THE VISION THING
What would you suppose was the most popular tourist attraction last year ? Paignton Zoo? The British Museum? The Tower of London? No, with nearly 6 million visitors, it was nothing more exotic than Blackpool Pleasure Beach, a state of the art permanent fairground.
If each of those visitors spent only £10, that adds up to £60 million extra revenue for the local economy, and sorely needed employment opportunities.
I know Torbay is sniffy about Blackpool and its image, but can we afford to continue to cut off our nose to spite our face? Money is money, jobs are jobs, and we are supposed to be in the business of attracting visitors.
Torbay needs a public face, someone with 'The VisionThing' who would work either to diversify the local economy, (which may not suit hoteliers) or to maximise the tourist industry by seeking to provide improved and major new tourist attractions.
If we are not to industrialise, we need
a. A signature attraction like the London Eye, or Blackpool Tower
b. A permanent fairground away from residential areas, but with easy access.
c. Something to draw crowds away from binge drinking areas at night.
Lack of imagination and vision caused us to lose out from the Millennium Fund, and probably also European Objective 2 funding. Imagine if we had someone of foresight and ability who had pushed to have the Millennium Dome sited on the Torbay Ring Road. Its 7 million visitors might not have impressed London, but by heck, they would have impressed local bank managers, hotels, and restaurants
