Casino Is coming
12th April 2012
On April 27th we will know which of two bidders will win the licence to develop Great Yarmouth’s large new casino. From a PR perspective I really hope that the seafront application gets the nod from the Borough Council. Sited to the south of the Pleasure Beach, the £30million casino complex – known as The Edge, will also include a six-storey hotel, bowling alley, multiplex cinema, restaurants and bars.
Its more modest rival project centres on the expansion of the existing Church Plain casino, the main benefit of which is that it can be delivered more speedily than The Edge.
With a major TV advertising campaign featuring Stephen Fry, Julie Walters and others urging Britons to holiday in the UK this summer, the time is right to reassert Great Yarmouth’s status as a major tourist destination. And that means snapping up this huge investment in the seafront.
It was clear from the annual Great Yarmouth tourist industry awards in March that attractions, hotels and guesthouses that have invested in their facilities are reaping the benefits. Holidaymakers and business visitors today expect high standards and they are increasingly choosing accommodation and entertainment that meets those standards.
The town itself must take the same view. If we are to see our tourist industry develop and thrive we must whole-heartedly encourage investment and see that it’s directed to where it will do the most good – and that’s the Golden Mile.
The Edge will reinvigorate the southern end of the seafront, bringing high quality new entertainment facilities, additional high-quality hotel beds and valuable jobs. But more than that, it will provide us with opportunities to publicise a bright new era in Great Yarmouth tourism.
Author: Steve Scott -
