Children missing out as attractions get pricier, says charity

With the cost of a day out rising, young people are at risk of missing out on important life experiences this summer, a charity has warned.

Go Beyond, which gives vulnerable youngsters holidays, said children could be left isolated and lacking confidence as a result.

Tickets for castles, historic sites, gardens, zoos and theme parks have gone up significantly since last year.

However, venues told the BBC they were facing rising costs themselves.

They say higher energy prices, rising wage bills and VAT increases mean they have to pass on some of those costs to visitors.

At the Titanic visitor centre in Belfast ticket prices are up from £21.50 to £24.95, a rise of 16%. Tickets for Kew Gardens in London are up more than 10% at £20.50. And Stonehenge costs 9% more than it used to, although different price rises apply to different tickets.

For parents like Hannah Clarke, a single mother with two children, these higher prices make a big difference.

"It is a massive issue," she said. "It was my daughter's seventh birthday last week and I could only afford the entry cost of where we went because I had saved up supermarket vouchers."

"The trouble is they are changing that scheme, so the vouchers won't go as far as they used to soon.

Hannah said she is trying to be "more strategic" about day trips now, looking for free places to visit, and ones that are closer to her home in Rutland, so she can make lunch before they set out.

"It isn't just the ticket cost but the price of an ice cream when you get there," she added.

Michele Farmer, chief executive of Go Beyond, told the BBC that rising prices could lead to some young people becoming isolated from children their own age, which could have a "negative impact" on relationships, wellbeing and self-esteem.

"It would be easy to take for granted just what a difference having those simple childhood experiences can make to a young person," she said.

"Giving children space away from the worries and pressures they face at home gives them the opportunity to grow in confidence.

"As this summer approaches millions of families who have never had a holiday, now won't be able to afford even the simplest days out," she added.

According to a survey by Barclays, 52% of the 2,000 people it questioned think tourist sites are pricier now than they were prior to the current squeeze on family budgets.

Two-fifths of those say they are less likely to spend money visiting these places as a result. Just under a third say that if they do visit attractions, they are less likely to spend money on extras like food, drink and souvenirs.

BBC News contacted 15 of the leading paid-for tourist sites in the UK. Most of those that responded said they had put up prices, some by more than the overall rate of inflation, which is just over 10%.

Titanic Belfast said it had made the decision to raise prices based on comparable products and that the venue regularly opened its doors to local people, who were less likely to be able to visit normally.

Tickets for the Tower of London go up from £29.90 to £33.60 this year, a 12.3% increase. Historic Royal Palaces said this rise coincided with an increase in what was available to see at the site, and that it was increasing its free and subsidised access at the same time.

The Royal Horticultural Society said it had had to pass on some costs, raising ticket prices for its gardens by an average of 6.4% this year, but it had introduced a £1 entry scheme for those on the lowest incomes, it said. There is a similar concession at Kew.

The National Trust said it had raised prices for adult entry to Bodnant Gardens in Wales from £14 to £15, an increase of more than 7%, to cover the rising costs of lighting, heating and conserving the places in its care.

Cardiff Council and Brighton Pier were the only attractions to say they had not put up either entry fees or ride wristband prices.