Guests staying at Scarborough hotels may soon have a wider choice of shows to see as the towns Open Air Theatre now has a new manager in the form of Paul Gregg. The Scarborough born chairman of Apollo Resorts and Leisure has returned to management as he takes over Scarborough’s Open Air Theatre.

Apollo Resorts and Leisure have struck an agreement with Scarborough Borough Council to run the historic amphitheatre. The largest open-air theatre in Europe holds 6,500 people and is due to undergo a £3.5 million redevelopment programme. The theatre has stood unused for over two decades but it is hoped that the theatre will re-open in August 2010.

The initial deal between Apollo and Scarborough Borough Council has been agreed on a 25-year basis and Apollo will run a number of major events at the Open Air Theatre.

Mr Gregg said:

“Having had a history with Scarborough over many years, we thought that restoring it to its former glory would be an added asset for the town in its ambition to do up the most important resort on the north east coast.”

It is hoped that once it has been revamped that the venue will play host to a wide range of events including, music concerts, plays and community events.

Jim Dillon, who is Scarborough Council’s chief executive said:

“I believe this will have a significant impact on tourism and the economic well-being of the borough. It will be a unique facility and really put Scarborough on the national and international map.”

The theatre is being redeveloped as part of a £152 million scheme to transform Scarborough’s North Bay area into a major tourist attraction. Yorkshire Forward has also been approached for an additional £1 million to help fund a ‘dancing’ water feature, which would be situated outside the venue.

The Daily Mail has reported that tourists visiting Scarborough could soon be spending a night in the clanger if a planned new development goes ahead to convert the historic Dean Road jail into a luxury hotel.

Opened in 1866 the jail, located in the centre of the town, could soon be accepting a very different type of guest. However there are mixed views about this development as concerns have been raised over the possible conversion of the historic Grade II listed building.

Adrian Perry, who is the chairman of Scarborough Civic Society, said:

‘It is a worry that somebody could come in and want to knock it down. We are completely opposed to the idea of the jail being lost to Scarborough.’

Various options are being looked at as possible uses for the building including a hotel or a new tourist attraction. The whole idea is to keep the building as it is as it is such an important part of Scarborough’s heritage.

Over the years Scarborough’s prison has featured on a number of TV programmes, including the reality show Banged Up, which starred former Home Secretary David Blunkett. As part of the show he acted as head of a ‘parole board’ in what was a mock-up prison scenario.

Whether the prison becomes another hotel in Scarborough or a tourist attraction it is hoped that the development will increase the existing tourism trade within the coastal town.

In a new BBC One programme, which premiered last night, Alexander Armstrong travelled across the UK to explore the state of the Great British Holiday.

The programme looked into the theory that 2009 has been a bumper year for the UK tourist industry. With a combination of the well-publicised credit crunch and the Euro and the Dollar being strong it appears that consumers are tightening their belts. With people seemingly able to afford to spend less on their annual holidays more and more people have appeared to go to British seaside resorts such as Bournemouth and Scarborough.

Visit Britain, who are the national tourism body, believes that around one in five Brits who holidayed abroad in 2008 have had a UK break this year. For those who work in the tourism industry this is the news that they have been waiting to hear after the previous two years in which visitor numbers have fallen.

The question now is can the British holiday destinations cope with the demands of the modern day tourist? As part of Alexander Armstrong’s Very British Holiday various tourism-dependent businesses are visited before, during and after the 2009 Summer season.

As part of the programme The Royal Hotel in Scarborough was featured. This gave viewers an insight into how the hotel is run and a sneak peak into what goes on behind the scenes. As part of this feature viewers saw Alexander Armstrong helping out in The Royal Hotel’s kitchen and finding out what its like behind the scenes of a 3 star hotel in Scarborough. As well as helping in the kitchen Alexander Armstrong interviewed various members of staff and also took a trip around Scarborough.

Alexander Armstrong’s Very British Holiday

Throughout the programme Alexander Armstrong visits hotspot locations, explores life in themed hotels, quaint and quirky B&Bs, family-run holiday parks and unusual attractions. During the hour-long programme Britain’s beautiful scenery and seaside resorts, including Scarborough, are displayed for all to see.

A Scarborough hotel group is seeking local people to appear as extras in their latest promotional videos.

English Rose Hotels is a privately owned family business with a portfolio of hotels ranging from The North Yorkshire Moors to Scarborough town centre, including The Royal Hotel Scarborough and Wrea Head Hotel in Scalby.

Wrea Head Hotel Scarborough

The short videos will include a tour of each of the groups Scarborough hotels and will be shot over 3 days. (31 August – 2nd September 2009).  So as not to disturb guests during their stay, English Rose will be using extras for shots inside rooms, restaurants, swimming pools etc and have invited any local people who would like to take part in the shoot to drop them an email to show their interest.

The ideal candidates are a happy, well groomed male and female aged between 30-40 and ideally two children aged 5-10.  Obviously this would suit a family, but individuals are encouraged to get in touch too.

This is only a guide and anyone interested in being involved is encouraged to get in touch – even if you can only attend 1 day.

Whilst this would be a non-payed experience, English Rose will ensure that those chosen to take part in the videos are ‘fed and watered’ and will also offer those involved an ‘extra treat’ as a thank you for taking part!

So, if you’d like to be involved and make an appearance in the Scarborough hotel videos, simply drop them an email with your name, contact details and a recent photo.

Tourists visiting the coastal town of Scarborough often have varying views of the UK’s first seaside resort. Is it a modern resort meeting the needs of today’s discerning tourist or is it still a hidden gem that holds its values as a traditional resort?

Traditionally Scarborough was home to the Great British Holiday where people from urban areas would flock to the coast for their annual Summer breaks. Today, the values of the traditional seaside holiday remain but at the same time Scarborough has to move forward. The town has to update itself as a modern resort in order to compete with other holiday destinations, and appeal to a wider range of people.

The problem the North Yorkshire seaside resort now faces is replacing the various family attractions that have faded away or been demolished over recent years. Some visitors to Scarborough fondly remember attractions such as the open air swimming pool, aquarium top, the open air theatre, Kinderland and Atlantis to name but a few. The town now faces the prospect of having to find replacements for these attractions in order to give the next generation of holidaymakers a reason to want to stay in the seaside resort.

Scarborough is not alone and as reported earlier this month in the Sunday Times magazine Torquay is going through a similar phase. It is a balancing act of keeping the great British seaside holiday alive but at the same time attracting new visitors. This will be done if both Torquay and Scarborough can develop more modern facilities and attractions.

It is not all doom and gloom however as Scarborough has taken many steps in the right direction and has developed some fantastic features and attractions over recent years including, two award winning sandy beaches, the Spa, The Stephen Joseph Theatre, Scarborough Sealife Centre, Playzone, Go Ape, Scarborough Castle and the newly revamped Rotunda Museum.

The more a holiday resort, like Scarborough, has to offer then the more likely people are to stay for more than one night. If the price is good value for money and the draw of the town is good then people may increase the number of nights that they stay.

The report featuring Scarborough and Torquay in the Sunday Times Magazine shows that Scarborough’s development of its new features and attractions has had an impact on visitors staying for more than one night. The UK Tourism Survey shows:

Top Seaside Resorts
(number of visitors for more than one night)

As the survey shows the return of the Great British holiday and the better weather has seen people to enjoy spontaneous trips to the many UK seaside destinations, including Scarborough. This is an encouraging trend that many Scarborough hotels and local attractions hope will continue for many years to come.