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.

Scarborough SEALIFE Centre, located on the coastal towns North Bay, is now home to a seal pup named Bruges after he was rescued from Whitby beach.

The SEALIFE Animal Care Team are busy looking after Bruges after the British Marine Life Rescue brought him to the centre.

When he first arrived at the Scarborough family attraction, Bruges only weighed 12 kilos when at his age he should have been nearer 20.

Following Bruges to the rescue centre were Dallas and Tokyo. Tokyo arrived on the 7th August after he too was found on Whitby beach.

If you are staying at a Scarborough hotel then why not make trip to see Bruges, Dallas and Tokyo at Scarborough’s fantastic SEALIFE Centre.

The grand opening of Scarborough’s newest attraction, Hairy Bob’s Skate Park, is due to take place on Saturday 22nd August 2009.

Originally due to open on Saturday 15th August, as reported in the Scarborough Evening News, the opening has now been put back a week but organisers are hoping that it will be well worth the wait.

The grand opening will take place between 12pm – 6pm and will feature live bands, trade stalls, pro demonstrations and prize giveaways.

The skate park, located on Marine Drive just in front of Hairy Bob’s Cave and within walking distance of The Clifton Hotel, is part of the Royal Albert Park regeneration project. The aim of the project was to create a new skate and bike park on Scarborough’s North Bay.

The Royal Albert Park regeneration project was also involved in the development of the new North Bay play area, located near Hairy Bob’s Skate Park and which was officially opened yesterday. This new Scarborough attraction means that youngsters have a new park to use and the opening of this facility was marked with a barbecue in the new picnic area.

Both of these new Scarborough attractions are for residents and guests staying at Scarborough hotels to use and enjoy. It is hoped that these facilities will be the first of many to be developed in the North Yorkshire coastal town.

A new play area has this week been officially opened in Scarborough on Royal Albert Drive in North Bay funded by the Marks & Spencer carrier bag charge!

The new park, unveiled by environmental charity Groundwork, was yesterday officially opened by Scarborough Council leader Tom Fox.

M&S Scarborough staff and Groundwork North Yorkshire joined volunteers from the Friends of Royal Albert Park to plant hundreds of wild roses at the site to compliment the soft landscaping and the new children’s play area.

Tom Mutton, who is the North Yorkshire Coast programme manager for Groundwork, said:

“It is fantastic to see this play area open and being enjoyed by so many people.”

The new Scarborough attraction means that youngsters have a new park to use and the opening of this facility was marked with a barbecue in the new picnic area of the attraction.

The project has been supported by money raised from Marks & Spencer’s national carrier bag charge introduced in May last year, aimed at encouraging customers to reduce the amount of plastic bags they use each time they shop. All profit (1.85p) from the sale of single use food carrier bags is going to Groundwork to invest in ‘Greener Living Spaces’ like Royal Albert Park.

The new children’s play park is located next to the new Scarborough Skatepark ‘Hairy Bob’s’, which is also due to open later this month, and a short walk from the Clifton Hotel Scarborough.

Here’s your chance to win a weekend break in the North Yorkshire Moors and Coast area and all you have to do is simply nominate your favourite visitor attraction, hotel, bar or restaurant where you feel you’ve received really good hospitality and excellent customer service. You will then be automatically entered into the prize draw.

Nominations for the 2009 Yorkshire Moors and Coast Tourism Awards are now currently taking place and here is your chance to have your say, whilst at the same time being in with a chance of winning.

Simply click on the link below and complete the nomination form by 31 August 2009 and you will be in with a chance of winning a weekend break for two in the Yorkshire Moors and Coast area.

Good Luck!

Nominations for the 2009 Yorkshire Moors and Coast Tourism Awards

Scarborough’s town centre has this week been hosting the ever-popular Continental Market.

The local attraction, that spreads the length of Westborough, was back in the town for the Scarborough Fayre celebrations.

Local residents and guests staying at Scarborough hotels over the weekend were in for a treat as the market provided a wide range of continental stalls, including the return of the very popular boulangerie stall.

Malcolm Hall, who is Scarborough Town Centre Manager, said:

“We are delighted to have the market back in Scarborough. We are particularly pleased to see the return of the boulangerie stall, as it is definitely a favourite.”

Over the course of the weekend there were around 40 stalls selling items such as biscuits and cakes from Normandy and Brittany, boulangerie and crepes, herbs and spices from France and Morocco, cheese from France and Holland, vegetables and fruit from France and Spain and soaps and lavenders from France.

Michael Pignolet, who runs the soaps and lavenders stall, said:

“This is the first time I have been in Scarborough for five years. I think it is a lovely place.”

The event took place over the last few days and attracted hundreds of extra shoppers to Scarborough’s town centre. It is hoped that the Continental Market will keep returning to Scarborough as it proves to be a popular visitor attraction.