The much-awaited Silverstone Experience is opening on 25 October. The attraction will take visitors on an exciting journey through the past, present and future of Silverstone and British motorsport. "We are expecting a lot of interest from the coach market," says Gillian Bell who is responsible for trade sales. "It promises a fascinating half-day of [...]
CTA member Groups Direct has some great winter offers to help coach operators fill their coaches over the winter months. A free group organiser place is available with every 20 paid customers to deliver a reasonably-priced day out that can help group organisers and coach operators offer clients something during the winter months. The following winter warmers [...]
A glimpse of the Downton Abbey grandeur at our National Trust for Scotland properties From the television series to the big screen blockbuster, the Crawley family and their servants at Downton Abbey have caught the public’s imagination. But coach groups can also get a feel for Downton life at some of the grand houses the [...]
Westminster Abbey marks the 750th anniversary of the consecration of Henry III’s church this autumn. Henry III was devoted to Saint Edward the Confessor, and in his honour he rebuilt Edward’s 11th century Abbey in the then new Gothic style of architecture. Work started in 1245 and the consecration of the Church took place on [...]
As the Turner Prize opens in Margate, Kent looks ahead to an exciting year of culture in 2020. According to Visit England’s recent Annual Attractions Survey, England’s art galleries and museums are currently enjoying significant growth in visitor numbers with figures up by 6 per cent in 2018 compared to the previous year. With millions [...]
The CTA Christmas Networking Event is being held in Coventry on Sunday 24 November 2019 and promises to be one you really won’t want to miss! Hosted by Doubletree Hilton, the event will be a great opportunity to catch up with industry friends and colleagues ahead of the festive period and will include a fabulous [...]
Following a suggestion by CTA member Robert Easton, we have set up a new group page on Facebook which is designed to enable coach operator members to discuss matters of interest regarding organising tours and excursions. The group enables members to share best practice and information including your favourite hotels, stopovers and destinations, and advice [...]
Places are still available for CTA operators for a special Christmas event at Tilbury on board Cruise and Maritime Voyages’ flagship Columbus on 19 December. Photo: CTA board member Paula Ward and communications director Helen Bowron met up with CMV’s Deborah Rixson (centre) on board the Columbus for a sneak preview. The Christmas event is [...]
The latest travel trade update from VisitScotland highlights Manderston House in the Scottish Borders which welcomes groups all year round. An Edwardian country house, Manderston was designed by Scottish architect John Kinross in the 1790s and is today home to the 4th Lord Palmer and sits in 56 acres of formal and informal gardens. Another [...]
Cheshire’s iconic Anderton Boat Lift is marking the national Heritage Open Days campaign with free history talks and ‘Walking the Lift’ tours on Saturday 21 September and Sunday 22 September. The history talks will cover the restoration of the lift and the engineering that makes the boat lift worthy of its ‘Scheduled Ancient Monument’ status. [...]
In addition to its range of cruise products, City Cruises Poole has opened its own cafe, the Harbour Station Café. Located directly on the Quay opposite the departure point for the cruises, the café provides a wide range of both hot and cold food, as well as an ice cream station. In addition to regular [...]
CTA is once again working closely with the British Tourism & Travel Show and will be a partner for the show and jointly host a reception for CTA members on the first afternoon. The show, which takes place on 25-26 March 2020 at the NEC, attracts more than 3,000 decision makers and is a great [...]
A spring day out at an RHS Garden offers an unrivalled opportunity for coach groups to see fabulous displays of bulbs, blossoms and special events. From the Royal Horticultural Society’s historic home, RHS Garden Wisley in Surrey, to the beautiful RHS Garden Rosemoor in Devon, and from RHS Garden Harlow Carr in Harrogate to the [...]
CTA members enjoyed fabulous sunshine for their annual summer networking event, held in Brighton on Sunday 28 July. The event, which included a reception at the Old Ship Hotel, courtesy of the hotel and Visit Brighton, before a ‘ride’ on the British Airways i360 and a BBQ, attracted almost 100 delegates. On the following morning, [...]
Devon’s Top Attractions and the CTA have created a fabulous three-night, four-day Devon familiarisation opportunity, exclusive to CTA members on 27-30 October 2019. We have a limited number of places available on the 'Devon Unlocked' FAM trip for CTA coach operator and wholesaler members - so please book early, don't delay! The Fam trip is [...]
CTA member Aerospace Bristol has launched two new tours for groups in 2020. The Concorde Tour gives groups the chance to learn about the supersonic superstar that is Concorde, just across the runway from where all British Concordes were built. As they walk around the last Concorde to be built and the last to fly, [...]
Coach Tours UK magazine, which has just joined CTA as a member, is organising a free event for coach operators and GTOs in a visit to North Norfolk. Working with Creative Tourism Ideas & Solutions, Coach Tours UK Magazine is inviting all coach operators and GTOs to attend this FREE Day event at The Cliftonville [...]
Visit Flanders has alerted us about some events that are taking place in Antwerp in the coming months that will impact on the availability and location of coach parking in the city. During the following times, the usual coach parking will be closed and drivers will be directed to alternative facilities at Gerlachekaai, Antwerp. There [...]
Recent travel firm failure highlights trust account operation, says Towergate Following the sad news of a south coast operator’s sudden and unexpected closure, CTA partner Towergate Travel is reminding operators about the changes to trust accounts which were included in the last year’s new Package Travel Directive. The new regulations continue to allow third party-administered [...]
New CTA member Cruise and Maritime Voyages is offering CTA operator members the opportunity to join its groups department to celebrate Christmas at a Festive Dinner and overnight event in London Tilbury on Thursday 19 December 2019. The event is a great opportunity to step aboard Columbus, to view the facilities and cabins, sample the [...]
VisitEngland has launched a new business-to-business digital platform designed to enable tourism suppliers to connect with multiple international distributors. Tourism Exchange Great Britain is a one-stop shop for English tourism suppliers including accommodation providers, visitor attractions and experiences, to link to distributors with international reach who can sell their products overseas. “TXGB will drive bookings [...]
A beautiful summer evening with a dinner cruise on the Thames in great company with CTA colleagues, what could be better? The 2019 AGM took place on board the MV Mercia, courtesy of CTA member Thames River Services, who put on a lovely evening dinner cruise which was enjoyed by more than 60 delegates. The [...]
CTA tour operator members will be aware that last year saw the introduction of updated regulations on package travel protection with the new Package Travel & Linked Travel Arrangements Regulations coming into force on 1 July 2018. The updated regulations identify the three routes for providing insolvency protection to customers: Bonding through an approved body, such [...]
Silverstone has announced that Shaylor Group, the main building contractor for The Silverstone Experience, has gone into administration. The Silverstone Experience stresses that the project will still go ahead but this development will inevitably cause some delay to the public opening date. All those who have already booked tickets have been contacted directly and a [...]
CTA partner Towergate Travel reports that its “TRIP” financial failure insurance has been approved and recognised by a number of merchant facility providers, including Worldpay, First Data, Trustpay Global & Barclays Merchant Services. Towergate says that the new agreement means the days of merchant facility providers holding cash guarantees or other forms of security are [...]
An innovative conservation scheme has been unveiled by the National Trust for Scotland to protect Hill House in Helensburgh, which is considered to be the finest example of domestic architecture by Scottish architect Charles Rennie Mackintosh and a major landmark within the history of architecture. The Glasgow publisher Walter Blackie commissioned Mackintosh to design the house [...]
A new wine shop at Waddesdon Manor offers the most comprehensive range of Rothschild wines in the UK and a perfect environment to taste rare Grand Cru wines by the glass. There are 126 Rothschild wines on offer, and a further 50 hand-picked guest wines. As a result of its prestige and global appeal, the [...]
A new audio guide at Cutty Sark is designed to enhance the visitor experience by bringing the story of the ship to life. The guide is currently available in English, other languages being introduced from the summer including German, French, Spanish, Italian, Mandarin, Japanese, Korean, Brazilian Portuguese and Russian. The audio guide is included in [...]
CTA member Hospitality Line has launched summer group rates for its On the Coast product including The Mary Rose Museum, Spinnaker Tower & 2 Course Lunch at Café Rouge, Portsmouth, and British Airways i360, Brighton Pavilion & 2 Course Lunch at The King and Queen, Brighton. The attraction visits and meals are designed to show [...]
There is still time to book for the CTA Summer BBQ which takes place in Brighton on Sunday 28 July, followed by a Visit Scotland workshop on the Monday morning. We are staying at the beautiful Old Ship Hotel on the seafront with a drinks reception at 5pm sponsored very generously by Visit Brighton. Then [...]
Visit Scotland’s latest travel trade bulletin includes information on a number of events and attractions including the forthcoming Solheim Cup, the biggest event in women’s golf, which takes place at PGA Centenary Course at Gleneagles, Perthshire from 9 – 15 September 2019, fascinating whisky tour opportunities at The Spirit of Ardnahoe on Islay, and Glencoe’s [...]
Jane Duffelen has sent this message to CTA members in respect of the amount raised at the CTA Conference in memory of Chris Wales. “Thank you all for your patience whilst I waited for the final donation to arrive - a staggering £3,275 raised at the CTA's annual conference, which brought the final total to [...]
Visit Kent have launched their brand new #SummerInKent 2019 campaign, along with three exciting campaign videos. Inviting Londoners, commuters, tourists and residents across the South East to discover more of the Garden of England, the digital marketing campaign will be published online across a range of publications (including the Metro, Time Out, and The Guardian), as [...]
RHS Gardens are offering dedicated packages for groups including the impressive festive ‘Glow Illuminations’, special winter walking tours and festive feasting options, to enable visitors to enjoy the best of the winter season with a group visit to one of the four RHS Gardens in the lead up to Christmas. Groups can get the best [...]
Continuum Attractions is running a Fam trip for coach operators at Emmerdale Studio Experience later this month and has some places remaining which will be of interest to CTA members. The event is on Saturday 22 June at 10:20 am at Emmerdale Studio Experience on Burley Road in Leeds and offers a chance to experience [...]
CTA member Borde Hill Garden in Haywards Heath, West Sussex, is gearing up for a summer of entertainment including hosting the Sussex Festival of Gin and performances of Open-Air Opera - all set within the Estate’s bloom-filled gardens. The Estate hosts the Sussex Gin Festival on Saturday 13 July in the South Park. Sussex is [...]
Greatdays has launched a new ‘Secrets of the City’ bus tour to celebrate Manchester’s innovative spirit and reveal stories about the city and its people. The 90-minute tour features a live commentary delivered by Blue Badge Tourist Guides and passengers will hear more than 100 unusual facts and quirky tales about Manchester’s buildings, heritage, transport, [...]
A statue of Prince Albert as a Greek warrior and a painting of bathing maidens are just a few of the extravagant gifts exchanged between Queen Victoria and her husband now on display at Osborne on the Isle of Wight. English Heritage is celebrating the 200th anniversary of the births of the royal couple this [...]
Windermere Lake Cruises, which has recently joined CTA, is making a multi-million pound investment in a brand-new 300-seat boat to add to its existing fleet. MV ‘Swift’ is expected to be in service from the mid 2020 season, making it the largest craft to be ‘launched’ on to Windermere for more than 80 years. The [...]
The CTA AGM 2019 will take place on Sunday 16 June with an event that includes an overnight stay at the Clayton Hotel City of London and an evening cruise and dinner on board with Thames River Services. Please book as soon as possible and note deadline for receipt of bookings for the AGM event [...]
The Silverstone Experience will open its doors to the public on 9 July 2019, just days before the Formula 1 Rolex British Grand Prix 2019. The new visitor attraction offers motorsport fans an interactive 2.5 hour journey through the past, present and future of British motor racing. Sally Reynolds, CEO of the Silverstone Heritage Limited [...]
CTA members will have received a timely reminder from the Royal Horticultural Society about their forthcoming Sculpture Exhibition, in a personalised mailshot along with a complimentary packet of seeds! RHS Garden Wisley is launching an amazing new group booking opportunity between 30 May and 1 December 2019 with a Sculpture Exhibition including exhibits from Henry [...]
Devon-based CTA member Lifton Farm Shop has a new name and extended facilities and looks forward to welcoming more coach groups. Now re-named Strawberry Fields Farm Shop, the food destination is on the Devon and Cornwall border, just off the A30. “With a new name that takes us back to our roots, ‘Strawberry Fields’ is [...]
Cheshire’s Anderton Boat Lift near Northwich, owned by the Canal & River Trust, is hosting its seventh annual beer and cider festival between Friday 24 May and Sunday 26 May. In what promises to live up to the success of previous festivals, there will be twelve great beers from across the UK as well as [...]
Snow covered mountains, fairy-tale castles and Christmas markets are some of the seasonal treats in store for operators booking winter tours for 2019/20 in the UK and Europe with Albatross Travel. Its latest Winter Tour itineraries for coach operators and group organisers include Switzerland, The Tyrol and Germany’s Bavarian Forest, as well as German Christmas [...]
Jane Duffelen has asked us to thank all those who have remembered Chris Wales: “On behalf of Chris’ family and I, please thank everyone who posted so many lovely comments and to those who so kindly sent cards and letters, all of which gave us some comfort at an incredibly sad time. “We’d also like [...]
Edwards Coaches has rebranded its school tours operation from École School Tours to Edwards Education and Youth Tours and aims to widen its product portfolio with bespoke tours for schools, youth organisations and sports teams. A new website will be launched in March. The rebrand follows market research which showed that the Edwards brand had [...]
Kent’s visitor economy has increased by 7 per cent and topped £3.8billion for the first time, after welcoming a record 65 million visitors in 2017. Research commissioned by Visit Kent shows that there were 64,970,000 to the county which is the third most-visited destination outside of London for foreign visitors. Overnight visits from overseas to [...]
