Adventure Island in Southend has come under criticism by visitors since increasing the price of its annual pass tickets this year. The move, however, has garnered a lot of criticism from locals who have said the price hike was too expensive, even though tickets are still cheaper than they were before the pandemic.
Adventure Island posted on Facebook on New Year’s Day (January 1): “There’s no better way than with an Adventure Island Annual Pass! For £80 you can enjoy 12 months of unlimited access to all our thrilling rides and family-friendly attractions.” This received a lot of backlash by locals and visitors, as the price of an annual pass has increased by £20 since 2024.
Visitors commented on the post, stating that they “won’t be bothering” to buy a year’s pass this year due to the price increase. Others said that the park is not worth the money, as it is also closed for part of the year.
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The price of an annual pass was £50 in 2023, £60 in 2024 and now £80 – meaning that the price has almost doubled in the past two years. However, before the pandemic in 2020, annual passes cost £100, so the park is still cheaper to visit today than five years ago.
Bosses have defended the price increase, stating that Adventure Island was named the best value theme park in the UK last year. They also said that the price increase this year was “forced upon them”.
Philip Miller MBE, executive chairman at the Stockvale Group of Companies, responded to the criticism: “Since Covid, we have consistently put prices down understanding folks are short of money caused by lockdowns, the energy nightmare, followed by the cost of living crisis and to top it off mortgage increases.
“However, we are still actually cheaper for our annual passes now than pre-Covid! To prove the point we were assessed last year as the best value theme park in the UK.
“Regrettably, the price increase has been forced upon us by the chancellor, with her very below-the-belt attack on business. I wonder what her game is?”
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