ILC’s Chief Executive, David Sinclair, reflects on the ways that the theme park sector in the UK needs to learn from elsewhere and to up its game as our population ages.

I’ve always liked theme parks. I got married in Las Vegas – which is, in many ways, a glorified adult theme park. Yes, they’re entirely artificial environments, but they tend to be clean, well-managed, and safe.

I used to be drawn to rollercoasters, but these days it’s something else that attracts me. The storytelling at Disney is world-class. Universal makes you feel as though you’ve stepped inside a Harry Potter novel. Super Mario World in Japan is breath-taking in its attention to detail.

The global theme park sector is booming, particularly across the Asia-Pacific region. But here in the UK, it’s been a different story since Covid. Blackpool Pleasure Beach posted a £2.7 million loss in 2024, while several smaller parks have folded in recent years – most notably, Oakwood in Wales. Meanwhile, Merlin’s flagship parks – Legoland, Thorpe Park and Alton Towers – have attracted a growing number of complaints about overcrowding and poor value.

Which makes Universal’s announcement that it intends to open a major new park near Luton all the more surprising.

A friend of my wife’s, who works for one of the large park operators, has long argued that the UK simply doesn’t have a big enough travel-accessible population to sustain a major international theme park. And to be fair, I’m not in the business – but it’s clear that launching a project of this scale in the UK is a big bet. Just look at the London Resort: first proposed in 2012, the company racked up £55 million in losses before even applying for planning permission, eventually becoming mired in disputes with Paramount over theming and major delays in the planning process.

Still, Universal UK could, over time, help to drive both domestic and inbound tourism. Globally, Universal parks attract around 60 million visitors each year. This will be a very different offering to most of the UK’s existing parks – and a much more expensive one. At today’s prices, tickets are likely to cost between £80 and £120 per day. Once food, transport, parking and merchandise are added, a family day out could easily run to £500–£1,000 – not unlike Disney parks in the US.

Universal will need to get the proposition right – and be clear about what this looks like in an ageing society. Adults over 50 hold over three-quarters of the UK’s wealth and control a growing share of discretionary spending. They also represent a crucial opportunity to fill theme parks outside school holidays, helping the sector to smooth out seasonal peaks and troughs.

So, what should Universal – and the UK’s legacy parks – be thinking about?

1) Learn from the best

The most obvious ideas are often the ones that get missed. But some parks are doing this well.

Europa Park in Germany has a Michelin-starred restaurant alongside high-quality fast food. It offers grandparent discounts, clean toilets, generous seating, excellent transport links and trees for shade. Efteling and Disney understand the power of nostalgia and design for cross-generational audiences. Lego has pioneered multigenerational play for decades. In the UK, Chessington and Paultons Park grasp the importance of designing with the whole family in mind.

Many in the industry are beginning to realise that the future isn’t necessarily faster, taller rollercoasters. A few years ago, I spoke with a director from one of the world’s largest ride manufacturers. He told me the future was about immersion and storytelling – and indeed, it’s now common for parks to spend more on theming than on the rides themselves.

2) Rethink the workforce – and don’t just rely on teenagers

One area where demographics are already biting is the workforce. Recruitment is difficult, and the sector hasn’t done nearly enough to consider the role of older workers – even though customer service is one of the most pressing areas of labour shortage.

Older workers represent an untapped opportunity. The ONS Skills Supply Estimates (2012–2023) show that more people aged 50–64 (188,000) than those aged 16–29 (150,000) have the relevant skills to work in the sector. The ONS doesn’t report on over-64s, but it’s safe to assume those numbers would not be insignificant either.

3) Design for accessibility and usability

A new park gives Universal the chance to design inclusively from day one – not simply to meet disability standards, but to make the experience truly age-neutral.

That means thinking well beyond step-free access. For example, if tickets are only available via a smartphone app, then the user experience must be intuitive and inclusive. Accessibility isn’t an add-on – it must be a design principle.

There’s a good chance Universal will understand these messages. These are companies that have mastered storytelling and experience design. But they must avoid relying solely on AI tools to understand the ageing consumer. A few quick prompts reveal how easily ageist and patronising tropes can creep in – a sign that much of the sector still doesn’t know how to speak to this market.

The UK has an ambitious goal of increasing inbound tourism to 50 million by 2030. The leisure and attractions sector has a key role to play – not only in bringing in international visitors, but in offering richer experiences for older domestic tourists as well. Universal won’t open before 2030, but it could be a catalyst for serious growth – and a wake-up call to a UK industry that needs to grow up, fast.

To learn more, get involved, or explore partnership opportunities­­, please contact David Sinclair here.