Theme park fans should plan visits for rainy days because of one simple reason, says Gulliver’s boss

Damp weather and the cost of living crisis have had an impact on theme park visitor numbers

The school summer holidays in the UK are a ‘make or break season’ for the theme park industry (Getty Images)

Although theme parks take a trading hit on wet days in the UK, a top industry boss claimed that visitors would actually have a better day at them while it is pouring down with rain.

Many Brits will choose to plan a day out at a theme park when it will be bright and clear, but Julie Dalton, managing director of Gulliver’s Theme Parks and Resorts, says the parks are better when it is raining as there are fewer crowds and shorter queues on popular rides.

Gulliver’s has four resorts in the UK – based in Cheshire, Milton Keynes, Derby and South Yorkshire – but the strong winds and downpours last Friday and Saturday over the bank holiday weekend dampened the number of visitors to all parks.

“We haven’t had a great weekend just because the weather hasn’t been with us,” Dalton told BBC Radio 4’s Today Show.

“You know, our southern theme parks have been better than our northern ones because the weather has been better. But the weather forecast and the weather have not helped us this weekend.”

While the wet weather did not deliver the numbers Gulliver’s wanted, Dalton said that from a visitor’s perspective, parks can be more fun when rain has driven the crowds away.

“From a visitor experience point of view, you get a much better day if, on your little iPhone, you’ve got the little rain symbol,” she said.

“Actually, the parks tend to be quieter, so the visitor experience is much, much better on a wet day.”

Dalton said that visitor turnover has been a “challenge this year from start to finish”, despite the fact that the summer has not been too terrible in terms of the weather.

“We’ve not had that many wet days over the kids’ holidays. But you know, it is just one of our periods that do make or break a season,” she said.

Dalton explained that the six-week school summer holiday is a critical period for the parks, as they usually account for around a third of Gulliver’s annual turnover.

It is not just the weather that impacts the number of visitors theme parks receive. Dalton explained that UK inflation and the cost of living crisis mean they have had to work harder to ensure the theme park experience is even better value, with measures such as including food in some of their overnight stay packages.

“We do see the number of people that are bringing their picnics this year has increased on last year, which always, for us, is a sign that actually pennies might be a little bit tighter at home,” she told the radio programme.

Despite these challenges, Dalton said that Gulliver’s continues to push forward, creating new initiatives to try to welcome more visitors outside the crucial summer holiday period.

She said: “We are into that booking of our Christmas season, our fireworks season, all of which we invest in heavily, because it does just take that emphasis off that whole six week process.”

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