Following on from some of the posts in the very interesting "Top 30 zoos" thread regarding London and it's low visitor numbers in relation to population. I wondered if it would be possible to offer a significant discount to London residents, either during low season or on specific days/weekends etc which might encourage them to give "their" zoo another chance to see how it's improved (or not as the case may be!). I know that in Florida some of the major attractions have special rates for Florida residents and I think that shows a real appreciation of the local population. So could London zoo do it?
London Zoo do special days where certain groups get special entry. There was a taxi driver and concierge day (Zoo is hailing cabbies for a free day out - News - ZSL London Zoo - ZSL) and there's the annual gay sunday (Gay Sunday 2008 - What's on - ZSL London Zoo - ZSL) Admittedly it's not on the same scale as offering all London residents discounted entry, but for a city the size of London, I don't think that it is particularly feasible.
The bronx zoo offers a free day on a weekly basis (or at least they did in 2004). If the bronx can manage to admit everyone for free once a week, surely london can afford a discount for london residents only.
The Bronx Zoo is completely free every single Wednesday, which is fantastic for the local neighbourhood as it's not exactly an affluent community. Since the zoo is 265 acres and regarded as one of the top 5 zoos in the world then the opportunity to go there for free is worthwhile for many citizens but not necessarily zoo fans. I've heard that it is total madness there on Wednesdays!
a promotion deal like that sounds amazing, they'd have no need to charge them if loads of people come in imagine all the drinks/food and merchandise they get through
Free days sound a good idea BUT only if people actually want to visit the zoo and not just there because its free! nothing worse than a load of uninterested people clogging up the place Alot of zoos have bogofs and offers in local papers, we used up alot of kelloggs vouchers (1 adult free with paying adult) at woburn and whipsnade recently Also annual membership to the zoos is brilliant our Colchester card gets us in free at alot of zoos (Chester, twycross, paignton, Bristol, marwell and a few more I cant think of!) so if your real bargain for regulars I recently adopted an a bear for my fella (awww ) at Whipsnade the minimum donation being £20 and you get a free entry ticket worth £17.50 (the same obviously available at London zoo). Most people who havent been to a zoo in a long while tend to think they are still stuck in the past with 'pits', small wire cages and bored animals! I am always having to explain to people that Colchester has moved on since the 60s and is nothing like that anymore (nor are most zoos!). To get people interested in in animal conservation and to educate our future generations is crucial, what with schools not offering 'trips' due to the health & Safety/insurance claim culture we have now less young people get to visit zoos (saying that always seems to be a busload when I am trying to have a quiet midweek visit ). Maybe its just that zoos need to raise their profiles to compete with the 'theme parks', zoos aren't just for families, they are worth the entrance fee, brilliant for photographers, they are a full day out and you may even learn something
You're right Snowleopard - it's absolute chaos. We had a free afternoon in new york having already visited the aquarium and central park zoo, i managed to persuade my parents that we should make it a hatrick. Unfortunatly it was a wednesday. After an hour long train journey from coney island to the bronx we came up against a queue of new yorkers which we could not see the end of. It took us one and a half hours to get into the zoo and we didn't see half of it! Thankfully we went round congo and it was the highlight of the trip.
