TALKING POINT
Alice Davis, managing editor, Attractions Management
What can be learned from the Alton Towers accident?
The recent accident on the Smiler ride at Alton Towers theme park put the industry under scrutiny – but we can all learn from the way Merlin handled the situation
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ccidents at theme parks don’t happen very often. Where the attractions industry is well established, safety standards are incredibly high on both the manufacturing and operational
sides of the business. Operators put the safety of their guests above and beyond anything else – we know this because accidents are so rare. According to IAAPA, the likelihood of being seriously injured on a theme park ride in the US is 1 in 24 million. In the UK, only one person has died on a modern-style steel rollercoaster, and that was in 2004. Almost all accidents, injuries and fatalities at theme parks are related to falls or pre-existing or unknown health conditions in the rider, not to the rides or ride safety.
The way the media portrays the event and the aftermath can potentially have a marked effect on the business
Therefore, when an incident occurs – as it did at the UK’s Alton Towers theme park on 2 June, when a train with 16 passengers crashed into a stationary car on the Smiler rollercoaster, causing serious injuries – both the public and the industry suffer a terrible shock. Sympathy for the victims was immediate and widespread, and Merlin Entertainments CEO Nick Varney did not hesitate to express deep regret, to apologise and to accept full responsibility. The repercussions couldn’t have been predicted, but are clearly being felt by Merlin, both financially and in spirit at the park and within the company.
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In a trading statement, the company said it had revised its earning expectations for the theme parks division. It forecasted pre-tax earnings for 2015 to be in the range of £40m to £50m ($62m to $78m, €57m to €71m), as little as half the amount the division reported in 2014, which was £87m ($136m, €123m). “The serious accident at Alton Towers on 2 June has had an adverse impact on trading at the start of the critical summer period,” said a company statement. “The accident resulted in the temporary closure of the park, the suspension of UK theme park marketing and temporary ride closures at two of our other UK theme parks. The combination of these factors has significantly reduced [visitor] volumes at Alton Towers Resort and, to a lesser extent, the UK Resort Theme Parks estate ... Action is being taken to rebuild momentum and re-engage with our customers.” The Merlin statement indicated that the theme park division’s profitability could also be affected into 2016.
Though it’s widely perceived that Varney and the mangement of Alton Towers responded efficiently and with honesty, and genuine compassion and regret, some elements of the media fanned the flames of the story – misrepresenting the facts, losing perspective and acting without sensitivity. This might be a typical of some British
media, and the coverage may have been less sensationalised had the incident occurred in another country. However, it’s clear the way the media portrayed the event and the aftermath has had a marked effect on the business. Varney said that the accident should not
have happened – and it shouldn’t have. However, we have to accept that accidents do occasionally happen, in all industries, not theme parks alone. The constructive response for all must be
to learn what we can from incidents such as this, and to work together to rebuild confidence in the industry. We asked our experts what lessons there are to be learned and shared.
AM 3 2015 ©CYBERTREK 2015
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