Blackpool prepares to reopen this weekend

A string of Blackpool's tourism businesses will reopen this weekend, more than 100 days after the coronavirus pandemic forced their temporary closures.

Those set to open on Saturday, July 4 include Blackpool Pleasure Beach, part of The Blackpool Tower, the SEA LIFE Centre, Madame Tussauds, the iconic piers and amusement centres along the famous Golden Mile.

Many of the resort’s hotels, restaurants and bars will also reopen.

To ensure the safety of tourists, employees and residents, VisitBlackpool has created a Know Before You Go online platform to detail the range of measures taken to promote hygiene and safe distancing

These include reduced capacity, allocated time slots, managed queuing areas, enhanced cleaning regimes, and extensive staff training.

All of Blackpool’s tourism businesses are being encouraged to sign up to VisitEngland’s new We’re Good To Go industry standard which is aimed at giving visitors the confidence that all guidelines are being adhered to.

Cllr Gillian Campbell, cabinet member for tourism and culture at Blackpool Council, said: “It has been unimaginably difficult to ask our visitors to stay away during the lockdown.

"During that period, our tourism businesses have been busy behind the scenes preparing for the day when they would be able to reopen. That day is almost upon us and we need to give our visitors the confidence to return, knowing that our priority is their health and safety.

"The platform we have created is about giving them all the information they need to be able to plan and enjoy their visit to Blackpool before they set out. Many of our tourism businesses will be operating quite differently to the way they operated pre-pandemic, but there is a common understanding that we will do whatever it takes to give our visitors a safe and enjoyable experience."

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