10 Dec 2018
Blackpool’s Golden Mile to be redeveloped into £300m visitor attraction
BY Luke Cloherty
A “world-class”, £300m (US$376.2m, €330,9m) visitor attraction based on Swiss author Erich Von Däniken’s Chariots Of The Gods is in the works for Blackpool, UK, marking the biggest single investment in the town’s tourism industry for over a century.
The masterplan for the redevelopment shows a number of new attractions along the coastal town’s Golden Mile promenade stretch based on the book, which explores alien encounters and unsolved mysteries of ancient civilisations.
The development, called Blackpool Central, is projected to attract 600,000 additional visitors per year into the town with a combined annual spend of £75m (US$94m, €82.7m), while creating around 1,000 new jobs, according to Blackpool Council.
A standout feature of the project is the Flying Theatre, which will be fully immersive with onboard special effects including wind, fog, water and scents, with projections and surround sound.
Other attractions include the Virtual Reality Experience – a VR space with free-roam, multi-player capability, body tracking and motion simulators; the Greatest Mysteries – an exhibition exploring extra-terrestrial influences on the great ancient civilisations; Adventure Land – an indoor family entertainment centre with hang gliding, rope courses, adventure trails and interactive climbing walls; and the Thrill & Gaming Zone – a fully-themed gaming area with thrill and family rides, arcade games, a laser tag arena, a bounce park and bumper cars.
"These new attractions are of ground-breaking international quality and their cutting-edge technology will take Blackpool’s tourism offer to another level," said the leader of Blackpool Council, Simon Blackburn.
"We already have, to my mind, the best amusement park in the UK, in the form of Blackpool Pleasure Beach. These new attractions will allow thrill-seekers to enjoy their visit even more and will attract new visitors to come and encourage existing visitors to stay longer. They will create jobs, regenerate a part of the town that is in need of love and attention and boost trade.
"This new development, alongside the other investments taking place in the town, represents a game-changer for our visitor economy. We have long stated that a key objective is to create a year-round destination that delivers year-round employment. Blackpool Central will play a major part in that ambition."
The project is the result of a collaboration between UK-based development company, Nikal, and Media Invest Entertainment, which owns the intellectual property rights to Chariots Of The Gods. It is currently expected to be built in several phases over an eight- to nine-year period, with work starting in 2020.
The 17-acre development site was once earmarked as the site of a Las Vegas-style super-casino, but those plans were permanently shelved after various setbacks.
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