Bewildwerwood,  has won a worldwide award from the Themed Entertainment Association (TEA). They have been awarded the Best Attraction under US$5m budget. The awards are only given to attractions who have achieved excellence.

Cadbury’s World, in Birmingham, has opened a new advertising themed zone called ‘Advertising Avenue’. The zone will allow visitors to walk through life sized street displays of Cadbury’s adverts from years gone by. The street has been made to look and feel like chocolate and the architecture begins in the style of the 1830’s and becomes more modern as visitors walk along. There are also interactive exhibits for visitors to take part in.

Merlin Entertainments has revealed a 4D cinema as part of the second stage of the £17.5m scheme to upgrade the London Eye over the next three years. A new £5m cinema will be established at London’s South Bank attraction. The pre-flight cinematic experience aims to provide visitors with the chance to view aerial footage of the London Eye. It will be combined with 3D and 4D effects, such as wind, snow and smell.

In addition to the 4D Cinema, the ticket hall and information area have been upgraded along with the revamp of the capsules.   The London Eye will now be known as the Merlin Entertainments London eye as part of efforts to create a new brand identity.

Winnal Moors Nature Reserve, Winchester, has reopened following a £1.3m redevelopment. Work on the site includes resurfacing of all paths and boardwalks to offer easier access for all visitors, signs and benches. A large amount of the project has relied upon volunteers.

Work on a new £35m museum at the site of the Mary Rose warship is to begin this autumn after the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) approved funding for the scheme.  A £21m grant has been awarded to the Mary Rose Trust to help fund the construction of the permanent museum housing artefacts from the vessel. The new facility will house the Mary Rose within a structure resembling a black, wooden jewellery box.

Merlin Entertainment has announced plans to attract more multi-night stays at Alton Towers. They have just produced their Long Term Development Plan f and plans include expanding the park over the next 10 years by adding a number of new attractions each year  to encourage guests to stay longer. There is also the possibility of adding a third hotel. The opening hours are also to be lengthened as part of the effort to spread visitor volume over a longer period.

Conkers, the visitor attraction operated by our sister company, Planning Solutions Limited was mentioned in today’s Development and Regeneration supplement in the Daily Telegraph!

The Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew has commissioned a masterplan to outline the site’s long-term future and to create the first analysis and design for Kew since the 1840s.  The project has the aim of improving the experience for visitors and providing a direction for the gardens to evolve over the next 25 years.  10 potential proposals for development are currently being assessed, with a possible new river approach to Kew Gardens with an adjacent dock as well as the relandscaping of the Kew’s river border.

Marwell Zoo Park has opened its new African Valley zone.  The 20 acre African Valley will have more than 35 Ellipsen waterbucks, Grevy’s zebras and ostriches. There is also a new restaurant, Café Graze, which overlooks the Valley and provides views of the animals.

The Cutty Sark, which was devastated by fire in May 2007, is set to open next summer.  The ship was undergoing a restoration project at the time of the fire, which has now added £10m to the project’s original cost of £25m.  The project will see the ship raised 3 meters above its current position and suspended so that visitors can walk underneath to see the ship’s hull.  There will also be a glass canopy meeting the ship at the waterline and covering the dry dosck with 1,000sq m space for events.

Saltholme Wild Bird Discovery Centre, near Middlesbrough, has attracted more than 30,000 visitors since opening in January, and is on target to attract 100,000 by the end of the year.   The 1,000 acre reserve was developed by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) and the Teesside Environmental Trust. It has created around 20 jobs and will give a £1m boost to the local economy.

Dreamworld and Whitewater World, Australia, have launched a new educational programme to help raise awareness of healthy habits among school children. The Half-day Dreamkids – Healthy Habit Attack! Programme encourages school children to analyse 3 key areas of health, including fitness, sun safety and healthy food habits.

Weymouth Sea Life Park has opened a new £1m log flume ride, which will pass through the crocodile enclosure.

North Somerset Council has approved plans for two new attractions in Weston-super-Mare, which will contribute to the transformation of the seafront. Plans for the redevelopment of the 104 year old Grand Pier, which was severely damaged by fire last year, and a new 40m observation wheel were given the green light.

A new three-storey pavilion will be built on the seaward end of the Grand Pier, with a family entertainment centre that will accommodate function, concerts and other events.

The project also includes a 91m high observation tower with moveable viewing deck, indoor fairground rides, shops, restaurants and a central shelter along the length of the pier.
The observation wheel will be situated on the beach lawns and will feature 30 observation pods, capable of accommodating eight people each.

The Dreamland Trust it to reveal plans to create the world’s first heritage amusement park in Margate, Kent. It will be created on the site of the former Dreamland Amusement Park.   The proposed £12m attraction will be built around the Grade 2 listed scenic railway, one of the oldest rollercoasters in Britain. Plans were first unveiled in 2007 by the trust, which will include some of the last surviving examples of well-known rides.

The trust has won a DCMS ‘Sea Change’ grant, along with additional funding from Dreamland’s owners – Margate Town Centre Regeneration Company – and the Margate Renewal Partnership.

Southampton’s oldest museum has been awarded a £3.5m grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund, to carry out restoration work that will safeguard its future.

Tudor House dates back to the 15th century and will undergoa refurbishment programme that will enable the Grade 1 listed building and scheduled Ancient Monument to be removed from the ‘Heritage at Risk Register’.

It has been closed since 2002 to allow the first stage of a restoration scheme to take place, including structural stabilisation.

The second phase of work is led by Southampton City Council and includes repair and restoration of the Tudor House Museum and Tudor Merchants Hall, as well as the creation of new visitor facilities, such as toilets, café and a shop. The Tudor Merchants Hall is to become an education base.

Five National Trust for Scotland properties are set to close to the public as part of cost-cutting measures. A further 6 loss-making visited properties will also be affected by the proposed changes in 2009-10, which could result in closure or partial closure unless alternative funding sources are secured.

The Hill of Taryit Mansion House, Leith Hall House, Arduaine Garden, Inveresk Garden and  Mountain Visitor Centre are all set to close.

Proposals to build a £35m museum at the site of the 16th century Mary Rose warship in Portsmouth’s Historic Dockyard have been approved by the city council.  The permanent museum will house the ship where almost 70% of the artefacts recovered from the Tudor warship when it was raised from the Solent in 1982 will be on show, instead of the 6% currently on display in a nearby temporary exhibition.

A £1million Concorde Visitor Centre is to open at Manchester Airport’s Aviation Viewing Park.  The now-grounded Concorde G-BOAC is the central attraction at the Park, which attracts 250,000 visitors a year. The development will also include a corporate hospitality suite, an education centre, an aviation exhibition and a restaurant.

Figures released by the Association of Leading Visitor Attractions (ALVA) has highlighted that many of Britain’s top attractions have seen an increase in visitor numbers in 2008.

Statistics revealed an overall growing trend in the number of people visiting museums, heritage sites and leisure parks across the country. Liverpool’s status as European Capital of Culture is having a significant impact on the city’s attractions. According to ALVA, visitor numbers to Merseyside Maritime Museum and Tate Liverpool increased by nearly 70% in 2008, compared to 2007.

The British Museum, in London, attracted more than 5.9million visitors, a 10% increase on 2007, with the National Maritime Museum, the National Portrait Gallery and Westminster Abbey all observing substantial growth.

More than 60% of ALVA’s members said they are expecting to either maintain or increase visitor numbers in 2009, as more UK tourists look to remain at home.