In 2015, Chester Zoo opened Islands, a new £40m attraction which recreates the tropical environments of South East Asia and allows visitors to take a unique wildlife expedition. In preparation for the launch, our Visitor & Leisure team were appointed to advise on a pricing strategy which would allow the Trust to maximise income from the new development. The work also needed to address the capacity issues which would be introduced by the new Lazy River Boat Trip.
Based on a detailed analysis of visitor and income data and an assessment of pricing strategies used in other international attractions with similar characteristics, we recommended a dynamic pricing strategy which reflects daily levels of demand. The new pricing strategy represented a significant change for the Zoo and has allowed the organisation to increase income as well as to smooth some of the inevitable seasonality which all attractions face. Our work also looked in detail at the operational and marketing implications of the strategy and made recommendations which ensured its successful implementation. The new dynamic pricing can be seen at: https://shop.chesterzoo.org/bookings/standard/dynamic.aspx