Three UK seaside towns set for £150m Butlin's boost with eyes on 'fourth site'
A trio of seaside resorts are slated for a huge tourism boost thanks to an ambitious £150 million investment. It's no secret that the UK's coastline suffered a huge fall from grace in the late 1950s - when packaged holidays to sunny hotspots like Spain started to become more affordable.
The Benidorm-boom resulted in swathes of holiday resorts closing their doors, and saw once-vibrant seaside towns slip into disarray. However, Billy Butlin's holiday camps have stood the test of time, attracting around 1.5 million guests per year across their three resorts.
Renowned for its huge swimming pools, stellar entertainment, and iconic Red Coat staff - Butlin's has now got its eye on a potential fourth site.
READ MORE: UK's 'worst' seaside town's £60m tourism plan after Butlin's snub 41 years ago
In a statement sent to the Mirror, a Butlin's spokesperson said: "With Butlin's turning 90 next year, we are immensely proud of the role we've played in so many seaside towns around the country, entertaining generations of guests. Our priority today is investing in our existing three resorts."
Over the next five years, the holiday resort is investing a staggering £150 million into its Bognor Regis, Skegness and Minehead sites. This huge boost will focus on 'upgrading our accommodation and opening state of the art facilities'.
Just last month, Butlin's unveiled a £1.8million upgrade to its Bognor Regis site as it opened its biggest ever indoor Soft Play centre and Puppet Theatre. The four storey, 3,000 square feet Soft Play centre - which is included in the price of a family break and day passes - doubles its capacity of the previous Soft Pay.
Able to hold around 200 children, the Soft Play area features slides, climbing challenges, cargo nets, log ramps, and even a multi-sensory area for babies. The brand-new Puppet Theatre will entertain guests with shows including Under The Sea, Jingle in the Jungle and Christmouse.
It follows the £15 million that was invested last year to open up Butlin's PLAYEXPERIENCE in Bognor Regis. The indoor activity centre, which opened on October 7, 2024, spans across two floors and offers a slew of entertainment including TechPutt, Escape Rooms, VR-cade, Glow Pong, Shuffleboard, Laser Tag, Batting Cage, Neo Games and Digi Darts, as well as a new café and bar.
As previously reported, Butlin's also allocated £23 million last year to spruce up guest rooms and upgrade children's play facilities over at its Minehead site. This follows severe flood damage back in September 2023 which meant 400 units of accommodation needed a total makeover.
£2.5 million of the investment was used to open Minehead's SKYPARK, which boasts the UK's longest swingline at 42 metres, as well as a wheelchair-friendly seesaw and two light-up intertwining slides. Over in Skegness, upgrades include four new fairground rides, a new SKYPARK, and the decision to make Studio 37 - a high-tech entertainment venue - a permanent feature.
In 2013, Butlin's also unveiled a £12 million accommodation project to open 128 premium lodges in Skegness. The luxury lodges each have three bedrooms including a main bedroom with king sized bed and en-suite shower room, two twin rooms, a fully equipped kitchen with full sized fridge freezer, microwave and hob, private decking with outdoor furniture and parking space for two cars directly outside the accommodation.
If you currently live too far from all three Butlin's sites in the UK - don't worry, as a fourth site could soon be in the works. "We've identified the North West of England where we don't have a resort as the near-term opportunity for our continued growth," the spokesperson added.
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Daily Mirror
13 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
'I went to Butlin's to see if its new £15million playground lives up to the hype'
Butlin's Bognor Regis resort has received a major upgrade with a new £15million playground that's open to the public - one writer went to see if it lived up to the hype Given the ridiculously variable nature of the British weather, it is little wonder that UK holiday resorts are investing massively in their indoor facilities. Butlin's is no exception with its Bognor Regis site welcoming a new £15million activity centre, Playxperience, which is open for the first time to holidaymakers this year. Playxperience is home to nine different activities that can be enjoyed by all the family. Whether it is trying to work your way out of one of the three escape rooms, becoming the next Luke Littler on Digi Darts, testing your reactions on the brilliant batting cage, this building boasts the very latest in interactive and immersive technology. For teenagers, it is a gamers' paradise. 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Dining packages start at £24.95 per adult, per day, £14.95 per child (six-14), per day and £6.80 per child (two-five).
Scottish Sun
2 days ago
- Scottish Sun
I've found an incredible cheap UK holiday park that brings the best bits of Center Parcs, Butlin's and Haven to ONE site
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) IF you want the style of Center Parcs, the buzz of Butlin's and the hype of Haven, I've found one holiday park that has it all and it won;t cost a fortune. When one child loves spending hours in the pool, another enjoys a boogie on the dance floor and the third wants to swing through the trees on the high ropes, it's hard to know which holiday park is best for your family break - but I've got you covered. 7 I took my three sons for a holiday at a Haven park in North Wales Credit: Catherine Lofthouse 7 There's a climbing wall and plenty of other activities too Credit: Haven My family and I recently took a trip to Haven's Hafan y Mor park near Pwllheli in North Wales. We loved it so much I had booked to return next summer before we'd even made it home. The park is set on a little slice of the British coastline that's like stepping back in time to the holidays of your childhood. 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Scottish Sun
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Inside transformation of abandoned £25m Scots Butlin's resort into family favourite modern holiday park
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