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A £39m plan has been unveiled to save one of the UK's top tourist attractions. Blackpool Council has signed up global visitor attractions operator Merlin Entertainments to manage the operations and redevelopment of the Blackpool Tower complex and Louis Tussauds Waxworks. The council has bought the iconic tower, Winter Gardens, the Golden Mile Centre and Louis Tussauds buildings using £10m of its own funds plus government and EU cash. The deal should create 1,000 deperately-needed jobs and generate £223m for the hard-hit local economy of the seaside attraction which has recently been in decline. Blackpool had hoped to drive regeneration by winning a super-casino licence but lost out to Manchester, and any hopes of a reversal were dashed when Gordon Brown scrapped the scheme. But, bringing in the company behind hit-attractions such as the Alton Towers park, Thorpe Park, Legoland and the London Eye should be the key to a revival of the Victorian town. Announcing details of the package, council leader, Peter Callow, said: ‘This is a fantastic deal for Blackpool, securing long-term investment in the resort, and is the culmination of months of negotiations. ‘The council is ambitious for Blackpool, and Merlin is the right choice. Merlin is a global company, and the biggest entertainment name in the UK and Europe, and it will be bringing some of the most iconic attractions in the world to Blackpool.' The council pledged to create ‘an exciting, world-class leisure destination' and has brought in the firm to develop both attractions and brands to boost visitor numbers by 800,000. Merlin Entertainments' chief executive, Nick Varney, said: ‘This is an innovative and ground-breaking initiative by Blackpool Council, and a measure of just how seriously it takes the future regeneration of the town.'

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BUSINESS

Resort is counting on Merlin's magic

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