Jimmy Zhang from Titicaca Travel, a Chinese travel company specialising in trips to the UK, says that Blackpool has not been a popular request as part of an itinerary for Chinese tour groups. They want to go to Manchester because of the football club.
The Chinese tourist market is growing rapidly, driven by burgeoning affluence. Strolling along Blackpool's seafront, a high tide lashing up the steps and huge seagulls hovering above on the look-out for discarded chips, you will encounter a few foreign tourists, but they are a small minority. Bruce, from Newfoundland, Canada, is on a two-week trip to England and said he wanted to see Blackpool after Jack and Vera Duckworth visited it on the British soap opera Coronation Street.
I've been walking along the promenade and enjoying the smell of Blackpool - cotton candy, French fries and salty sea air. Claire Smith opened a boutique hotel in Blackpool four years ago, and believes the regeneration of Blackpool's seafront has brought back confidence to the town, and a new type of visitor. But she says with the arrival of global brands people are seeing the changes. It will attract more families - Blackpool has always been about the mods and the rockers, the stags and the hens, and I think that will stay.
But it's also about fun - embracing the new of the future and the good of the old. There is a general consensus that people don't come to Blackpool for art galleries and sophistication but for fun and popular culture.
Richard Ryan has been managing Blackpool's Illuminations since and says he thinks Blackpool is Britain's "guilty pleasure". He thinks a lot of the negative perceptions of Blackpool come from people in the south of England. It won't do any harm to attract a 'higher class' of visitor - but we also have to be mindful of our constituency, not alienate them.
Not all is bright in the northern resort. Although only The local economy is highly seasonal, with many low-paid jobs and the large stock of low-cost, privately rented accommodation means there is a constant flow of people moving into and out of Blackpool. Poverty levels are high - Blackpool is the sixth poorest area in the country.
Interior designer Laurence Llewellyn-Bowen has been helping create Blackpool's Illuminations for the past five years.
He says that although Blackpool became a byword for blue collar binge drinking it was originally created by the Victorians as "a genteel, artistic resort".
It's incredibly elegant but also shows that it's a place where design can have a bit of a laugh. In order to be recognised internationally he believes Blackpool must work very closely with Liverpool as a tourist destination - in the same way that Brighton is seen as a day trip or weekend away for people visiting London.
It has a real and palpable energy that's outside snobbery. He thinks that in general Britain needs to rethink its image abroad. If tourists are going up to Edinburgh, why not stop off in Blackpool? The resort is loved for its brilliant range, great beaches and the chance to enjoy an iconic holiday destination.
Blackpool has been a favourite with families for decades, but why do you love Blackpool? For the thrill-seekers, indulge your inner daredevil with a ride on the roller coasters at Blackpool Pleasure Beach — a must for any adrenaline junkie or you can kick off your shoes and relax in the greenery of Stanley Park.
We asked you for your favourite things about Blackpool. Y ou inundated us with your memories, highlights and favourite spots. Here are just a few of your favourites:. Would you choose to spend a sunny day relaxing and catching the rays or splashing in the waves? Whatever your choice, a day out on a Blackpool beach alone is one reason so many visit every year.
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