The TravelMole Interview: Tom Allen, managing director, The Theme Park People

Former Walt Disney UK boss Tom Allen (left) is setting up his own call centre travel agency dedicated to the sale of theme park holidays from September.
The Theme Park People will be based in Keith Prowse’s Belfast offices and use several of the ticket specialist’s staff.

Mr Allen, who spent 11 years with Disney before leaving in December, said up to two million UK holidaymakers travel to theme parks every year but they do not have a travel agency catering for their needs.

He told TravelMole: “The research shows that many people want to go to theme parks, but don’t know how to plan their trip. Companies like Disney and Universal Studios create a huge desire to visit but then there is a gap because people are stuck about what to do next”.

“The local travel agency often doesn’t have the specialist knowledge. We’ll have experts manning the phones who can plan the best trips for you. We’ll also give you a customised itinerary for Florida. I think the way forward is to have travel agencies which are product specialists. There are some cruise agencies, but generally retailers have to be jacks of all trades”.

Mr Allen believes that the number of UK holidaymakers travelling to the parks could rise to three million a year by 2007. He admits that his company needs to overcome the perception that the parks are expensive. A family of four going to Florida for a theme park holiday in peak season will struggle to get change out of £3,000. But, according to Mr Allen, they will get value-for-money. He said: “It is pricey, but people perceive it to be more pricey than it is when you consider what you get for your money”.

“And how many people say what a fantastic time they have had when they come back? The problem is just getting them there in the first place and that’s where we come in”.

Mr Allen’s company will sell holidays from a variety of operators including British Airways Holidays and Virgin. The Theme Park People opens for business on September 8. A phone number for bookings and a website will be unveiled in due course. It will sell US and European theme parks and Mr Allen said it would consider selling UK parks like Alton Towers in due course.

After so long at Disney, he is a big fan of the company and rates the Magic Kingdom in California as his favourite theme park. “It’s the original park and it’s still great. It’s got a fantastic Indiana Jones ride”, he said. But Mr Allen also has praise for his old rival Universal Studios. “Perhaps more than anyone else, they have created a great desire among people to visit their parks. I like Islands of Adventure in Florida. The Spiderman ride is particularly good”.