Universal Studios Bedford: How The Next UK Theme Park Could Spark A Local Business Boom
- Mark Kozo
- Sep 29
- 5 min read
With plans underway for a new Universal Studios theme park in Bedfordshire, the UK is set to welcome one of the most significant tourism developments in decades. Expected to attract 8.5 million visitors annually, the scale of the project puts it on par with some of the biggest parks in the world - and could present a golden opportunity for the regional and national economy.
But with the park expected to open in 2031, are local amenities prepared for the footfall?
Approved Business Finance has analysed the surrounding infrastructure and benchmarked it against existing theme parks in the UK and globally. The findings suggest Bedfordshire is poised for a wave of development - one that could offer fertile ground for hospitality entrepreneurs, restaurant owners, and retail businesses alike, as well as providing a major boost to existing local businesses and house builders.
How will Universal boost the local economy?
The Universal Bedfordshire project is impressive in its scale and ambition. Expected to generate over 28,000 jobs before a planned opening in 2031, the park will be Universal’s first in Europe, and will quickly become one of the biggest entertainment parks on the continent.
With this, there will be huge opportunities for local businesses, from construction to cafés, hotels to logistics, and everything in between. The influx of tourists, workers, and investment will create demand across almost every sector - offering a rare chance for entrepreneurs, SMEs, and established firms to grow alongside one of Europe’s most significant new leisure developments.
A shortfall of local hotels
For many theme park visitors, being able to stay within walking distance of the park is essential, and the hospitality sector now has an opportunity to fulfil upcoming demand. Of course, on-site stays at the park will be on offer, with the park expected to feature a 500-room hotel with a dining and entertainment complex.
Outside of the immediate area, there are currently no hotels within a 2-mile radius of the park. This stands in contrast to other UK theme parks, where there are around 0.85 hotels per 1,000 park visitors (or one hotel per 1,176 visitors).
Based on the projected 8.5 million annual guests (or around 23,288 visitors per day), Bedfordshire would need at least 19 hotels nearby to match the current UK theme park average.
For comparison:
● Disneyland California has 80 hotels within 2 miles.
● Magic Kingdom Florida has 22 hotels in walking distance.
● Even Thorpe Park, which brings in less than a quarter of the expected visitors to Universal UK, has 12 hotels nearby.
This underlines a huge opportunity for hotel chains, B&B operators, and developers looking to capitalise on expected demand.
More development needed to feed visitors
Looking at UK averages, there are currently around 4.17 restaurants per 1,000 daily visitors. To maintain this sort of momentum, and to help feed some of the 8.5 million annual guests, the site around Universal Bedfordshire will need 93 restaurants in total. There are currently only four restaurants within two miles of the site, meaning 89 new restaurants would need to open to meet anticipated demand, not counting eateries that will undoubtedly serve visitors within the park boundaries.
By comparison:
● Alton Towers has 78 restaurants nearby.
● Disneyland California boasts nearly 200 nearby restaurants for visitors.
● Tokyo Disneyland has 177 places to eat within two miles of the site.
This isn’t just a call to action for major chains, there’s real scope here for independent businesses, franchisees, and small food vendors to establish a foothold in a high-traffic area.
How much could new local developments cost?
Constructing larger developments like new hotels and restaurants doesn’t come cheap, and the total investment needed to accommodate the surge in visitor numbers to the Bedfordshire area will run into the hundreds of millions of pounds. Using sources like Checkatrade, we can estimate the total investment needed.
Building a 100-room mid-market hotel in the UK typically requires an investment of £11m to £24m, covering construction, furnishing, and professional fees. Larger 200-room, higher-spec hotels can command far higher budgets, ranging from £42m to £96m each depending on the level of finish and amenities.
For restaurants, opening costs vary widely depending on the offer. Independent cafés and casual dining venues can be launched for around £100k to £750k, while higher-end chains and drive-thrus can require £1.2m to £1.5m or more to build and fit out.
Taken together, meeting demand for the additional 19 hotels and 89 restaurants needed around Universal Bedfordshire could represent between £240m and £1.1bn in new hospitality investment, a once-in-a-generation pipeline for local construction firms and supply chains.
Commenting on the research findings, Mark Kozo, Commercial Director at Approved Business Finance, said:
“The sheer scale of the Universal development will create unprecedented demand for local infrastructure. With the right investment, Bedfordshire could become a hotspot for entrepreneurs and national chains alike. The opportunity here for local businesses is exciting, and one the area can really benefit from.
“Through commercial mortgages and asset finance, we’re ready to help local and incoming businesses access the funding they need. Whether that’s building a hotel, fitting out a restaurant, or expanding a logistics operation - this is a once-in-a-generation opportunity, and businesses that act early will be best placed to benefit.”
Will Universal be a catalyst for local economic growth?
Commenting on the anticipated boost to the local economy, David Jazani, Senior Lecturer in Building Technologies and Construction at the University of Bedfordshire, said:
“I expect a lot of the work on the park itself to be carried out by specialist contractors from outside of the area, but certainly some support work may come from local businesses.
“Primarily, I see opportunities for the service and hospitality industry emerging from the development, and the impact on housing would be quite high. Considering the service industry influx and wages of moderate range, supply of starter housing will come under pressure - primarily flats and 2-bedroom housing. The development at Wixams is expected to be enlarged, and Bedford Council need to start now to be able to meet the requirements.
“Access to the site will also be an important consideration. Bedford, as the only close serving town, needs much improvement in its infrastructure. It is hampered by poor access due to the way the river divides the town and lack of bridges. Consideration of the new circular link to Kempston area needs to be examined earlier.
VisitBritain/VisitEngland Chief Executive Patricia Yates said:
"It is fantastic that Universal have chosen Bedford as the site of their first theme park in Europe, demonstrating the importance of tourism to attract inward investment, drive economic growth and create jobs.
“Our latest international campaign 'Starring GREAT Britain' is already harnessing the powerful draw of screen tourism to attract international visitors to Britain and drive their spending across our nations and regions, boosting local economies. It is exciting to see that visitors will be able to enjoy more state-of-the-art film and TV-related experiences right here in Britain once the theme park opens in 2031.”
David continued:
“Bedford as a hub had lost its importance in jobs provision long ago when the terracotta and brick works had declined, but the supply of craftspeople to the new development could benefit the local economy massively.”
Methodology
Approved Business Finance researched a number of major theme parks around the world, including Disneyland, Universal Studios and UK theme parks, to spot trends between the size of parks, their annual visitor numbers and consumer spend. Using these insights, as well as researching the number of hotels and restaurants within walking distance of similar parks, we were able to estimate the number of hotels and restaurants needed to meet the influx of tourists to the Bedfordshire site.
All figures are estimates and should not be taken literally.
Figures correct as of September 2025.
