| Journal: TWUK | Section: |
| Title: | Issue Date: 29/05/00 |
| Author: | Page Number: 2 |
| Copyright: Other |
Dome bosses U-turn over late-night opening
MILLENNIUM Dome bosses have scrapped late-night opening hours less than a month after introducing them in an effort to boost flagging sales.Organisers the New Millennium Experience Company had hoped extending opening hours until 11pm on Friday and Saturday nights would attract more people (Travel Weekly May 1).
However, bosses now say they cannot justify running costs for late-night opening.
A NMEC spokesman said: “The number of visitors later on in the evening was poor.”
The Dome will now open until 8pm every night. Previously, ticket holders who paid the full £20 had to leave by 5pm.
Meanwhile, latest figures from the NMEC show that 25% of the 2,372,500 visitors who have so far been to the Dome have been sold through travel agents. Some 30% of the 1m forward tickets have also been sold through the trade. One of the priorities of new NMEC chairman David Quarmby, who took over from Bob Ayling last week, will be to boost trade sales.