One of the UK’s favourite piers will double its entry fee to £2 this weekend, but bosses have warned it could still face a “very difficult future” unless more is done to boost local tourism. The hike in admission costs for Brighton Pier was linked to maintenance, repair and operational costs when it was announced earlier this year. But Anne Ackord, CEO of the group behind the award-winning attraction, has suggested that more needs to be done to “recognise” the importance of tourism in the seaside city and urged local stakeholders not to “simply assume” that visitors will come.
The 126-year-old structure was named Pier of the Year in 1998 and was the most-visited tourist attraction in Britain outside of London in 2017. But its future could be in doubt, thanks to the “millions” of pounds a year it needs to stay and up running. “There is a lack of recognition in this city about how important tourism is, and we risk having a difficult future unless [we] all get together to take incisive action,” Ms Ackord told the BBC. “We all need to attract people here and not assume they’ll just come.”
She pinned the hiked cost of the pier’s entry fee – which was introduced at an initial cost of £1 in May 2024 – on “a very difficult trading situation over the last few years, wherein costs have risen overall by about 50%”.
Local councillor Birgit Miller admitted that there had been “a real lack of focus historically” on the town’s tourism industry, adding that it was “something [she is] trying to address”.
It comes after a number of Britain’s historic piers told the Express that the Labour Government’s Budget cuts were having a “horrific” impact on the industry, with Rachel Reeves’ National Insurance and minimum wage hike wreaking particular havoc on the pride of the country’s seaside towns and villages.
Director of Skegness Pier in Lincolnshire, James Mellors said: “I’ve never known a year where so many people in the sector are so scared.”
“We cannot pass [these rising costs] onto our customer,” he added. “[Skegness is] not an affluent area. It’s a historical place where people have gone with their families for years. They don’t necessarily have a huge disposable income.”
Elsewhere, Clacton Pier in Essex has slashed staff numbers by around 50% to tighten its belts ahead of new Budgetary measures in April. Costs have already soared by around £300,000, and rides will be shut midweek in June and next winter for the first time in four years.
Brighton Pier has had a similar story, with maintenance costs rising by over a third in the last few years and operational fees rocketing from £8.9 million to £11.6 million since 2020.
When the initial fee was brought in last year, Ms Ackord described it as a vital step in ensuring the structure’s future. “The admission [cost] will be an important contributor to ensuring that our iconic pier is with us for generations to come,” she said.
