Leisure Industry News - April 2025

Our April review spotlights the most recent and noteworthy happenings within the UK's dynamic leisure sector.

This month's news showcases a blend of revitalisation and expansion, from holiday parks and caravan sites to golf facilities and hotels, demonstrating the industry's ongoing evolution. We also note significant cultural milestones and infrastructure changes. 

Here’s a look at the key stories making an impact this month...

• Saved from potential closure after falling into administration, the historic Billing Aquadrome in Northamptonshire has reopened following a £12 million investment. The transformed 80-year-old holiday park now boasts new features like hot tub lodges, platinum accommodation, a clubhouse, and a kids' zone and is now ready to welcome guests for its first spring and summer season.

• The Melvich Bay Caravan Park has opened in the Scottish Highlands near Melvich, providing new infrastructure for North Coast 500 travellers with 30 hardstanding pitches for campervans and motorhomes. Situated on a 25-acre plot between Thurso and Bettyhill, the park offers panoramic views of the North Atlantic Ocean and Orkney.

• Link Golf UK has expanded its portfolio to six venues in the north of England by taking over the management of Middlesbrough Municipal Golf Centre. The new management has announced plans for improvements, including the installation of Trackman driving range technology.

• Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council has approved plans for a significant development at London Golf Club in Kent, including a 240-bedroom, five-storey hotel with spa, gym, restaurant, bar, and conference facilities. The project will also feature a new sports pavilion, racket courts, swimming lake, relocated driving range, and a new golf academy, the Callaway Elite Performance Centre.

• Travelodge is set to expand its UK portfolio to 599 hotels with the acquisition of 11 properties across England. Nine of these hotels, comprising 951 rooms, were purchased from Hotel Campanile, with five being freehold and four long-leasehold.

• Developers have proposed a 120-room floating boutique hotel for Cardiff Bay, with Finnish company Meyer Floating Solutions and the UK's Morfield Floating Hotels aiming for a 2027 mooring. According to Meyer's agent, the development of a 15,000-seat arena in the area creates a need for additional hotel capacity.

• Two Lincoln leisure centres, Yarborough and Birchwood, which abruptly closed after Active Nation ceased trading, have partially reopened as City of Lincoln Council has repossessed the sites. The council announced a phased reopening of outdoor facilities, while the Charity Commission has launched an inquiry into Active Nation's governance and financial management.

• For the second consecutive year, the British Museum was the UK's most visited attraction, seeing an 11% increase from the previous year. The Natural History Museum came in second, contributing to an overall 3.4% increase in visitor numbers across the UK's leading attractions in 2024.

• As the football season draws to a close, the sun will set on Everton's iconic Goodison Park after 130 years. After recent successful test events, the club is set to move into their new £500m stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock ready for the 2025/26 Premier League season.



• In 2025, 35 British private schools have been recognised among the world's top 100. Eton College made the list, as did Cheltenham Ladies College and also Shrewsbury School, whose famous alumni include Charles Darwin and Sir Michael Palin.