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The Sun
24-04-2025
- Entertainment
- The Sun
UK seaside town crowned top place in the WORLD to take bored kids this summer
A UK attraction has claimed the number one spot for the best attractions to take kids to this summer. Blackpool Pleasure Beach has been named the number one destination to take kids to this summer to break boredom, based on its reviews. 3 According to index, Blackpool Pleasure Beach achieved the highest score out of the attraction ranked, beating global giants like Walt Disney World and Universal Orlando. The Lancashire-based attraction scored 31.3 out of a possible 35 marks. Oliver Brendon, CEO of said: "It's no surprise that destinations such as Blackpool Pleasure Beach, Walt Disney World, and Universal Orlando Resort top the list, as they each offer high levels of interactivity and imagination. "For parents, that means fewer screen-time battles and more meaningful moments together." Walt Disney World Resort and Universal Orlando Resort, both in Florida, USA, followed Blackpool Pleasure Beach scoring 30.1 and 30 respectively. Blackpool Pleasure Beach is home to 10 rollercoasters, five 'dark' (indoor) rides, five water rides and 12 Nickelodeon-themed rides. The attraction also has a number of shows and events throughout the year, including late night riding and fireworks. In addition, reimagined for 2025 is the Launch Pad, which reaches speeds of 80mph and sends riders 210ft into the air on a towering steel structure. In other words, the ride flies up 20-storeys before taking only two seconds to reach the ground again. Oliver added: "Nowadays, keeping children entertained on holiday is more challenging than ever. Seaside theme park gets reimagined ride "With many kids accustomed to the instant gratification of iPad games and interactive television shows, traditional holiday moments, such as lounging by the pool or playing on the beach, often aren't enough to hold their attention." The Banish Boredom Index was made by analysing reviews from over 160 destinations and the UK dominated the top 20, with iconic spots like the Tower of London, Ribby Hall Village, and Warner Bros. Studio Tour London making the list. Lesser-known Ribby Hall Village managed to secure the fourth spot. The attraction includes indoor and outdoor pools, a health club with a gym, a spa, archery, fishing and golf. There is also an onsite Wild Discovery zoo, a boating lake and a number of adventure play areas. A major UK theme park will also be getting a huge new land by 2027 with rollercoasters, kids rides and indoor attractions. Plus, the UK's first Universal theme park with 500-room hotel has finally got green light – and it will be the biggest in Europe. 3 Top boredem-banishing attractions These are the top boredom-banishing attractions for children across the globe. Blackpool Pleasure Beach, Lancashire, UK Walt Disney World Resort, Florida, USA Universal Orlando Resort, Florida, USA Ribby Hall Village, Lancashire, UK Disneyland Paris, France Warner Bros Studio Tour, London, UK Tower of London, UK Chessington World of Adventures, Surrey, UK Universal Studios Hollywood, California, USA Thorpe Park, Surrey, UK Siam Park, Tenerife, Spain Warwick Castle, Warwickshire, UK West Midlands Safari Park, Worcestershire, UK Legoland Billund, Denmark Puy du Fou, France Aquatica, Orlando, USA Discovery Cove, Orlando, USA Windsor Castle, Berkshire, UK Madame Tussauds, London, UK Waterbom Bali, Indonesia
Scotsman
23-04-2025
- Scotsman
Glasgow ranked as top UK city impacted by AI's travel bias, according to study
A new data study has revealed bias in AI-generated travel recommendations, suggesting that tools like ChatGPT and Google Gemini are making unfounded affordability assumptions about UK families based in Glasgow. Sign up to our daily newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... The AI tools investigated claim people in cities including Glasgow, Manchester, and Sheffield can't afford to go abroad, recommending staycations instead. But real booking data from experts tells a very different story. The study compared AI's travel recommendations to real-time internal booking data, allowing the experts to see if there was a correlation between where AI thinks Brits should be travelling and where they're actually buying tickets to travel. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The study found that AI assumed people living in locations like Glasgow and Manchester couldn't afford to travel abroad to places like Walt Disney World and would be more likely to spend their holiday in the Lake District. Walt Disney World Florida The experts can reveal that the AI made a wrong assumption on 57% of the UK cities included in the study, with the tools suggesting that people living there could only afford staycations as opposed to overseas holidays. How badly did AI get it wrong? Out of the 35 major UK cities analysed, the 20 cities listed below were capped by AI on the places they could 'afford' to travel to. (AI's suggested 'affordable' staycation vs. real-world 2024 overseas booking popularity) Glasgow – AI suggested: Lake District | Actual overseas booking rank: 2nd Manchester – AI suggested: Lake District | Actual overseas booking rank: 4th Sheffield – AI suggested: Peak District | Actual overseas booking rank: 11th Cardiff – AI suggested: Pembrokeshire | Actual overseas booking rank: 14th Norwich – AI suggested: Norfolk Broads | Actual overseas booking rank: 15th Stoke-on-Trent – AI suggested: North Wales | Actual overseas booking rank: 18th Swansea – AI suggested: Gower Peninsula | Actual overseas booking rank: 19th Plymouth – AI suggested: Cornwall | Actual overseas booking rank: 20th Aberdeen – AI suggested: Scottish Highlands | Actual overseas booking rank: 21st Dundee – AI suggested: Scottish Highlands | Actual overseas booking rank: 22nd York – AI suggested: Yorkshire Dales | Actual overseas booking rank: 24th Durham – AI suggested: Lake District | Actual overseas booking rank: 25th Lincoln – AI suggested: Norfolk Broads | Actual overseas booking rank: 26th Portsmouth – AI suggested: Isle of Wight | Actual overseas booking rank: 27th Chester – AI suggested: North Wales | Actual overseas booking rank: 28th Cambridge – AI suggested: Suffolk Coast | Actual overseas booking rank: 29th Perth – AI suggested: Scottish Highlands | Actual overseas booking rank: 30th Stirling – AI suggested: Loch Lomond | Actual overseas booking rank: 31st Inverness – AI suggested: Isle of Skye | Actual overseas booking rank: 32nd Salisbury – AI suggested: Dorset Coast | Actual overseas booking rank: 34th The Study's Key Findings: Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Both Glasgow and Manchester were assumed by AI to have a low to moderate chance of booking overseas holidays, whereas internal data showed that they were in the top 5 locations for making overseas holiday bookings. AI also seemed to have the biggest bias towards the north of England, with 5 locations featured on the list including Manchester, Chester, Durham, York, and Sheffield. In addition to the north, AI also appeared to have a bias towards navy cities, with both Plymouth and Portsmouth featured on the list. 30% of cities AI decided would only be able to afford a staycation as opposed to traveling abroad were actually classed in the top 50% of real-time data affordability ranking. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Chris Bradshaw, Marketing Director at commented on the findings: 'I was surprised to see just how strikingly inaccurate the results were on the AI portion of this study. This technology made assumptions that people residing in Manchester, for example, were one of the least likely to travel abroad when in actuality our booking data shows that Manchester ranks among the top five cities for our Walt Disney World Florida bookings. Places like Glasgow, Sheffield, Cardiff, Norwich, and Stoke-on-Trent were also underestimated, despite the strong booking numbers we can see internally. My concern is that if people are using tools like Gemini or ChatGPT to plan their holidays, there may be a bias that the AI is holding against them, and potentially restricting dream holiday destinations because it has assumed their level of affordability. People should be aware of this bias before using these tools to plan their holidays.
