Darren B said:
Everyone seems to be missing the vital point as to why Thorpe Park isn't faring too well in their quest to become a thrill park - Since 2006 they haven't built a decent coaster. That's the problem.
It wasn't that the park was failing to be a thrill park, it's that the park was just not bringing the returns Merlin wanted/expected (I would say that it failing is too strong a term)... This is of course as a result that those guests who visit a thrill orientated park tend to not have the disposable income that comes readily to families, who will happily fork over that month's wage packet for Timmy's new Mickey plush...
I liken it to when Magic Mountain suddenly (after Six Flags were losing money hand over fist) went into the family market in a desperate attempt to get the money flooding in, even though it had alienated that audience for years and was also against one of the biggest competitors in the family park market in Disney...
Unfortunately for Thorpe, the teen/thrill market that they ended up being pointed into did not bring the overheads wanted by the big-wigs at Merlin HQ... Hence why they blamed Swarm for the park's poor performance in 2012... Hence the sudden rebrand (a positive, the old branding was ****), and the urge to get the family market in through Angry Birds Land...
This apparently hasn't seemingly worked for them though, so it's back to the drawing board and apparently a bigger IP is what's required; rather than say, tarting up the park, making it presentable AND enjoyable for anyone not buying a Fastrack, investing it filler attractions beyond spinning or roller coasters and really taking a long hard think as to why the park isn't being the juggernaught they want it to be, etc, etc, etc...