Our biggest competition is screens at home, says theme park boss

The head of global theme park giant Merlin Entertainments says its "biggest competition" is people choosing to stay at home on their phones and other devices.

Fiona Eastwood says a day out at one of its UK attractions - which include Legoland, Thorpe Park and Alton Towers - was the "perfect antidote" for spiralling screen time.

In a wide-ranging BBC Big Boss Interview, the chief executive reflected on challenges in the forthcoming Budget, big brand partnerships, and how its customers were responding to cost-of-living pressures.

Eastwood also highlighted the importance of seasonal attractions to its customers - with Halloween now rivalling its summer season in driving profits at some attractions.

Having been in the job since February, Eastwood has taken over at a time when her industry is facing challenges from a dip in consumer confidence.

Her company's latest half-year update flagged concerns over a "softening of demand" in the UK theme park sector and fewer international visitors.

Last year the company's overall revenue was down slightly to just over £2bn, with an operating loss of £132m.

Despite the challenging environment, Merlin drew just shy of 63 million people to its attractions in 2024. Escapism was something people were willing to spend on, Eastood says.

"The moments to be together are increasingly precious, and what we provide is quite distinct," she says. "It's all about families coming together to play."

Talking about its UK attractions, which include Madame Tussauds, Sea Life and the London Eye, Eastwood says seasonal windows are key.

Its major theme parks have hosted Halloween events, like Scarefest at Alton Towers and Fright Nights at Thorpe Park, since 2002.

"We're a very seasonally led business," says Eastwood. "So you have spring break, Easter, summer and Halloween.

"Halloween, that we're in now, we're seeing some really strong performance. That's in view of the amazing product we have. You take Thorpe Park, increasingly Halloween is almost half of its annual profits."

Along with seasonal offerings, big brand partnerships are also a key part of Merlin Entertainments' strategy - creating rides themed around children's tv hits to tempt families away from their screens and into the parks.

Next year it will open its first Bluey ride at Alton Towers as part of CBeebies land, as well as PAW Patrol land opening at Chessington World of Adventures.

One of next year's biggest launches is a collaboration with video game Minecraft - an enduring mega hit since it was launched in 2009, spawning one of the highest grossing films of 2025.

With Eastwood citing screen time as Merlin's toughest competition, it hopes an £85m investment in immersive experiences will attract Minecraft fans with themed rides, restaurants and accommodation in the UK and US during 2026 and 2027.

"What I'm really excited about in terms of Minecraft is bringing [the game] to life in a physical way that will mean the massive fans of that game can then be in the game with their friends, their parents," says Eastwood.

Eastwood is on the board of Hospitality UK, an industry trade body which has been calling for VAT on hospitality to be cut from 20% to 12.5%.

"What we really want is a growth-led Budget," says Eastwood.

She adds that cutting VAT would put the UK on a "level-playing field" with its European neighbours - where hospitality businesses often face a rate of about 10%.

Making the case for this, Eastwood pointed to a period during Covid when VAT was cut to 12.5%.

"We saw a bump, and we saw demand, and we saw people wanting to spend," she says.

In a statement, the Treasury said the government was supporting all UK businesses and the upcoming Budget would aim to encourage growth and investment.

"We are a pro-business government that has capped corporation tax at 25%, the lowest rate in the G7, we're reforming business rates, have secured trade deals with the US, EU and India, and have seen interest rates cut five times since the election, benefiting businesses in every part of Britain."

While Eastwood has been CEO for less than a year, her time with Merlin stretches back a decade, with her joining shortly after Alton Towers Smiler rollercoaster crash in 2015.

Coming into the chief executive role, she says her focus was trying to take an "outside view" of the company - aware that she could have bias and blind spots.

She adds one of the best parts of her role is getting out to visit the sites.

"Nothing beats going to the theme park, that is my job," she says.

"Spending time with the team, seeing kids having an amazing experience at our attractions."

However, asked about getting to the front of the queue for Nemesis - the Alton Towers ride that is one of the best known in the country - Eastwood did not have any concrete advice, despite joining front-line workers on the ride last year.

"I'm not a big fan of Nemesis," she says.

"My favourite's actually Wicker Man, I love Wicker Man."