With brighter times in sight after a difficult year, Ashley & Newey has launched more than 300 UK tour programmes for 2022, with more being added every day. New destinations and hotel locations include the south coast, Isle of Man, Snowdonia, Scotland and Cornwall. Ashley & Newey provides ‘oven-ready’ tour packages which include attractions, hotels, [...]
Following the recent publication of the government’s roadmap out of lockdown, Leeds Castle in Kent has announced reopening dates for some of its most popular attractions and events. The Leeds Castle Foundation plans to stagger the reopening of its attractions over the next few months in line with government guidelines. All charitable income raised from [...]
The Prince of Egypt, the hit musical based on the classic DreamWorks Animation film, will resume performances at London’s Dominion Theatre on Thursday 1 July 2021 with public booking now extended until Saturday 8 January 2022. Trade rates are available for performances from Monday 6 September 2021; to book please contact your preferred West End [...]
After being closed for more than a year as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, the scenic South Devon Railway (SDR) has announced its outline programme for a Spring re-opening of the seven-mile heritage line running from Buckfastleigh to Totnes. The last SDR steam trains ran virtually empty on Tuesday 17 March 2020 just ahead [...]
Here is a link to a short immersive film for the National Trust of Scotland to commemorate the Anniversary of The Battle of Culloden in April. https://virtual-visits.co.uk/battle-of-culloden/
Jones Holidays, part of Alpine Travel, has launched a new programme of day excursions. Re-starting in May 2021, the day excursion programme was originally operated by Jones Motor Services until late 2017 following the acquisition of Jones Holidays by Alpine Travel earlier that year. The day trips complement Jones Holidays’ existing coach holidays programme which [...]
Leisureplex Hotels, part of employee-owned Alfa Leisureplex Group, operates 22 AA 3-Star hotels all set in seaside or waterside locations across the UK. In addition to accommodating Alfa Tours’ customers, Leisureplex welcomes enquiries from both coach operators and private groups. There are still a selection of dates available for the 2021 season, and dates and [...]
More than 60 per cent of respondents in a survey conducted on behalf of Southern Wales Tourism said that they may include the area in their future programme, with 42 per cent hoping to run tours in 2021, Covid-19 restrictions permitting, and 46 per cent planning for 2022 and 12 per cent for 2023 onwards. [...]
A new CTA member, Hauts-de-France, France’s northernmost region, is the UK’s closest international driving destination offering a truly authentic French experience on our doorstep. Easily accessible for groups and coach parties via the Channel Tunnel and ferry services, there is a wealth of inspiration for group holidays for a variety of interests. From historic WW1 [...]
CTA members are invited to participate in Hilton Group’s Ready to Travel series of educational webinars targeted at product, sales, and marketing teams. In April it will offer short, 40-minute presentations on key group tour destinations in the UK and continental Europe. These should be great sessions for the UK groups market and there will two coming [...]
The Welsh government has set out steps for restarting tourism in a staged process from 12 April. From that date, the rules will be changed to allow travel into and out of Wales from the rest of the United Kingdom and Common Travel Area. The Welsh Government also signalled further planned changes ahead including: On Monday [...]
CTA members are invited to attend Elman Wall’s 7th Travel Recovery Zoominar on Thursday 8 April at 2pm. It features Simon Calder and a number of tour operators and travel agents sharing their most recent experiences and challenges as well as the normal line-up of experts sharing their view of the critical next few months. Register HERE
Rooftop cameras captured images of Salisbury Cathedral’s latest delivery of a peregrine’s egg last month. The female stayed with the egg overnight, taking a break at just after 06.00 when her mate came in and took over. The pair won’t start incubating the egg yet, but they will sit on the egg for brief periods. [...]
DCMS has published an additional Q&A regarding the restarting of tourism this spring which may impact on those operators planning to start day trips before 17 May. The Q&A published on 29 March, What does the Spring Roadmap mean for the Tourism Industry, states that day trips cannot start until 17 May if they involve [...]
COVID-19 Updates - week commencing 29/03/21 More updates of developments from the government and various links to interpretation and guidance. Go to date: 29 March 2021 29 March 2021 ... Tourism Alliance update: DCMS have updated the Q&A paper on reopening with guidance on a range of issues. These include: Coach Tours with multiple [...]
CTA chair Robert Shaw has written to minister Paul Scully following the latest government guidance on the new Restart grants for businesses affected by lockdowns. The guidance inexplicably singled out coach tour operators as not eligible for the Restart grant, although those with travel shops and retail premises may qualify. Robert Shaw pointed out to [...]
CTA members enjoyed a wonderful celebration of St Patrick’s Day on zoom, and we are very grateful for all the support and enthusiasm from Tourism Ireland and Hillsborough Castle. The event certainly whet everyone’s appetite to get back to the island of Ireland as soon as it is possible to do so. See a video [...]
COVID-19 Updates - week commencing 22/03/21 More updates of developments from the government and various links to interpretation and guidance. Go to date: 22 March 2021 24 March 2021 22 March 2021 ... Tourism Alliance update: Some good news to start the week. The ARG guidance has been changed to ask councils to encourage [...]
COVID-19 Updates - week commencing 15/03/21 More updates of developments from the government and various links to interpretation and guidance. Go to date: 15 March 2021 17 March 2021 15 March 2021 ... Tourism Alliance update: Revised Primary Guidance for Tourism and Hospitality Businesses The Primary Guidance on Working Safely During Coronavirus for different [...]
Mark Williams interviews Robert Shaw, new Chair of the Coach Tourism Association, to find out what it’s been up to during lockdown, and how coach tourism could emerge better and stronger. See the video here:
VisitScotland is inviting key buyers to take part in Scotland Reconnect 2021 on 27-29 April The three-day event provides an ideal platform to explore new business opportunities and reconnect with Scottish exhibitors through a combination of pre-scheduled and ad-hoc appointments and round table discussions. VisitScotland's Lauren Hogg says: "In these challenging times of Covid-19 we [...]
COVID-19 Updates - week commencing 08/03/21 More updates of developments from the government and various links to interpretation and guidance. Go to date: 8 March 2021 11 March 2021 8 March 2021 ... Tourism Alliance update: ARG Funding For Tourism Businesses In response to the disappointment that a number of sectors of the tourism [...]
Here are some key points and highlights from yesterday's Budget (3 March): Here is a budget briefing from Elman Wall. Budget update from Tourism Alliance: General Economic Status 700,000 people have lost their jobs, the economy shrank by almost 10% last year OBR forecast is for GDP to grow 4% this year, then by [...]
On St David’s Day (1 March) Visit Wales has strengthened its relationship with the Coach Tourism Association by becoming a new Partner Member. The importance of working together on tourism issues and opportunities for Wales in the coach operating sector has been highlighted during the pandemic and Visit Wales is pleased to formalise the already [...]
COVID-19 Updates - week commencing 01/03/21 More updates of developments from the government and various links to interpretation and guidance. Go to date: 1 March 2021 3 March 2021 1 March 2021 ... Tourism Alliance updates: Northern Ireland Economic Recovery Action Plan Northern Ireland has launched a £290m economic recovery plan which focuses on [...]
CTA member Stuart Render Tourism is inviting coach tour operators and group tour wholesalers to join a familiarisation trip this October to discover what northern France has to offer as a group-friendly destination. The four-day fam trip, being delivered by Hauts-de-France Tourism (which has recently joined as a new member of CTA), with the involvement [...]
Historic Royal Palaces’ 2021-22 Group Visits Guide is available to view and download via its website. For the first time, this edition will only be available in a digital format, so the guide can easily be amended to reflect any changes to the visitor offer. Operators are therefore recommended to check the guide before a visit for [...]
Uber boat by Thames Clippers is planning to return to service from Monday 29 March, following the government’s roadmap out of the current lockdown for England. On the basis that the government’s Step 1 remains unchanged, it will return with a phased re-introduction of services from 29 March and initially operate the RB1 service between [...]
Update 24/02/21: Road Map Questions Attached is a copy of the collated questions on the Roadmap that have been sent to DCMS by the Tourism Alliance including specific references to the Day Trips questions raised by CTA. We are awaiting a government response. There are still a number of questions on the details but the [...]
COVID-19 Updates - week commencing 22/02/21 More updates of developments from the government and various links to interpretation and guidance. Go to date: 22 February 2021 25 February 2021 22 February 2021 ... Tourism Alliance updates: Ordering Home Testing Kits The Government has announced that it is making it is introducing three new measures [...]
There was a great piece on The One Show, BBC1 (19 Feb) highlighting the desire for coach passengers to get back out there on holiday! Lovely to hear first hand from eager coach customers about the importance of having something to look forward to this year. The One Show reporter Kevin Duala commented: “There’s particular [...]
Update: Many thanks to everyone who attended our special zoom celebration of St Patrick's Day, and we are very grateful for all the support and enthusiasm from Tourism Ireland and Hillsborough Castle. Here's a video of the event for those who missed it, including a special Riverdance performance at the end. Following [...]
Over St David’s Day weekend (27 February -1 March), @walesdotcom will be running its biggest ever digital festival across social media channels, working with partners and digital contacts to amplify Wales to the world. It aims to showcase Wales at its best and bringing the words of St David to life - ‘do the little [...]
Coldharbour Mill is one of the oldest woollen mills in the UK having been in continuous production since 1797. Originally owned by world-renowned textile producers Fox Brothers, the mill took fleece from all over the world and transformed it into yarn, cloth and textiles. Today the heritage lives on as one of the finest working [...]
Skipton Boat Trips is located in the centre of an award-winning market town at the gateway to the Yorkshire Dales. Whether it’s a one-hour cruise with an entertaining commentary and complimentary refreshments or an Afternoon Tea, Ploughman’s Lunch, Sunday lunch, or Fish & Chips cruise, at Skipton Boat Trips the goal is to make your [...]
Visit Herts’ latest Tourism Economic Impact Study shows that before the devastating impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, the county’s visitor economy had topped £2.4billion for the first time ever, welcoming a record 29 million visitors in 2019. Independent research commissioned by Hertfordshire’s official Destination Management Organisation has revealed that £139million was spent on average in the local economy each month in [...]
As a specialist in the field of surety insurance broking to the UK coach & bus industry, Wrightsure’s Andy Day would be delighted to undertake a complimentary review of any coach tour operator’s current consumer protection arrangements to see how Wrightsure may be able to be of assistance to them. Any coach tour operator who [...]
The challenge is set and the competition is rising as Clayton Hotels join Dalata Hotel Group’s 43 hotels across Ireland and the UK to walk, run, hike or wheelchair around the world in 30 days! Despite the difficult times facing us all, Clayton colleagues will virtually travel the full length of the world throughout February - that's [...]
Chatham Historic Dockyard Trust received a grant of £177,500 to support the rebuilding of audiences following the COVID-19 pandemic from the Garfield Weston Foundation Culture Fund. The funding will be used to support the redevelopment of the popular Victorian Ropery gallery at The Historic Dockyard Chatham, telling the 400-year-old story of ropemaking at Chatham – [...]
The Tourism Alliance has prepared a model letter that it is asking tourism businesses to send to the Government calling on them to offer the following support for tourism businesses as part of this year’s budget: Retain the 5% VAT Rate for 2021 and expand it to cover on-premises alcohol sales Extend Business Rates Relief [...]
CTA member Towergate Insurance reminds members of the government’s latest guidance on how BREXIT will affect future holidays taken in EU member states and other European countries. Towergate asserts that preparation is key and suggests some key points for your customers to consider: 1. Take out a travel insurance policy COVID-19 has shown us how [...]
Family-owned Marsham Court Hotel in Bournemouth has achieved success in the 2020 Dorset Tourism Awards winning the Gold award for Hotel of the Year along with Business Events and Wedding Venue and Dog Friendly Business. Having had a roller coaster of a year, the news brought a welcome boost to managing director Rosie Radwell and [...]
The Silver Travel Industry Report 2021 has been published by Silver Travel Advisor and includes some specific insights into coach tourism as a result of a partnership with CTA. The latest consumer survey conducted on behalf of Silver Travel Advisor focused on the desire for consumers to take coach holidays in the wake of the [...]
COVID-19 Updates - week commencing 15/02/21 More updates of developments from the government and various links to interpretation and guidance. Go to date: 15 February 2021 16 February 2021 18 February 2021 15 February 2021 ... Tourism Society: Join the Tourism Society for their 2nd session in the "Big Thinkers in Tourism" series [...]
COVID-19 Updates - week commencing 08/02/21 More updates of developments from the government and various links to interpretation and guidance. Go to date: 9 February 2021 10 February 2021 12 February 2021 9 February 2021 ... Tourism Alliance updates: New Border Control Measures The Government has announced new border control measures aimed at preventing [...]
CTA members can join a free webinar being organised by ETOA on 9 February at 16:00 hrs covering 'Changes to the treatment of VAT in Germany'. In the view of the German authorities, the Tour Operators Margin Scheme (Sonderregelungen für Reiseleistungen) is only available to companies within the European Union. It follows that non-EU companies that deliver [...]
UPDATE: Here is a recording of the virtual event. A virtual lobby on behalf of the coach industry is being hosted by Emma Hardy MP on Wednesday 10 February, 1030-1130. In attendance will be over twenty MPs representing their local coach companies, and representatives from the coach industry. An invitation has been sent to Grant [...]
COVID-19 Updates - week commencing 01/02/21 More updates of developments from the government and various links to interpretation and guidance. Go to date: 1 February 2021 2 February 2021 3 February 2021 4 February 2021 1 February 2021 ... Tourism Alliance updates: FCA Business Interruption Policy Checker and FAQ Following the Supreme Court test case [...]
A ministerial statement in a House of Commons debate on tourism this week has offered a small ray of light for those coach tour operators who have not been successful in gaining access to Covid grants because they don’t have a retail premises selling direct to consumers. Tourism inister Nigel Huddleston acknowledged that coach tour [...]
COVID-19 Updates - week commencing 25/01/21 More updates of developments from the government and various links to interpretation and guidance. Go to date: 25 January 2021 26 January 2021 28 January 2021 25 January 2021 ... CPT updates: SWITZERLAND & NORWAY PASSENGER TRANSPORT BI-LATERAL AGREEMENTS We have previously updated members about the bi-lateral agreements between [...]
