Author Topic: Obstacles to Tourism in Llandudno  (Read 137592 times)

0 Members and 3 Guests are viewing this topic.

Offline Fester

  • Ad Free Member.
  • *
  • Posts: 6660
  • El Baldito
Obstacles to Tourism in Llandudno
« on: May 23, 2012, 12:04:55 am »
In the past on this Forum, members have made comment about certain aspects of Llandudno which must be improved if we are to maximise our tourism appeal.
Yorkie in particular has raised the issue of where coaches are able to drop off their passengers, in order for them to enjoy their limited time in the resort.
I agree with him, and I have seen many examples personally where people arriving in Llandudno via coach do not see much more than Parc Llandudno and perhaps Bog Island before having to return home.

I have always thought that this is a ludicrous situation, and entirely unfair to the visitors themselves and to businesses higher up Mostyn St and on the pier.
I have always been convinced that the Llandudno coach park is very badly situated.

In recognition of this, the  General Manager of Llandudno Pier, Simon Mason, has this week been making a direct attempt to divert coaches from the coach park, and to drop off their passengers near the Pier.
In fairness, he has suggested that rather than all coaches drop off at the pier, there could be a fairer system whereby some coaches come to the pier, some to Gloddaeth St and others to the coach park.  (Perhaps other places too)

Mr Mason has encountered very vehement opposition to this initiative, often offensive too.
He was even told by the coach park that it is ILLEGAL for coaches to drop off passengers anywhere else in Llandudno.

This is patently untrue, and obviously false as one can see road areas marked ''Coaches Only'' all around North Parade and other streets.
Mr Mason has since looked for support within CCBC in his campaign for fairness, and I for one wish him well.

When all is said and done, surely it is best for visitors to the town to have the opportunity to enjoy the attractions for which Llandudno is famous.   The Greatt Orme, The Trams, The Cable Car..... and YES, the pier!

We live in the Queen of Welsh Resorts......... let us ensure that visitors to the town are able to see the best of it.








Fester...
- Semper in Excretum, Sole Profundum Variat -

Offline wrex

  • Ad Free Member
  • *
  • Posts: 2520
Re: Obstacles to Tourism in Llandudno
« Reply #1 on: May 23, 2012, 07:25:55 am »
Start with the town council if you are looking for obstacles to tourism,all they go on about is tourist parking in their mobili caravans on the prom without any alternate site for these people who are touring Wales and made very unwelcome in Llandudno,coaches blocking the prom was an old favorite and just look at the state of the town beach,xmas lights,flower beds they have no interest in the town they are bonly interested in how many,independants or conservatives they can get on the town council.


Offline Bri Roberts

  • Management board member
  • *
  • Posts: 3099
Re: Obstacles to Tourism in Llandudno
« Reply #2 on: May 23, 2012, 08:14:59 am »
I guarantee that 99.99% of day visitors upon leaving the Mostyn Broadway Coach Park will always walk in the direction of Llandudno town centre, the promenade and the pier.

I am sure the owner of Bodafon Farm as well as the café owners and all the shopkeepers in C-y-D would also like a few coaches to stop over our end of Llandudno now and again.

.


Offline suepp

  • Ad Free Member
  • *
  • Posts: 720
Re: Obstacles to Tourism in Llandudno
« Reply #3 on: May 23, 2012, 09:06:03 am »
Could one of the little trains  be routed between the coach park and tourist attractions like the pier and the farm park? and surely there must be a spare area of land that could be used as a municipal site for the Motorhomes. All the "local"campsites are much too far away from the town's amenities, shops, cafes and restaurants.

Offline DaveR

  • Administrator
  • Posts: 13712
Re: Obstacles to Tourism in Llandudno
« Reply #4 on: May 23, 2012, 09:17:50 am »
I guarantee that 99.99% of day visitors upon leaving the Mostyn Broadway Coach Park will always walk in the direction of Llandudno town centre, the promenade and the pier.

I am sure the owner of Bodafon Farm as well as the café owners and all the shopkeepers in C-y-D would also like a few coaches to stop over our end of Llandudno now and again.
Thing is, Bri, the vast majority of coach visitors are not as young as they once were (he says diplomatically) and its a pretty long walk up from the coach park to the centre of town/prom/pier. It's apparent that visitors come to Llandudno to see all the traditional attractions (town centre/prom/pier etc), so I think having coach drop-off points at the top end of town would be a far better idea than forcing them to use an inconveniently situated coach park. There could be one outside the Pier Gates, one maybe outside the Clarence Hotel in Gloddaeth Street etc. Obviously, they would be there purely for visitors to be picked up/dropped off during a short period of time, coaches would not be parked there.

Offline Nemesis

  • Management board member
  • *
  • Posts: 6276
Re: Obstacles to Tourism in Llandudno
« Reply #5 on: May 23, 2012, 11:18:48 am »
This is an excellent idea-- Yes it is illegal to park coaches overnight on certain streets in the town ( I don't know about the others) but lately there have been quite a few using the central reservation area in Gloddaeth. Ok if they shift them early, but if left during the morning visitors are scouting around for parking places.
Drop off and collection points in the town centre would be far easier for the large number of elderly day visitors. As Dave says-- it is quite a hike to the coach park !
Mad, Bad and Dangerous to know.

Offline Yorkie

  • Member
  • Posts: 5255
Re: Obstacles to Tourism in Llandudno
« Reply #6 on: May 23, 2012, 11:32:22 am »
The Llandudno On Street Parking Order has a blanket ban on Coaches parking on virtually every street and road in the Town apart from any area specifically marked for Coach Parking.

I cannot remember whether this included periods for picking up and setting down of passengers, but no doubt someone will be able to tell us.   The marked Parking places outside the hotels are purely for such a purpose and parking for any other period of time is not allowed.

Policing of the Parking Order has never been a major concern of the Parking Department, neither has the ban on overnight parking of mobile homes on the Promenade or other banned areas.

 ZXZ
Wise men have something to say.
Fools have to say something.
Cicero

Offline wrex

  • Ad Free Member
  • *
  • Posts: 2520
Re: Obstacles to Tourism in Llandudno
« Reply #7 on: May 23, 2012, 11:52:08 am »
To me it does;nt matter where they drop of as long as they keep coming,but the cafe on the coach park and the bog island cafes will then be up in arms so you can;t win.

Offline Michael

  • Ad Free Member
  • *
  • Posts: 1623
Re: Obstacles to Tourism in Llandudno
« Reply #8 on: May 23, 2012, 12:07:13 pm »
As I said to Fester earlier on today, the big problem here is not the dropping off, it's the picking up. Very very few businesses, other drivers etc object to a coach dropping its passengers off. After all, even with very elderly passengers, it's only going to take a few minutes.
  Now, invariably, the coach driver has told his passengers they will be picked up at the same spot.He has to do that, most of his passengers will not know the area, and many are hard pushed to find there way back to the same place. Never mind somewhere else.
  Now, what happens, all the time. Driver - everyone back please at 4 30. 4 30 arrives, all back except six. So they wait, and wait, and eventually maybe half an hour later all return and the coach is gone.
  In the meantime the driver has been assaulted verbally and physically, he got parking tickets, he's been arrested ---  andi,m not joking. Mike

Offline Merddin Emrys

  • Ad Free Member
  • *
  • Posts: 4426
Re: Obstacles to Tourism in Llandudno
« Reply #9 on: May 23, 2012, 12:23:56 pm »
How about a nice tramway along the prom with a connection to the coach park ?
A pigeon is for life not just Christmas

Offline Fester

  • Ad Free Member.
  • *
  • Posts: 6660
  • El Baldito
Re: Obstacles to Tourism in Llandudno
« Reply #10 on: May 23, 2012, 09:06:45 pm »
Just responding to a few of those points...

Bri, Whilst 99.99% of visitors would love to get to the Tramway / Pier / Cable Car etc... its physically not possible for most of them as they get a maximum of 4.5 hours in the resort.
Most of that time is spent pottering around Parc Llandudno, looking for a toilet, or getting half way up Mostyn St before having to head back to the coach.
As I made clear in my posting, no one is talking about ALL coaches coming to the Pier area.  Merely a fairer allocation of them to drop off there, which will benefit the visitors!   What attractions do people travel hundreds of miles to see in Craig Y Don by the way?
The Coach park is far too close to CyD as it is.

Yorkie,
(nice to see you back, you missed a GREAT Extravaganza  :laugh: :laugh:)
A coach driver is allowed to drop passengers off anywhere he likes in an urban area... including on double yellow lines.

Nemesis (and others)
The coaches would drop off the passengers, and then head off to Builder St to park up, so there would be no actual long term parking required.

No, it simply has to be common sense to deposit tourists as close to the attractions they came to see.
I reckon that 90% of visitors leave the resort without ever knowing that there even is a Tramway or a Cable car, let alone being able to use it.
And.... don't get me started about West Shore!!   
I have customers who have been here a week, and never even knew it existed!

Fester...
- Semper in Excretum, Sole Profundum Variat -

Offline Bri Roberts

  • Management board member
  • *
  • Posts: 3099
Re: Obstacles to Tourism in Llandudno
« Reply #11 on: May 23, 2012, 10:11:42 pm »
Fester, how about bringing back the number 73 bus from April - September?

It can do a hop on/ hop off (HOHO) circular tour all day for visitors starting from Mostyn Broadway Coach Park - C-y-D - Bodafon Farm – Bandstand - Pier Entrance - Happy Valley - Tram Station - Copper Mines - Great Orme Summit – West Shore – M&Co – M&S – Mostyn Broadway Coach Park.

.


Offline Fester

  • Ad Free Member.
  • *
  • Posts: 6660
  • El Baldito
Re: Obstacles to Tourism in Llandudno
« Reply #12 on: May 23, 2012, 10:35:37 pm »
An excellent suggestion.... though it might not be viable for ARRIVA, so instead, a local private bus operator could be persuaded (or paid) to do it.   ;)
Fester...
- Semper in Excretum, Sole Profundum Variat -

Offline SDQ

  • Ad Free Member
  • *
  • Posts: 990
Re: Obstacles to Tourism in Llandudno
« Reply #13 on: May 23, 2012, 10:36:20 pm »
Will it be No. 73 because that's how long in minutes it will take to do a round trip?
Valar Morghulis

Offline DaveR

  • Administrator
  • Posts: 13712
Re: Obstacles to Tourism in Llandudno
« Reply #14 on: May 23, 2012, 10:39:22 pm »
You'd probably have to have a couple of buses running in order to provide a regular enough service. Cost of buses + cost of drivers = not cheap.