Eleanor Harris: An Eye On British Airways i360

Creating a family destination

Although Brighton is perhaps best known as a tourist destination for adults here to enjoy the dining, shopping, night-life and world class events, a social shift has been occurring over the past decade with more and more families with children visiting Brighton.
When the i360 got planning consent in 2007 only 16% of visitors to Brighton and Hove were families with children, which is low compared to the UK average of 39%. This number has been steadily growing and in the last survey by Visit Brighton, this number had increased to 24%. We expect the i360 will accelerate this process further and put Brighton on the map for the family visitor.

Families typically are one of the biggest consumers of visitor attractions. As a mum with two young children, I know that families like to enjoy days out with the kids, particularly looking for ways to keep them entertained during the school holidays. Families may have foregone a foreign holiday or new car during the recession, but they have still been enjoying days out; and visitor attractions have seen steady growth in the number of people visiting them.
We want the i360 to be a family-friendly attraction. For younger children, we will be opening a children’s play zone aimed at the under-8s (with a birthday party room) and for older children there will an interactive multi-media tablet and kids’ activity book. In our restaurant, we will have kids menus and activities. Our building will have plenty of baby changing facilities in unisex toilets (how many other mums, gay dads and single dads get driven mad by the old-fashioned establishments that think baby changing should only be in female toilets?!).

We hope to compliment the other family attractions in the city to cement Brighton as a family destination. We expect families to combine a visit to the i360 with a visit to Palace Pier for some fun rides; Brighton SEA LIFE; a trip on the Volks railway or City Sightseeing bus; or locals’ family favourites of Hove lagoon, the Bucket and Spade playground near the i360 or Brighton Museum.
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