Academics hail resort's winning formula

Academics yesterday claimed new Premiership soccer heroes Blackpool as living proof of a formula predicting the resurgence of the faded Lancashire resort.

The equation is based on how different social classes interact to make or break a holiday resort.

Nottingham University Business School used the rise, fall and renaissance of Bath since its 18th-century heyday as the original basis for the theory.

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But now they claim Blackpool's return to top-flight football shows the formula applies today.

Prof Peter Swann, from the business school, said: "Our theory is all about waves of consumption and the socio-economic mix.

"It wasn't easy for us to think of a present-day equivalent to Bath's experience, but promotion to the Premiership seems to fit the bill."

The formula is based on how Bath was transformed into a fashionable haven for polite society after Queen Anne visited in 1702.

The researchers claim Blackpool is now set to experience a major rebirth by attracting hundreds of thousands of visitors on the back of the Seasiders' football success.