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October is the new summer for these major UK tourist attractions
Halloween thrill-seekers are transforming October into a peak month for theme parks, with Merlin Entertainments revealing the period now rivals August for profitability.
The owner of major attractions including Thorpe Park and Alton Towers states October now accounts for approximately a fifth of its yearly profit.
Fiona Eastwood, Merlin’s boss, emphasised the growing importance of the autumn season, stating October is “as significant” as the peak summer season for the attractions giant, which also operates Chessington World of Adventures and Legoland Windsor.
At Thorpe Park in Surrey, renowned for its Fright Nights since 2002, October now generates nearly half (46 per cent) of its annual profit.
The park even saw October visitor numbers surpass August in 2024, welcoming a third more guests than in the traditional summer peak.
Last year, October contributed almost a fifth of annual visitor numbers and nearly a quarter (23 per cent) of revenues at the attraction.
Similarly, Alton Towers in Staffordshire benefits significantly from its Scarefest programme. October now contributes 27 per cent of its annual earnings and 16 per cent of total revenue.
The park anticipates welcoming more than 440,000 visitors throughout this month alone.
Ms Eastwood said: “From the launch of Fright Nights at Thorpe Park in 2002 with just two scare mazes, to now delivering Halloween experiences right across our estate, we’ve transformed this occasion into a defining moment in our trading calendar.
“We’ve turned Halloween into a focal point that captures the imagination across generations and is now as significant as the peak summer season, and in some cases even more so.”
Outside of the UK, the firm’s Heide Park Resort in Germany saw the highest share of Halloween across Merlin’s European estate last year.
It comes as Halloween becomes a key event in the calendar for Britons, with the UK rapidly catching up with the grand-scale celebrations seen in America each year.
Merlin said its rides in the dark remain among the most popular attractions, with guests citing night-time experiences as a key reason for visiting its theme parks over the Halloween season.
But Ms Eastwood said its immersive experiences are also drawing in visitors.
UK attractions such as Alton Towers and Thorpe Park are expanding their Halloween programmes this year to offer more immersive, age-inclusive experiences which aim to “blend excitement with seasonal storytelling”.
Halloween experiences for this year include a new maze at Thorpe Park and two new attractions at Alton Towers – Trick O’ Treat Town and Amigos of the Afterlife.
While hackers used to sneak into computer systems, intimidation of staff is now more common.
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Olga Kefalogianni says the Greek government doesn’t want visitors to be “burdened” by biometric checks.
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Noel Tata part of 3-1 vote against Srinivasan, Singh at Tata edu trust – The Times of India
MUMBAI: Noel Tata has voted against the reappointment of Venu Srinivasan and Vijay Singh as trustees of Tata Education and Development Trust (TEDT), the largest corpus trust within Tata Trusts, in a move that widens fault lines within one of India’s most powerful philanthropic structures. It marks the first time Noel has made his opposition to the duo unequivocal.The vote, the last of four cast on the matter, added to a verdict that had already been sealed when Mehli Mistry became the first to oppose the duo’s extension, shortly after the trusteeship renewal circular was issued.Under TEDT’s governance rules, reappointments require unanimous consent among trustees – a threshold that had already been foreclosed by Mehli’s vote. Jehangir Mistry subsequently voted against both men as well. Srinivasan and Singh had each voted for the other. The tally stood at 3-1 against each of them.
Noel’s vote signals widening of Tata Trusts rift since ’25
Their tenures in an influential Tata trust that supports projects in India and abroad, formally expired on Sunday, May 10. Noel Tata voting against Srinivasan and Singh significantly curtails influence of both men within wider Tata Trusts ecosystem, even as they remain vice-chairmen of the Sir Dorabji Tata Trust (SDTT) and Sir Ratan Tata Trust (SRTT) — the two apex trusts that together hold controlling stake in Tata Sons.The rift between Noel and the duo deepened after Srinivasan and Singh publicly backed a listing of Tata Sons, a move Noel opposed. In an email to Tata Trusts CEO, Mehli said “My affidavit in response to the board composition change report for SDTT explains the reasons why I chose to take such a decision.” According to the affidavit, Noel, Srinivasan and Singh had wrongly voted against him at SDTT. He also said that Srinivasan had taken part in the vote even though his term had already ended at SDTT. TEDT, with a corpus of Rs 5,600 crore, has been among the most prominent Indian donors to Ivy League institutions, including Harvard Business School and Cornell University, and owns and operates two cancer hospitals in India while supporting 17 others through grants.Following the board changes, Noel remains chairman and perpetual trustee of TEDT. Mehli continues in his role as perpetual trustee, while Jehangir holds a fixed-term trusteeship. With Srinivasan and Singh’s departure, TEDT now sits at the minimum threshold of three trustees permitted under its deed. An email sent to Noel did not elicit a response. The vote is the latest and most visible expression of a fracture within Tata Trusts that has been widening since late 2025. Established by former Tata Trusts chairman Ratan Tata in 2008, TEDT is perhaps the only trust within Tata Trusts that can support social projects in India and abroad.
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