Derbyshire’s award-winning visitor attraction, The Heights of Abraham, has announced that the 2025 Lights of Abraham event will shine from 21 November. The 2025 Lights of Abraham will feature new glittering archways, interactive stepping stones, a neon forest, and giant illuminated creatures including majestic swans, on a trail that can take over an hour to [...]
In 2026, Oxford’s Bodleian Library will stage daytime group tours in peak season for the first time. The Bodleian Library is one of the oldest libraries in Europe and is a group of 23 libraries that serve the University of Oxford. In 2026, group tours will continue in July and August, and the library has [...]
Hovertravel Ltd, the world’s longest-running passenger hovercraft service, is celebrating after being named Ferry Operator of the Year at the National Transport Awards 2025. The awards were held at the start of October and took place at the Westminster Park Plaza in London, hosted by broadcaster, Jeremy Vine. This is the first time Hovertravel, now [...]
A Very Austen Christmas at the Royal Pavilion Brighton will celebrate 250 years since the birth of Jane Austen as the historic building is decked out in Regency splendour. Between 22 November to 4 January, the event transforms the Royal Pavilion for a Regency-style celebration with an Austen-inspired set. Characters from Austin’s novels will come [...]
Shuttleworth has announced its 2026 ‘Events & More’ season, with occasions ranging from a comedy night, to music performances, and a Christmas lights trail. The Biggleswade, Bedfordshire estate is home to a famous collection of aircraft, presenting the fleet in amazing air shows, plus a range of motor vehicles from over the years. Now, Shuttleworth’s [...]
Kents Cavern Prehistoric Caves in Devon has joined the CTA. As one of the most significant Stone Age sites in Europe and part of the English Riviera UNESCO Global Geopark, the caves have been welcoming visitors for over 120 years and are one of Devon’s leading attractions. A guided tour takes visitors through an extensive [...]
Limited places are available for the CTA Winter Networking, with the pre-event overnight at Peebles now full. Taking place in Perthshire between 22-24 November, the event is sponsored by VisitScotland and Perth & Kinross Council. In a packed weekend, fam trips include Forth Boat Tours, Scone Palace, the Perth Museum, and Black Watch Museum, plus a visit to [...]
CTA is inviting members to the annual CTA Networking event at WTM 2025 on the opening morning of the World Travel Market exhibition, Tuesday 4 November, 9am-11am. The event will take place in the main bar area of The Fox pub at Excel. There’s no booking required for the CTA event, however members must book [...]
Tiroler Abend, The Tyrolean Folk Show with the Gundolf Family, based in Innsbruck, has released 2026 group rates and an itinerary suggestion for UK coach tour operators. Taking place in Alpensaal in Innsbruck’s city centre, the Gundolf Family presents an evening of traditional Tyrolean entertainment including yodelling, music, and dancing. The team of highly skilled [...]
Belvoir Castle, the fairytale Leicestershire home of the Duke and Duchess of Rutland, will be dressing its Regency State rooms in festive finery this year as its Christmas event reopens. From Saturday 29 November to Tuesday 30 December, A Magical Night Before Christmas at Belvoir Castle will invite visitors to tour the early nineteenth century [...]
Worldwide Attractions is offering CTA members a fam trip to Rotterdam in December on a visit that showcases what the city has to offer coach groups. Between 10–12 December 2025, plus an optional extension to 13 December, the Rotterdam experience includes an overnight ferry with P&O from Hull to Rotterdam. Worldwide Attractions will confirm the [...]
UK hotel management company Providence Hotels has announced the lease acquisition of four Mercure properties, including Mercure Exeter Southgate, Mercure Daventry Court, Mercure Blackburn Dunkenhalgh, and Mercure Haydock. The expansion strengthens Providence Hotels’ footprint in key UK destinations, with the company now operating 14 hotels across the UK including the South West, the Midlands, the [...]
Coach groups are being invited to St Paul’s Cathedral, London, to experience one of England’s most iconic landmarks and over 1,400 years of history. Visiting coach groups can explore the Cathedral Floor and Crypt, along with the intricate mosaics and historic monuments. The dome was an iconic scene during The Battle of Britain, where today’s [...]
The Maison des Landes accessible hotel in Jersey is welcoming groups, combining the atmosphere of a modern hotel with the latest facilities for people with disabilities, and their carers. Set in tranquil grounds overlooking Jersey's National Park, the hotel includes a restaurant and a daily schedule of activities. Maison des Landes comprises 15 ground-floor rooms, all [...]
Cornwall’s The Lost Gardens of Heligan, near Mevagissey, is launching a new programme, ‘Homecoming Presents’, that will welcome authors, musicians, poets, horticulturalists, chefs, and artists to Cornwall this Autumn for inspiring evenings and important conversations. The first event takes place on 17 September with Merlin Hanbury-Tenison, founder of The Thousand Year Trust, who will talk [...]
Caerphilly Castle, the second largest castle in Britain and the largest in Wales, has reopened to visitors, with its refurbishment including state-of-the art digital exhibits. Managed by Cadw, refurbishment includes the Great Hall, decorated to reflect the grandeur of how it might have appeared in its medieval heyday. With digital enhancements, visitors are transported back [...]
LeShuttle, the operator of the Channel Tunnel, has increased coach capacity with the reopening of the refurbished UK Coach Exit Check Hall inside the main terminal building at Folkestone. The change increases capacity from two coaches up to six coaches per hour, which LeShuttle says gives operators greater scheduling flexibility, reduced waiting times, and the [...]
CTA operator and wholesaler members are invited to visit the Group Leisure & Travel Show for free on Thursday 2 October at Arena MK, Milton Keynes. The one-day event is ideal for coach tour operators and group travel organisers, offering a chance to connect with a wide variety of exhibitors, discover new ideas, discuss plans, [...]
A festive pilot scheme has been launched to encourage UK coach operators to include Newcastle in their Christmas tour programmes and add the city to their year-round coach trip schedules. Two pre-Christmas weekends have been set aside for the trial, including Saturday 15 & Sunday 16 November, and Saturday 6 & Sunday 7 December. The [...]
Isabelle Sanzelle Kanaan has been appointed as CTA’s new Operations Director and will start in the role on 17 September. Her appointment follows the announcement that Sue and Steve Rooney are stepping down from the CTA member services role by the end of the year. After graduating with a degree in economics from Loughborough University, Isabelle’s [...]
Places are still available for CTA’s Winter Networking event, sponsored by VisitScotland and Perth & Kinross Council, taking place 21-24 November, with discount air and train travel to the event now available. Based at the Crieff Hydro Hotel, the event showcases a host of fam trips, including Forth Boat Tours, Cairn Hotel Group’s Stirling Highland Hotel, [...]
CTA has announced the dates for all events taking place in 2026, including the Spring and Winter Networking events. Following the CTA Conference & Workshop 2026 taking place 6-10 February in Derry-Londonderry (booking and event details available soon on the CTA website), CTA Networking Reception at BTTS 2026 at the NEC will go ahead on [...]
VisitScotland Connect 2026, Scotland’s biggest travel trade event, is scheduled to take place 15-16 April at the Scottish Event Campus (SEC), Glasgow. The event presents tourism buyers from around the world with the opportunity to experience Scotland and meet face-to-face with Scottish tourism businesses to develop new product. VisitScotland Connect hosts two days of pre-scheduled, 1-2-1 [...]
Scotland’s Tay Country has created a four-day itinerary for coach tours journeying through some of Scotland’s most storied landscapes, from the coach-friendly heritage centres of Dunfermline and Perth, as well as the Fife estates, rural Angus, and Highland Perthshire. Day one begins in Dunfermline and takes in the city’s Abbey and Cathedral, before heading to [...]
RSC Hotels has become a member of the CTA, offering members a choice of four coach-friendly hotels in Wetherby, Durham, Banbury, and Mickleton in Warwickshire. The Bridge Hotel & Spa, Wetherby, just off the A1, offers 37 comfortable rooms, afternoon teas, and elegant dining. Ideal for a stop or an overnight stay, the hotel hosts [...]
A new visitor centre has opened to the public at the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland’s Highland Wildlife Park near Aviemore. The £1.6 million redevelopment includes a shop, café and accessible facilities, and forms the final phase of a £7.6million investment in the park. An interactive exhibition centre, hilltop den, and an events space for [...]
London Gatwick airport has introduced a new process allowing operators to pre-book coach park permits online in advance. The online service also allows permits to be booked after arrival at the coach park, and bookings can be amended or cancelled if plans change. The permit includes access to the forecourts for a calendar day, with [...]
The UK debut of Brickwrecks: Sunken Ships in Lego Bricks at The Historic Dockyard Chatham has been extended until 16 November 2025. The exhibition invites visitors to discover the dramatic stories of eight iconic shipwrecks through large-scale Lego models. Featuring models up to three metres long, Brickwrecks showcases legendary vessels such as Uluburun, the world’s [...]
Tenby’s Imperial Hotel has reopened after a refurbishment by Crest Hotels Group. The Grade II-listed hotel features redesigned rooms with views of South Beach, a new dining experience, and modern amenities. The hotel currently has 52 rooms while work on a new spa and additional family rooms will start this winter. Since acquiring the hotel [...]
Visitors to St Mary’s Guildhall Coventry can now enjoy a falconry demonstration as part of an enhanced group travel experience. St Mary’s Guildhall, set in Coventry’s Cathedral Quarter, is combining guided tours with a live falconry experience that explores use of birds of prey during Tudor times. Available Wednesday to Saturday when booked alongside a [...]
Wexford on Ireland’s east coast will welcome opera fans this autumn when it stages the Wexford Festival Opera between 17 October and 1 November. Now in its 74th year, this year’s theme is Myths and Legends, and the three main stage operas include Verdi’s Le Trouvère, Handel’s Deidamia, and Delius’ The Magic Fountain. The productions will take place [...]
The Severn Valley Railway that runs between Kidderminster in Worcestershire and Bridgnorth in Shropshire has fully reopened after a landslip closed part of the track earlier in the year. Thanks to an ambitious joint volunteering effort by companies across the rail sector, the railway has re-laid the track across its newly repaired Mor Brook bridge [...]
Bookings are coming in well for CTA’s Winter Networking event, sponsored by VisitScotland and Perth & Kinross Council, taking place 21-24 November. There are limited places remaining for the special buyer-only pre-event fam trip on Friday 21 November at the Peebles Hydro Hotel, so operator and wholesaler members are advised to book asap to avoid missing [...]
CTA Networking Event at World Travel Market 2025 will take place on the morning of 4 November with all CTA members heading to WTM invited to attend. On WTM’s opening day, CTA is once again hosting its popular member networking event, kindly sponsored by Croisi Europe, at the Fox pub at ExCeL, 9am-11am. Offering a [...]
The CTA Conference & Workshop 2026 will take place 7-10 February in Derry-Londonderry. Northern Ireland will once again host the premier event in the UK coach tourism calendar that will feature an array of fam trip experiences in and around Derry-Londonderry. This is the first time that the city will host the Conference and it [...]
Saren Travel Group, a wholesaler to coach tour operators, has launched a new website, enabling customers to make reservations through an online booking system. The new website presents Saren’s portfolio of tours, providing operators with packages across the UK plus a growing plan for Europe. Operators can request a personal log-in to make reservations across [...]
Forth Boat Tours, Edinburgh’s largest boating attraction, is offering CTA operator members a free familiarisation visit. Situated in South Queensferry, 20 minutes from Edinburgh City Centre, Forth Boat Tours provides a range of cruises up the River Forth and into the Firth of Forth. Cruises include the Three Bridges Cruise plus sailings to Inchcolme Island, [...]
Raby Castle’s recent landscape design scheme and remodelled eighteenth century walled gardens have been nominated in the 2025 European Garden Award. The castle has been shortlisted in the Historic Park or Garden category following the redesign of the extensive public areas throughout the grounds, which formed part of a three-year regeneration project completed in 2024. [...]
LW Theatres operates six of the most prestigious theatres in the world, including the iconic London Palladium and Theatre Royal Drury Lane. The CTA member is keen to welcome coach groups and offers a dedicated groups booking service. The theatre operator hosts some of the world’s best musicals, plays, concerts, and comedy events, and its [...]
Geoff and Oli from group specialist IOW Tours are getting married on 24 July, and they’re marking the occasion in a truly meaningful way. To celebrate their big day, Geoff and Oli are aiming to raise £15,000 in support of two charities close to their hearts: Mountbatten Hospice, which provides compassionate end-of-life care on the [...]
This autumn and winter, five Royal Horticultural Society Gardens across England are participating in RHS Glow evenings, transforming the garden grounds into a spectacle of light and illumination. Starting at the end of November, participating gardens will feature illuminated trails with sparkling hi-tech colours, providing an immersive festive experience. All the gardens involved will offer [...]
Hever Castle in Kent is hosting a contemporary Autumn Craft Fair, taking place 18-21 September. At the show, visitors will be able to purchase from around 150 of the UK’s finest professional craft makers and artists. Contemporary craft makers will exhibit a wide range of work including home accessories and interior products, artwork, textiles, glassware, [...]
The UK’s largest harvest festival, The Malvern Autumn Show, is taking place between Friday 26 and Sunday 28 September at Worcestershire’s Three Counties Showground. At the event, RHS medal-winning nurseries will display their finest bulbs, plants and flowers, competing for recognition from RHS judges. Meanwhile, the Gardening Village will also host impressive floral displays with [...]
The British Bird of Prey Centre is moving to a new home in Idole, near Carmarthen, with the opening scheduled for October this year. The centre says the new location will allow visitors to get closer to native birds, providing education and experiences through conservation-focused encounters. Building on the success of its current location at [...]
Cedar Court Hotels, with Yorkshire locations including Harrogate, Huddersfield, and Bradford, has launched a Tour Charter designed to enhance the experience for coach operators and their guests. For groups of 20 or more, the charter includes tea & coffee on arrival, express check-in, porterage, free on-site coach parking, one free place per 20 guests, driver [...]
CTA’s Winter Networking event, sponsored by VisitScotland and Perth & Kinross Council, will take place from 21-24 November, and will give operators and wholesalers opportunities to meet attractions and hotels from across Scotland in addition to existing CTA supplier members. The event has a special pre-night event for buyers on Friday 21 November at the Peebles [...]
Just to let you all know that Sue and Steve will be stepping down from their role as Member Services by the end of this year. We have very much enjoyed our time with CTA and met lots of wonderful friends and colleagues. We will miss the vibrant, fun networking events but looking forward to [...]
CTA’s Winter Networking event, sponsored by VisitScotland, will take place from 21-24 November, and will give operators and wholesalers opportunities to meet attractions and hotels from across Scotland in addition to existing CTA supplier members. The event has a special pre-night event for buyers on Friday 21 November at the Peebles Hydro Hotel, including a [...]
Visitors to Kensington Palace can explore the intricacies of court dressing in a new exhibition ‘Dress Codes’. Part of Historic Royal Palaces, the exhibition is on now and runs until 30 November 2025. Celebrating the Royal Ceremonial Dress Collection, which spans 500 years, the exhibition includes recognisable pieces set alongside items worn by courtiers as [...]
Aberdeenshire Council is providing a list of maps to support coach tour operators visiting the seaside town of Stonehaven. The maps show suitable locations for coaches to park for a short duration. The guides have been created to support coach tours and improve traffic flow and town centre parking. A drop off/pick up point is [...]
