GRAHAM HISCOTT

Theme park firm Merlin Entertainments is to pump more money into opening hotels after a mixed year.

The owner of Alton Towers, which is due to open a new Wicker Man ride, saw visitor numbers rise 3.5% to a record 66 million last year. But profits in its Midway division – which includes Madame Tussauds and the Blackpool Tower – fell 5%.

Merlin is shifting investment away from those to having more hotels near its venues.

Boss Nick Varney said 2017 was “defined by the unprecedented spate of terror attacks in the UK and poor to extreme weather throughout the summer season in Europe”. CROWD PULLER Alton Towers’ new Wicker Man ride