Response letter from Alton Towers.

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Alton Towers

Alton

Staffordshire

ST10 4DB



Dear Student

Thank you for choosing Alton Towers as your research assignment, I am pleased to enclose our Student Information Pack herewith.


As I am sure you can appreciate, we receive thousands of student enquiries every year ranging from 'How many people visit Alton Towers?' to 'Why has Alton Towers built a second hotel?’ and I hope that some of your questions have been included and that the given answers will be of help to your project.


However, if the information you have asked for is not included, it is because that particular material is either confidential or not available for public consumption.


GNVQ Key stage 3 & 4 Science resource packs and GNVQ Key Stage 3 & 4 Design and Technology resource packs are two additional resources on Alton Towers that are available to purchase by calling 0870 400 3090.

Yours sincerely

Russell Barnes

Divisional Director

Alton Towers

GENERAL ALTON TOWERS
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS


What is Alton Towers?

Alton Towers is a theme park resort aimed at families.  It has the UK’s most famous theme park on site, two hotels, a major conference centre, Spa and waterpark.  


Where is Alton Towers?

Alton Towers is situated in 500 acres of Staffordshire countryside approximately 50 miles north of Birmingham and 50 miles south of Manchester.  Its nearest train stations are located 15 miles away in Stoke on Trent and Stafford, and the resort is easily accessible by road.

Why is Alton Towers located where it is?

Alton Towers wasn’t built as you currently see it.  The house itself was originally a simple hunting lodge, which was added to and enlarged over many years, until it became a stately home, which was occupied by the Earls of Shrewsbury until the 1920’s.  They developed the estate primarily for pleasure, hence the extent of the gardens that surround the house itself.  Alton Towers as a leisure business started to really grow in the 1960’s.

How old is Alton Towers?

The origins of the Towers date back many hundreds of years.  However, the ruins that you now see date back primarily to the Victorian period.  Although many architects worked on the building, the most famous is Augustus Welby Pugin, who worked under the supervision of Charles Talbot, the 15th Earl of Shrewsbury.  He was largely responsible for the Chapel and the Banqueting Hall.


An excellent reference book giving a detailed history of the Towers is “Gothic Wonderland” by Father Michael Fisher (ISBN 0952 685523).

When did Alton Towers first become a theme park?

In 1924 the Talbot family sold the Alton Towers estate to a consortium of local businessmen, who opened the grounds and gardens to the public, and sold cream teas in the Banqueting Hall. With the outbreak of war in 1939, the Towers were closed and requisitioned by the army to be used as an Officer Cadet Training Unit. The estate remained under requisition until 1951 when it was finally returned to the company, at which point it was re-opened to the public.  A travelling fun-fair was part of the attraction throughout the 60’s, but in the 70’s the Towers began to develop as a theme park – the key year was 1980 when the Corkscrew rollercoaster opened.  This was the catalyst for a period of intense development and a number of iconic rides were introduced. Hotels were added to the resort in 1996 and 2003, together with a Spa, waterpark and Conference Centre.  In 1990 the Park became part of the Tussauds Group, who were later taken over by the Merlin Entertainments Group in March 2007.  Merlin is the World’s second largest visitor attraction operator, and includes all the former Tussauds brands (Chessington World of Adventures, Warwick Castle, Thorpe Park, The London Eye, Madame Tussaud's London, Amsterdam, New York, Washington, Las Vegas and Hong Kong, Heide Park Germany) plus the Dungeon brand, Lego Land brand, Sea Life centres worldwide and Gardaland in Italy.

How much does Alton Towers invest in new rides each year?

The amount Alton Towers invests every year in new rides and attractions varies, depending on the business objectives set by Merlin.  It also depends on the type of attraction of course – a new resort hotel can cost anything from £20million to £40million, depending on its scale and components.  A unique rollercoaster such as Rita - Queen of Speed costs £8million, and even a family ride such as Charlie and the Chocolate Factory can cost the same.  We regularly invest smaller amounts in general infrastructure and adding variety to our base product, as was the case in 2007, and 2008 will see a relatively moderate £6million invested in a new rethemed area.

How many people visit Alton Towers each year?

Alton Towers no longer releases its annual visitor figures as, if taken in isolation, they can give a misleading representation of business success.  However, our aim is to stabilise the number of guests at around 2.5 million per year.

 

How much profit does Alton Towers make each year?

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As Alton Towers is part of a much larger group, it cannot discuss profits or losses but, like all businesses, there are very stringent profit targets that must be met.

Does Alton Towers have a vision?

As part of The Merlin Entertainment Group, Alton Towers shares the following vision:

Merlin Entertainments Group is a leading name in location based, family entertainment. Its aim is to deliver unique, memorable and rewarding experiences to millions of visitors across its growing estate, and it achieves this objective largely thanks to the commitment and passion of its managers and employees. Merlin’s brands, while being household ...

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