Banksy’s twisted spin on Disneyland has generated more than £20m (US$30.5m, €27.3m) for the seaside town of Weston-super-Mare since it opened five weeks ago.
Satirising the theme park and tourism industries, particularly Disneyland, Dismaland has somewhat ironically given a great boost to the industry it has poked fun at, with the town’s tourism businesses – such as hotels, B&Bs, restaurants and seaside attractions – reporting significant boosts in revenue, according to tourism body Visit Somerset.
The Hoteliers Association also reports that an additional 50,000 nights have been sold in Weston-super-Mare’s hotels, with each guest spending an average of £150 per night including dinner and drinks. In addition, local shop owners have received boosts in sales, restaurants have often been fully booked and Great Western Railways say that numbers on the Paddington to Weston line have more than doubled.
Set to close its doors on Sunday (27 September), more than 150,000 people have visited the art installation-cum-theme park based in a derelict lido, with more than 4,000 tickets being sold every day online and a further 500 queuing up daily for a chance to enter the pop-up, which sold out its entire ticket allocation.
Dismaland attractions include “Mini Gulf”, “Guerilla Island” and “Cinderella’s Castle”. Live comedy and music events have also taken place, with the band Massive Attack (from nearby Bristol) and Russian feminist punk act Pussy Riot among those who have performed at the attraction.
