Fester - you're right to raise this issue. I've waxed quizzical about it on posts ages ago and it could do with some serious research; I daresay Visit Wales, the Llandudno Hospitality Assoc and Conwy's tourism department would have some sort of useful stats to hand which would help give people an idea of the average demographic and whom they need to target for – for want of a better word - “emerging markets”.
Much of it needs untangling – I think Llandudno's blessing AND curse is that it offers such a mixed bag. Now that uniqueness might give it some extra selling points, but it could also hamper it. For example, there are lots of places which are seaside attractions yet not at all like Llandudno. At one end of the spectrum, you have places on the West and South Wales coast, and across Cornwall – beaches that attract a young demographic and target surfers, campers etc and the more “outdoorsy” crowd. Families might also be enticed to these sorts of places as they're an impressive place to take kids.
At the other end, you have what B2R correctly branded the “drunks and chavs” end – not quite as big as Blackpool, but destinations for hen/stag parties and rowdy crowds. Won't attract families due to the high instances of anti-social behaviour and the like. And more often, they tend to have an economic and social background similar to somewhere like Rhyl, or the seaside spots in the North West of England – once a good Victorian destination with lots of nice seafront houses, which eventually became great B&Bs and (later) HMOs. The beaches in these towns may not, in and of themselves, be all that attractive, but supplemented by things like amusements arcades, piers, fairgrounds etc they have been able to make a name for themselves.
And then there are the retirement seaside resorts (Costa del Geriatrica, as someone I knew once put it!). Similar to the above in that they're Victorian resorts but they've not gone down the route of cheaper drinks-party places yet, and instead cater to elderly people who visited once during the 1950s and fell in love with the place. As has rightly been pointed out, this demographic will, over time, dwindle thanks to the natural advancement of time and mortality.
Llandudno doesn't quite fit in to any of these brackets neatly. It has pubs, poundshops and takeaways; but also old hotels and coachloads of elderly visitors; and families keen to enjoy both beaches and both Ormes, the prom and the pier.
And let's not miss the fact that through the Great Orme, it boasts a ski slope; copper mine; cable cars; tram line; fantastic seaside/cliffside route with views across a good chunk of the rest of the North Wales coast and Anglesey; prehistoric fossils; rare flora and fauna; a WWII gun site and, for those who like a bit of a gawp, Millionaire's Row. And for the Little Orme, it has a quarry, seals, the site of the first printing operation in Wales and similarly pleasant views.
Venue Cymru, for all its faults, is starting to tack on to festivals – everything from tattoos to comedy, and the upcoming sci-fi one.
And, through its high street and two big retail outlets, Llandudno also boasts a halfway decent shopping scene, and is a good halfway point between Chester and Bangor when it comes to big stores. There's also an impressive number of independent shops and smaller cafes and restaurants.
Okay, all my rambling aside, the question Llandudno needs to ask is what, with all the eggs in all of the baskets, it's going to do next.
For that, you'd need that demographic profiling I mentioned at the top, and also to take in to account what's going on in the rest of the area. For example, Snowdonia is fast becoming a globally important site for extreme sports, with the development of the zipline in Bethesda and the new surf pool near Dolgarrog. Nearby Eglwysbach has the Welsh Food Centre. Colwyn Bay, oft lamented, is starting to attract big acts and is making a slow turnaround.
Does Llandudno try to go for pieces of the same pie? Or would that risk doubling up and splitting visitors to the area, when it ought to make a whole new pie of its own?
We can't start that discussion without knowing what the current make-up of visitors is like. As ormegolf notes, there are standards, desires and behaviours cropping up which will need to be catered to, and Llandudno can ill-afford to miss out on those.