Are zoos expensive?

N

Ned

Well-Known Member
15+ year member
I was wondering what other people thought about zoo entrance prices, do you consider them expensive? I often come across people who consider zoos to be expensive but I’ve always thought them to be comparatively inexpensive, so I did a bit of very rough research to see how zoos compared to other experiences. The prices below are adult on-line prices and don’t include special offers, family tickets, low-season discounts etc.

First a selection of zoo entrance prices, of course there is huge variation between zoos but bear in mind that Chester and Colchester are a full day out by anybody’s standards, Exmoor and Thrigby maybe half a day or so.

Chester £23.63

Colchester £20.69

Exmoor £13.95

Thrigby £14.50

Now, in comparison you could get two hours of entertainment at one of my local Cinemas for £12.69 another charged a wopping £16.00 but the cheapest was the one-screen flea-pit at £7.80

The theatre in town offers a couple of hours of Menopause the Musical for £30.00

At Alton towers theme park you get a full day of standing in queues (and about 10 minutes of adrenaline pumping riding) for £33. Surprisingly its big rival, Thorpe Park, is cheaper at £30. I would have thought that being close to London it would have been the more expensive one.

If you’re dull enough to want to spend 90 minutes watching Bristol City play Hull City then you’re going to have to fork-out £33

Considering the amount of “entertainment” time each experience offers, only the cinemas come close to the same value for money that a zoo offers, with the flea-pit cinema coming out best (if you’re prepared to ignore a numb arse from sitting on a thinly cushioned piece of wood for 2 hours).

So, over to you, are these fair comparisons? Would you rather watch two hours of musical about the menopause? (Personally I’ve only been two a couple of musicals and I hate that bit when everyone stands up to jig about, you try to pretend it’s not happening but pressure of self-consciousness from being the only one sat down, forces you to your feet. (I’d pay £30 not to go.) Or does 90 minutes sitting in the rain looking at the back of someone’s head while being accused of being Welsh* sound like a fun time?

*Apparently, not that I've been, at Bristol matches it's the done thing for the visiting fans to chant "You're Welsh and you know you are". I guess you have to entertain you're self some how.
 
Considering this is in the international forum and not the UK one, you've got to consider zoo prices in other countries too. I feel that the UK tends to be on the upper end of zoo prices in general.

Wroclaw: 45zl (£9.35)
Berlin Zoo+Aquarium: €21 (£18.21)
Prague: 200CZK (£6.84)
Dusit Zoo: 100 baht for foreigners (£2.26)
Warsaw Zoo: 20zl (£4.16)
Even Zurich: CHF 26 (£18.98)
 
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If they're not too busy and there are talks/shows throughout the day, then I'd say the average punter should say yes, they are good value.

Another thing to consider, which is not an issue at the vast majority of UK zoos, is parking charges. Several mainland European zoos I visited last summer had charges that I hadn't thought about before leaving.
 
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LaughingDove said:
Considering this is in the international forum and not the UK one, you've got to consider zoo prices in other countries too. I feel that the UK tends to be on the upper end of zoo prices in general.

Wroclaw: 45zl (£9.35)
Berlin Zoo+Aquarium: €21 (£18.21)
Prague: 200CZK (£6.84)
Dusit Zoo: 100 baht for foreigners (£2.26)
Warsaw Zoo: 20zl (£4.16)
Even Zurich: CHF 26 (£18.98)
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In general German zoos seem incredibly cheap to me as UK zoogoer (but I know many are subsidised by local government to some extent). I think Dutch zoos are more generally in line with UK prices with Harderwijk being the most money I've ever paid in entrance fees (no regrets though -not the best £ per hour value but given the species and park still well worth it).

Whilst, for me, zoos do offer value for money (though some better than others) aquariums seem expensive on a £ per hour basis (especially the Sealife chain).
 
littleRedPanda said:
Several zoos I visited last summer had charges that I hadn't thought about before leaving.
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Really, I can't think of many -of all the many zoos I visited in the UK I can only think of a few London, Whipsnade, Edinburgh, Dudley, Birmingham Nature Centre (only recently and still fairly token), Living Coasts and perhaps a couple of others I've inevitably forgot.

If you look most are in urban or city centre locations so, given land values/scarcity, I suppose it's inevitable (Whipsnade hold your head in shame, you grifter).
 
Good points. I'd be interested in an international response, for example how do zoo prices compare to cinema or sports games in the US or Germany? I guess many UK museums are free but can be expensive else where in the world.
 
Shorts said:
Really, I can't think of many -of all the many zoos I visited in the UK I can only think of a few London, Whipsnade, Edinburgh, Dudley, Birmingham Nature Centre (only recently and still fairly token), Living Coasts and perhaps a couple of others I've inevitably forgot.
If you look most are in urban or city centre locations so, given land values/scarcity, I suppose it's inevitable (Whipsnade hold your head in shame, you grifter).
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Sorry, I meant to specify mainland European zoos having the charges I hadn't considered.
Over here, Whipsnade's car park is now free and I can't remeber paying for Birmingham nature centre either.
 
*UK person*

Another few things to consider
1) Families might not spend all day at the zoo, some might only spend a couple of hours before they move on. So the value per hour is variable person to person and situation to situation. As a flat value its very poor if you drop in for an hour or less; but pretty good if you drop in for half a day or more.

2) Feed talks are typically free; though some activities come with a charge (eg feeding/some displays/interaction events). Charges for extra events vary a lot - some are very cheap others can be quite expensive.

3) Food and gifts - these are typically premium prices. Granted food can be bypassed by taking a pack lunch, but many people today don't and they instead factor the food cost into the entry fee. Throw on the tactically placed gift shop and a family visit can become quite an expensive venture.

4) Repeat ad-hock visits or visiting varied locations. The cost of most zoos makes membership for annual passes quite viable for those wanting to visit the same zoo multiple times in the same year; however many casual people won't pre-plan a year of visits and instead are far more impulsive in their years entertainment. Higher entry prices do affect casual visits (again especially more so for groups).

5) Most zoos have free parking - indeed barring a few that have little parking and rely on local carparks; the majority are easy to park in for nothing. Of course lowering tickets and adding carpark fees would likely have more of a backlash than slightly higher ticket prices would. One just has to look at carparks in towns and supermarkets to see that free parking is a massive attraction to visitors - even if the carparking fees are small
I've seen a local town go from free hour to charged and it utterly striped the town of cars and customers - they changed it back and the carpark is again full and the street busy.

Overall if you break the price down the entry fees for UK zoos are not "bad" but they are high, especially when many going remember that they were far lower not a huge number of years ago. Add to that the fact that the amenities and additional costs within are often pretty high and it can make a trip to the zoo quite a considerable chunk of money just for one person let alone a small group or family.


From the zoo's point of view I guess that its a battle for them between value for money vs how many they expect to get through their doors each day. I suspect they must work to find that sweet spot where they can maximise the number of visitors - encourage more regular goers into annual tickets - and still pick up on the casual footfall as well.
I might even be overplaying the casual footfall for some zoos as many are, even if in the urban areas, still often in the fringes or right out in the countryside so totally casual foot fall isn't a huge factor (much more urban zoo's like London likely have far more chance to pick up random footfall)
 
overread said:
Overall if you break the price down the entry fees for UK zoos are not "bad" but they are high, especially when many going remember that they were far lower not a huge number of years ago. Add to that the fact that the amenities and additional costs within are often pretty high and it can make a trip to the zoo quite a considerable chunk of money just for one person let alone a small group or family.
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But, visitor numbers for most UK zoos are either rising or stable so the current pricing policies obviously aren't deterring people.
 
Going off of the European prices listed here, Canadian and American zoos seem to push a bit higher. The most expensive facilities, such as the San Diego zoo and seaworld all run between 60 and 100 us depending on the ticket and time of year (£40-70). I know there are several other facilities running with entrance costs this high but can't recall them off the top of my head.

For many other "quality" facilities, I find admission costs are usually in the 20-35 dollar range (£14-25) for the most part.
 
I think costs such as parking and food are universal to all entertainment, the cost of confectionery at cinemas is astronomical. @overred i think your point about people having visited years ago when prices were cheaper explains alot of why people are surprise at entrance costs.
The US situation is interesting, I got the impression that a generation or two ago they're were many free zoos, now they seem expensive but is this because the likes of Sea World attract alot of foreign tourists who expect to pay out more?
 
Whether it’s expensive or not is always going to be massively subjective. That will depend entirely on somebody’s disposable income, somebody’s level of interest in the activity, somebody’s usual methods of entertainment and many other factors.

Personally, I’m yet to find a zoo within Europe where the entry costs me more than what I earn in an hour of work - and it generally seems quite normal for people to spend the same as they earn in an hour of work when buying their lunch or travelling to work on a daily basis - so I think for me that’s more than proportionate to spend on doing something that I really love. Generally if I really want to do something that much, I wouldn’t let money stand in my way anyway, and would just pay whatever it might cost so that I can get what I want.

My other usual forms of entertainment are going to the theatre (which I do very regularly, probably just as regularly as I visit zoos actually) which costs me anywhere between £13-£60 per ticket depending on the show and the seat, shopping which is an absolutely colossal expense, dining out which again works out more expensive than visiting a zoo and which doesn’t keep me occupied for anywhere near as long, and indulging in various cosmetic procedures which I can’t even begin to speak about the expense of! For sure the zoos are generally the cheapest and also make me the happiest! For me, that’s money well spent.
 
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Don't forget that in summer, when most people visit, the prices for Chester and London push towards thirty pounds per adult. For a family of four that's one hundred before you include extras. I think considering the value per hour is a bit of a red herring; a hundred is a lot of money for many families and probably represents that month's 'treat' or luxury spend. If you can do something fun for less that day then the fact that the fun thing doesn't last as long is probably not such an important consideration.

For zoonerds who are likely to visit by themselves and stay, perhaps, for a whole day the value is obviously better. We are likely to enjoy the visit more as well. Most significantly though, that twenty quid also provides hours of planning and anticipation during the weeks and days before, and an almost limitless amount of discussion and enjoyment afterwards. It is the price of engaging in our Passion and thus is obviously worth it for those who can afford it.
 
Here in the USA prices are all over the place and there seems to be no direct correlation between admission price and quality of experience. St Louis Zoo is free for everyone and is one of the best zoos in the country. I think most ZooChatters would rank it top ten. Here in Arizona, there are two zoos in the Phoenix area. Wildlife World Zoo is twice the price of Phoenix Zoo yet the latter is clearly has better exhibits and animal care. Both are privately funded, just in case someone thinks Phoenix Zoo gets city funding. In Chicago, Lincoln Park Zoo is free and Brookfield Zoo charges a mid range admission fee. In California, Los Angeles Zoo charges more than Fresno Zoo, yet the latter (with its newest developments) is clearly superior IMO (though I may start a fight by saying so).

Parking is a whole other issue that seems to be regional. Most of the big zoos in California charge extra as far as I know, but not one single zoo or aquarium in Arizona or New Mexico charges extra. In Seattle area, Woodland Park Zoo charges extra while Point Defiance zoo does not.

Many zoos here in the states participate in a reciprocal membership program, where being a member of one gets you into the others for half price. This makes a visit to one of these zoos an incredible bargain.
 
littleRedPanda said:
Over here, Whipsnade's car park is now free and I can't remember paying for Birmingham nature centre either.
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It's a very recent change at Birmingham -they've completely rennovated the poor, crater covered, car park and, to me, the fairly token charges seemed entirely reasonable.
 
It's enormously variable. When I visited Menagerie du Jardin des Plantes (Paris) it costed only 8 €. While Faunia in Spain, a zoo with more or less the same level of quality/interest than Menagerie, it costs 35 € (altoughth the price depend of the season and booking online or getting ticket directly here).
 
Ned said:
I was wondering what other people thought about zoo entrance prices, do you consider them expensive? I often come across people who consider zoos to be expensive but I’ve always thought them to be comparatively inexpensive, so I did a bit of very rough research to see how zoos compared to other experiences. The prices below are adult on-line prices and don’t include special offers, family tickets, low-season discounts etc.

First a selection of zoo entrance prices, of course there is huge variation between zoos but bear in mind that Chester and Colchester are a full day out by anybody’s standards, Exmoor and Thrigby maybe half a day or so.

Chester £23.63

Colchester £20.69

Exmoor £13.95

Thrigby £14.50

Now, in comparison you could get two hours of entertainment at one of my local Cinemas for £12.69 another charged a wopping £16.00 but the cheapest was the one-screen flea-pit at £7.80

The theatre in town offers a couple of hours of Menopause the Musical for £30.00

At Alton towers theme park you get a full day of standing in queues (and about 10 minutes of adrenaline pumping riding) for £33. Surprisingly its big rival, Thorpe Park, is cheaper at £30. I would have thought that being close to London it would have been the more expensive one.

If you’re dull enough to want to spend 90 minutes watching Bristol City play Hull City then you’re going to have to fork-out £33

Considering the amount of “entertainment” time each experience offers, only the cinemas come close to the same value for money that a zoo offers, with the flea-pit cinema coming out best (if you’re prepared to ignore a numb arse from sitting on a thinly cushioned piece of wood for 2 hours).

So, over to you, are these fair comparisons? Would you rather watch two hours of musical about the menopause? (Personally I’ve only been two a couple of musicals and I hate that bit when everyone stands up to jig about, you try to pretend it’s not happening but pressure of self-consciousness from being the only one sat down, forces you to your feet. (I’d pay £30 not to go.) Or does 90 minutes sitting in the rain looking at the back of someone’s head while being accused of being Welsh* sound like a fun time?

*Apparently, not that I've been, at Bristol matches it's the done thing for the visiting fans to chant "You're Welsh and you know you are". I guess you have to entertain you're self some how.
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It surely depends on what value you get for your money. I have been to places and left feeling ripped off as the exhibits or displays were either poor, or there was not much variety of species. At others I have come away feeling that I had my monies worth. What's wrong with being Welsh??
 
Visiting zoos can be expensive, depending on the zoo visited and the number of people going (and whether or not additional purchases will be made there, such as food and souvenirs) but I don't think it's necessarily disproportionate to the cost of other things.

My favourite zoos (Chester aside, as I was given membership there as a gift) are the likes of Monkey World (which I think is good value for money, especially as it is near the south coast - though as a primate adopter I get in free) as well as Hamerton and Exmoor, which are very reasonable. Cotswold Wildlife Park is good value for money and is currently £14 for an adult if bought online, as well as having one of the best concessionary discounts I have seen.

In comparison, Warwick Castle is £32 for an adult castle and dungeon ticket if bought at the gate, with an additional £10 or £6 for parking (youch). Cadbury World is £17 for an adult. Chatsworth House is £23. If you want to just park at Lulworth Cove it costs £4 for 0-2 hours. Bletchley Park is £18.50.

I am very pleased when zoos like Twycross do offers on reduced cost entrance. It must make a huge difference to some families, and make a visit to the zoo a possibility for others.
 
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