Blackpool casino would have 'huge impact'

2006-11-22 15:08:31

Situating the UK's forthcoming sole super-casino in Blackpool would have a huge effect on the economy and tourism, it has been claimed.

With the deadline for the government's decision regarding the licence drawing ever nearer, polls have seen Blackpool emerge as the popular choice for Britons.

If the town does manage to successfully fight off competition from cities such as Manchester, Newcastle, Cardiff and London, it would cement the area's location as a tourist hotspot, according to a spokesman for Blackpool Airport.

"[The super casino] will have a huge impact on Blackpool," said Gareth Kennedy.

"Already, we think that we are different to other regional airports; up to 30 to 40 per cent of our airline traffic is made up of tourists coming into Blackpool &ndash we are not sending all our traffic to Spain," he pointed out.

"Looking at this sort of traffic we can already see a taster of what the casino would bring to Blackpool," he added.

Mr Kennedy's comments come as a local councillor attacked the government's decision to take his area off the shortlist for a separate, smaller casino licence.

John McDowell from Paisley was critical of the fact that smaller towns such as Stranraer remained on the list ahead of the central Scottish county.


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