Popular British seaside city struggling for tourists as top attraction doubles admission fee

One of the UK's best-loved piers is set to double its entry fee this weekend, amid warnings from bosses that it could be staring at an uncertain future unless more is done to attract visitors.

The decision to increase the cost for entering Brighton Pier to £2 was prompted by soaring maintenance, repair, and operational expenses announced earlier in the year. Anne Ackord, the CEO of the company managing the iconic landmark, called for a greater appreciation of tourism's role in the area, insisting stakeholders can't take footfall for granted.

Having received the accolade of Pier of the Year back in 1998 and boasting the title of Britain’s most visited site beyond London in 2017, the historic 126-year-old attraction faces the grim reality of needing "millions" each year simply to continue operating, its owners have claimed.

Speaking with the BBC, Ms Ackord underlined the essential nature of tourism, urging concerted efforts for action. "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," she said. "We all need to attract people here and not assume they'll just come."

Highlighting the reason behind the steeper entry price, which initially began at £1 in May 2024, Ms Ackord attributed it to "a very difficult trading situation over the last few years, wherein costs have risen overall by about 50 per cent", reports the Express.

Local councillor Birgit Miller has acknowledged the historic neglect of the town's tourism sector, confessing there's been "a real lack of focus historically". She's currently striving to make improvements, noting that it's "something [she is] trying to address".

Attractions in coastal communities have been struggling in recent years, with Covid and energy price rises coming together to spell real difficulty for arcade owners, pier operators and chippies, among other. Skegness Pier's director James Mellors paints a bleak picture of the challenge faced there, admitting the industry is gripped by fear: "I've never known a year where so many people in the sector are so scared."

He insists rising costs can't be shouldered by patrons, emphasising Skegness's challenging socio-economic landscape.: "We cannot pass [these rising costs] onto our customer," he said.

In Essex, Clacton Pier's owners are preparing for tough times, having slashed its workforce by half as financial strains bite. Already facing a £300,000 surge in expenses, the pier plans to close attractions midweek throughout June and next winter — a first in four years.

Similarly, Brighton's iconic pier is under fiscal pressure, grappling with a steep increase in maintenance and operating costs — jumping from £8.9 million in 2020 to £11.6 million now.

When the initial fee was introduced last year, Ms Ackord hailed it as a crucial move for safeguarding the future of the historical pier. "The admission [cost] will be an important contributor to ensuring that our iconic pier is with us for generations to come," she explained.

Brighton is still working to rebuild its tourism sector, since the pandemic, when numbers decreased due to the Covid-19 lockdowns. In 2020, the number of visitors dropped by 27 per cent, with the city welcoming 9 million tourists. This was down from 12.37 million in 2019. In 2024, the number of visitors started to increase again, with around 11.47 million people visiting Brighton and Hove.