The Competition and Markets Authority has made a statement today (30 April) that should be noted by tour operators. The CMA has responded to what it claims is an increasing number of complaints regarding cancellations and refunds. The CMA says: “4 out of 5 complaints being received into the Taskforce so far include concerns about [...]
The body representing bus and coach industry passengers, Bus Users has written a strong letter to the local government minister to support the coach industry’s case to be regarded as part of the leisure sector when it comes to consideration for government support during the crisis. Bus Users Claire Walters said in an open letter [...]
CTA member Maynes Coaches has completed what it believes is one of the longest key worker transfers by coach with a round trip from Aberdeen to Falmouth! Maynes Coaches reports: “We were called in again to head to Falmouth to ensure key workers were returned back to Scotland over the weekend. “The passengers were transported [...]
COVID-19 Updates - week commencing 27/04/20 More updates of developments from the government and various links to interpretation and guidance. Go to date: 27 April 2020 28 April 2020 29 April 2020 30 April 2020 27 April 2020 ... Transport Committee invites contributions on impact of coronavirus on UK transport The Commons Transport Committee [...]
CTA member Alpine Travel’s Chris Owens reports on the company’s successful re-focusing of its work towards supporting its local community: “When this pandemic started to hit mid-March it was very apparent that we were going to have a large number of fantastic loyal people within the business with very little for them to do, and [...]
CTA member Anu Desai from ITO Tours has sent the following message to CTA coach operator members: “Since I sent out my email to all of our group bookers saying ITO Tours UK were open during these challenging times, I wanted just to let you know how things are going. “We have been fortunate that [...]
CTA member Edwards Coaches showed its support for the Royal Glamorgan Hospital last week when they took part in the weekly Clap for Carers. Nine coaches and buses, including the Red Dragon coach which is used by the Wales rugby team as well as luxury Red Dragon Holidays, arrived at the hospital with Edwards staff [...]
Windermere Lake Cruises are donating food and drink from its vessels and pier cafes to Morecambe Bay’s hospitals, as a gesture of goodwill to the frontline NHS key workers working to keep local people safe. In line with government instructions not to operate due to the Coronavirus crisis, the attraction is donating snacks and beverages [...]
Castle Howard has been named winner of the award for 'Best Large Attraction' at the Visit York Tourism Awards 2020 which were broadcast live on Minster FM on 23 April. The awards celebrate achievements by businesses who contribute towards the tourism offer in and around York. Castle Howard was shortlisted along with the Jorvik Viking [...]
CTA member Waddesdon Manor has enabled a little escapism with a new virtual tour, which might be exactly what's needed at the moment. From stories about the Manor's past and about the Rothschild family to information on how the collections are managed and are still growing, there is a wealth of content to delight and inform. You [...]
A survey by Cumbria Tourism predicts that by the end of May, the Coronavirus pandemic will have cost the tourism industry in the county £1.45billion in revenue – almost half of tourism-related income for the county for the year. Hundreds of tourism businesses reported an average 91 per cent cancellations for May, June and July [...]
WTM has launched a new virtual platform, Global Hub. WTM organiser Reed Expo says: “More than ever, it’s important to stay connected, so we’d like to introduce a brand new virtual hub to help you keep the conversation going”. The WTM Global Hub gives access to exclusive webinars with industry experts. The first one will [...]
COVID-19 Updates - week commencing 20/04/20 Here is a further update of developments from the government and various links to interpretation and guidance. Go to date: 20 April 2020 21 April 2020 22 April 2020 23 April 2020 24 April 2020 20 April 2020 ... CPT operational updates: CORONAVIRUS JOB [...]
CTA members raised a fantastic £1,423 at a raffle during our Conference in February (doesn’t that seem a long time ago!). The money was donated to Martin House in Wetherby and we have just received a lovely reply from the hospice which demonstrates how timely this donation was, given the challenges for the sector with [...]
CTA members have been fielding a huge volume of enquiries from their customers and contacts and here’s an excellent example of how to communicate from one of our members, ITO Tours: Dear Group Organisers “The message today is that WE ARE OPEN all day, and every day from today onwards. We will phone as many [...]
COVID-19 Updates - week commencing 13/04/20 Here is a further update of developments from the government and various links to interpretation and guidance. Go to date: 14 April 2020 15 April 2020 16 April 2020 17 April 2020 14 April 2020 ... Update from Tourism Alliance: The DCMS Select Committee have launched an inquiry [...]
COVID-19 Updates - week commencing 06/04/20 Here is a further update of developments from the government and various links to interpretation and guidance. Go to date: 6 April 2020 7 April 2020 8 April 2020 9 April 2020 6 April 2020 ... Received from Tourism Alliance: Tourism Alliance has been working with the Local Government [...]
CTA is supporting an initiative launched by ABTA which aims to highlight the plight of the tourism sector to MPs and decision makers and accelerate measures to support the sector including relaxation of the PTD. The website www.savefuturetravel.co.uk is already up and running and generated more than 10,000 emails in the first day of operation. It is [...]
Lauren Hogg, VisitScotland has sent the following message to coach operators and wholesalers: “We hope you are all keeping safe and well in these strange and unsettling times. “This week we should have all been mingling, networking and talking all things Scotland at Expo in Aberdeen. Even though that's not the case, it's important to [...]
Following the transformation of the NEC, Birmingham into a temporary NHS 'Nightingale' Hospital for patients with Coronavirus the British Tourism & Travel Show has been rescheduled again to 22-23 October 2020. The British Coach Tourism Awards will now take place on the evening of 22 October at the National Motorcycle Museum. Lloyd Jones, event manager, Diversified [...]
Following a suggestion from Diane Richmond, we are aiming to compile a list of closures of events and attractions in order to help tour operators plan their remaining programmes for 2020, and to plan ahead for 2021. While most attractions that have contacted have had to close till further notice without any specific dates in [...]
COVID-19 Updates - week commencing 30/3/20 Here is a rolling update of developments from the government and various links to interpretation and guidance. Apologies for the length of the updates, but since this is critical information, we have not edited the submissions from other bodies and have included them in full. Go to date: 30 [...]
CTA is active with a range of bodies and organisations during this challenging period and working to provide information and links to useful sources for all our members. CTA chair John Wales says: "I want to assure you that we are doing all we can to join in with conversations and represent our sector in [...]
Coach drivers from Bakers Dolphin are to work as ambulance drivers following the cancellation of all national and international travel due to the coronavirus pandemic. Ten drivers who would normally be taking people on holidays this week began retraining for their new role after an agreement was struck between Bakers Dolphin and Bristol Ambulance Emergency [...]
VisitBritain has collated the following key items on support and advice following recent government announcements: “Following the Prime Minister's announcement yesterday outlining further steps to tackle the spread of COVID-19, including a three-week closure of non-essential businesses and premises, we wanted to share some links and guidance which you may find useful in these challenging times. • [...]
The Government has confirmed support for hospitality and leisure businesses, including the introduction of a business rates holiday for retail, hospitality and leisure businesses in England for the 2020 to 2021 tax year. Businesses are eligible for the business rates holiday if they are based in England and the business is in the retail, hospitality [...]
CTA member Edwards Coaches is offering free travel on its local bus services to NHS staff during the coronavirus pandemic. The services run between the Pontypridd area and Cardiff, including a direct route to the Royal Glamorgan Hospital. Edwards works closely with its local community, and this offer follows an initiative to provide free transport [...]
The Chancellor announced various measures on 20 March to support businesses during the Coronavirus crisis. These include a scheme to pay 80 per cent of the salaries of ‘furloughed workers’ and deferral of VAT payments. The Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme is available to all UK businesses and HMRC will reimburse 80 per cent of the [...]
In the light of the significant legal and contractual challenges that the Coronavirus crisis has caused, CTA has negotiated an agreement for our operator members to have access to the helpline that is operated by CPT for its BCH members. This may help some members with having access to some initial expert advice in dealing [...]
John Wales, CTA chairman writes: “The travel industry has demonstrated an admirable ability to adapt to some of the most severe conditions. These have ranged from natural disasters to attacks by terrorists. The international pandemic of the Coronavirus COVID-19 does however represent the greatest challenge our businesses have had to face for several generations. At [...]
CTA member Alpine Travel is responding to the current crisis by launching a scheme to help those who are vulnerable and self-isolating in the North Wales coastal region. The company says it aims to avoid compulsory lay-offs or short-time work so Alpine Travel and daughter company Jones Holidays has taken the bold step to maintain [...]
CTA is working through the TIER group, along with other organisations including ABTA and BCH, to urgently request that the government temporarily relax some of the obligations under the Package Travel Directive in respect of refunds to customers in the event of tour cancellation. The organisations are arguing that since these are extraordinary events, there [...]
The Department for Education has clarified the roles that are considered critical to the COVID-19 response, and the process that key workers should follow to ensure their child can continue in education during this period. The key worker roles include Transport, which is defined as: “those who will keep the air, water, road and rail [...]
ACAS are running free webinars for businesses on how to handle the impacts of Coronavirus. The free webinar will provide practical advice for employers to help manage the impact of Coronavirus in the workplace. It includes: steps that can help reduce the spread of the virus effective ways of communicating with employees self-isolating, time off, sickness [...]
The Department of Health and Social Care has announced changes to the Fit Note, now called a "self isolation note”. Employees who are unable to work for more than seven days because of COVID-19 will now be able to obtain an isolation note through a new online service. The isolation note will give the employee [...]
The Senior Traffic Commissioner has issued guidance to operators in respect of various licensing obligations which may be impacted in the short term. FINANCIAL STANDING A traffic commissioner would normally require tangible evidence to show that financial standing can be met in the future but, given the exceptional and short-term circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic, [...]
In the light of recent Government advice, and with heavy hearts, Historic Royal Palaces reports that it has made the decision to close its six sites from Friday 20 March until further notice. “Between them, the six extraordinary historic buildings in our care have witnessed 1,000 years of history,” says a spokesperson. “They have survived many [...]
Shakespeare’s Globe has sent the following message to CTA members: “We hope you understand it has been difficult for us to decide how to navigate our way forwards during this unprecedented time. It has been overwhelming to see all your messages of support, and everyone here at the Globe is truly grateful to see all [...]
Salisbury Cathedral has introduced the following measures for the benefit of visitors and staff: a cleaning regime ensuring all surfaces, door handles and touch screens are regularly cleansed with antibacterial products signage carrying government advice on hygiene – Catch it, Bin it, Kill it – in prominent areas, with bins made available for this purpose [...]
English Heritage has informed its travel trade partners about site closures until 1 May 2020. “Our first priority is the health and wellbeing of all our Members, visitors, volunteers and staff. As a charity, we could not survive without their support but we also have a responsibility to them - hence this decision,” says English [...]
Following increasing media coverage and concern about the developing coronavirus situation, the British Tourism & Travel Show has been postponed to The 11 to Fri 12 June 2020 at the NEC Birmingham. The British Coach Tourism Awards has also been moved, to take place on the second day of the show, Friday 12 June at [...]
CTA is once again a Partner with the British Tourism & Travel Show which takes place at the NEC Birmingham on 25-26 March. CTA will be holding a Members’ Reception at 3pm on the first afternoon in the main exhibition hall. No need to book, just drop in and see us. If you haven’t already [...]
CTA members enjoyed a fantastic Fam trip in London earlier this month in an event organised by Shakespeare’s Globe and The View from The Shard. The group enjoyed a guided tour ofThe Globe, a faithful reconstruction of the open-air playhouse, followed by a buffet lunch at The Swan Bar is The Globe’s on-site restaurant with [...]
CTA, in partnership with RB Coaches, Ashford International Hotel, Visit Kent, DFDS and Calais Tourist Office has organised a Fam Trip for CTA members. The itinerary runs from Sunday 26 April until the afternoon of Tuesday 28 April. It includes two nights' accommodation with all breakfasts and dinners included. This is a great opportunity to [...]
The plans for CTA’s flagship Conference & Workshop are continuing apace and we have secured some excellent speakers and can promise a first-class event with topical conference themes and the opportunity to meet and do business at the workshops and social networking sessions. Bookings are coming in thick and fast, so if you haven’t booked [...]
BTTS returns to the NEC on 25-26 March 2020 and will welcome more than 40 new exhibitors this year. There is still limited stand space available with an opportunity to meet more than 3,000 decision-making coach tour operators, group travel organisers and tour managers, and increase awareness of your business, capture quality data and generate [...]
CTA member Coach Tours UK Magazine is running a free FAM trip for coach operators and GTOs, in Buxton, Derbyshire on Monday 27 April 2020. This promises to be an excellent event with some great things planned, and a chance to explore a new area, with many hidden gems to add to your future tour [...]
Somerset West and Taunton Council is looking to relocate its coach parking spaces from Tangier Car Park in Taunton. There are a number of projects in the town centre and one includes changes to the existing coach car park on Tangier which could be as soon as April 2020. Somerset West and Taunton Council would [...]
Shakespeare’s Globe and The View from The Shard have teamed up with CTA to offer members a rare glance across London’s history within a single day. Join an exclusive familiarisation trip to their iconic venues on 4 February 2020 to experience the Long View of London package. There are a limited number of places available [...]
Bookings are now open for our flagship event for 2020, the Conference & Workshop which takes place on 23-25 February at the Doubletree Hilton York. We have a fantastic location, right on the edge of the city walls, and are planning our best Conference yet with a range of topical speakers alongside the ever-popular Workshop [...]
