a sunny stroll along the attraction.
William made the trip to Dorset to hear about initiatives against homelessness in the area, as part of his work with Homewards.
The organisation aims to make rough sleeping, sofa surfing and other forms of temporary accommodation a ‘rare, brief and unrepeated’ issue.
Basking in the spring weather, the royal wore a black suit and tie as he walked around the seaside town, passing a Ferris wheel and helter-skelter to talk to wellwishers.
Fans crowded around, and the father of three took photos and chatted with supporters.
Meanwhile, Brighton’s Palace Pier went up for sale in January after months of speculation over its future.
Brighton’s Palace Pier went up for sale in January after months of speculation over its future
It had been struggling with declining visitor numbers and a controversial entry fee it introduced to bolster falling profits.
The seaside attraction, which opened in 1899, has been owned by Pizza Express entrepreneur Luke Johnson’s Brighton Pier Group for the last decade after it bought the jetty for £18million.
Home to food stalls, 19 amusement rides and two sprawling, noisy arcades boasting more than 300 machines, it welcomes around four million visitors a year, according to official figures from VisitEngland.
But after 10 years of difficult trade, compounded by wage and national insurance hikes and a reduction in relief from Rachel Reeves’ first brutal Budget, Mr Johnson’s firm decided to throw in the towel.
The Grade II* listed pier’s value was written down from £17.3m to £13.7m amid poor trading in 2024, blamed on bad weather in the summer.
Managers have sought to offset the drop in visitors, falling revenues and the £1million-plus annual cost of maintaining the 126-year-old Victorian attraction with a summertime admission fee for non-residents.
Introduced at £1, since raised to £2 for adults, £1 for children, or £5 for a family of six, and raised £0.7million in 2024 – to the chagrin of visitors.
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