The Royal Horticultural Society’s magical RHS Glow experience returns this festive season across all five of its garden locations. Illuminated trails guide a journey as dusk falls, and sparkling hi-tech colours fill all five RHS Gardens: Bridgewater – Greater Manchester, Harlow Carr – North Yorkshire, Hyde Hall - Essex, Rosemoor – North Devon and Wisley [...]

Thames and Medway river cruise operator, Jetstream Tours, has launched a new vessel, Cruiser, which can take up to 200 people. Jetstream says the vessel is the largest passenger boat to ply the Thames Estuary. The boat can cruise anywhere along the River Thames, Medway, and Swale. Cruise options include Tower Bridge to Whitstable, and [...]

Wakehurst, Kew’s wild botanic garden in Sussex, is welcoming coach groups, with highlights year-round. Situated in the Sussex High Weald Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, Wakehurst features over 500 acres of nature reserve, woodlands, and gardens. Wakehurst includes diverse natural attractions, including the Millennium Seed Bank that hides a collection of over 2.4 billion seeds [...]

Continuum Attractions is promoting The Coronation Street Experience Exhibition & Tour to coach groups. Your guests will be able to ‘step onto the street’ and join one of the expert tour guides for a 90-minute award-winning tour around the biggest TV production set of its kind. Visitors will be able to jump into their favourite [...]

Visitors to Blenheim Palace can walk in the footsteps of movie and television stars and experience the silver-screen on a new Lights, Camera, Action trail which includes behind the scenes of Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story. Blenheim Palace was the filming location for the hit Netflix series, Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story. The six-episode series [...]

Old Royal Naval College in the heart of Maritime Greenwich has a new travel trade team who have been carrying out a fresh review of everything on offer for coach operators. Gillian Bell is the travel trade manager, and is supported by Ales Kosejk, alongside Joanna who heads up the box office. They are all [...]

Salisbury Cathedral and Magna Carta admission prices for groups and individuals have been confirmed for 2024-25. The new prices come into force from 1 April 2024. Travel Trade/Group rates apply to pre-booked groups only and pre-booked groups are fast-tracked when they arrive. A premium is charged for walk-ups. Groups can also enjoy specialist tours which take [...]

A recent survey by the Tourism Alliance has reported that the number of school children brought to the UK from the EU by 145 surveyed businesses declined by 81% between 2019 and 2022. Over the same period, a lower figure was reported for school children going to the EU, which declined by 53%, according to [...]

South Western Railway has named Stratford-upon-Avon’s Shakespeare Distillery as one of the country’s top gin distilleries according to a recent survey. The rail operator’s survey included Google Reviews, where Shakespeare Distillery achieved 96% five-star reviews. This high ranking placed the distillery in eighth place in the UK-wide survey. This adds to other recent awards for [...]

Salisbury Cathedral reported a four-fold increase in group bookings in April, coinciding with the spring season and new exhibitions on display. A new exhibition, To be free: art and liberty, is exploring human rights and freedom, and includes works by internationally renowned artists. The cathedral is also home to the best-preserved remaining Magna Carta, the [...]

Waddesdon House & Gardens, Buckinghamshire, has announced details of its 2023 Christmas events. Waddesdon manor and grounds will transform into a wonderland inspired by classic British tales. Inside the house, groups can explore the Mad Hatters tea party, travel to the Ice Queen’s lair, and discover Captain Hook’s treasure cave. Outside, the manor’s façade will [...]

The newly imagined Loch Ness Centre in Drumnadrochit near Inverness has reopened following significant investment, creating a new immersive experience. Reopened on Saturday 10 June following takeover by Continuum Attractions earlier this year, £1.5m has been invested in a full upgrade to enhance the visitor experience, including trips aboard the attraction’s research vessel, Deepscan. This [...]

At Buckingham Palace this summer The Royal Trust Collection is displaying the outfits worn by Their Majesties King Charles III and Queen Camilla at the Coronation. The display will present the Robe of Estate worn by The King, which was also worn by his grandfather King George VI for his Coronation in 1937, and will [...]

Visit Kent has held a joint reception at The House of Commons with The Port of Dover and LeShuttle to celebrate Kent’s tourism industry and launch a new sustainability plan. The new sustainability plan for the visitor economy in Kent has been developed over a number of months by The Act for Impact Group which [...]

For the Summer Solstice 2023 at Stonehenge, English Heritage would like to remind operators that all coaches and minibuses must be pre-booked and pre-paid. The organisation says that display passes should also be clearly displayed on the dashboard. This year, Summer Solstice will celebrated at Stonehenge from 19:00 on Tuesday 20 June to 08:00 on [...]

Providing a range of more than 20 brewpubs across England and Wales, Brewhouse & Kitchen has opened a new location in Chelmsford. Like all Brewhouse & Kitchen venues, the Chelmsford pub brews its own beer on site and offers a range of dining options. Groups can enjoy a tour, tasting, and meal package, with a [...]

A new exhibition at The Queen’s Gallery, Buckingham Palace, reveals life in the eighteenth century through fashions of the day. Style & Society: Dressing the Georgians aims to explain life in Britain during a revolutionary era of industry, trade, travel, and technological innovation. On display until 8 October 2023, the exhibition reveals how the Georgians [...]

This year, groups attending Christmas at Blenheim Palace are invited to book directly with the Blenheim Palace groups booking team. Enabling operators to book direct for the popular Christmas events is aimed at further improving the service by offering the expertise of the in-house Blenheim Palace team. To book the date and time to visit [...]

Liverpool’s Strawberry Field has revealed images of a new mosaic that will feature in the bandstand opening later this year. Meanwhile, groups can enjoy the updated garden tour, featuring soundscapes intended to help visitors explore mindfulness and reconnect with nature. Strawberry Field is an interactive experience that tells stories of the Victorian house, its transition [...]

Stage set designs by Paul McCartney are going on display at the Liverpool Beatles Museum. The designs were commissioned by Beatles manager Brian Epstein as potential backdrops to a concert by The Four Tops at The Saville Theatre. The Liverpool Beatles Museum is revealing the designs on Thursday 27 May before opening viewing to the [...]

Chatham Historic Dockyard relaunched its popular Call The Midwife Official Location Tour and unveiled a brand new gallery at an event with the cast on 27 April. Many of the outside scenes from the BBC series are filmed at The Historic Dockyard Chatham in Kent. The new gallery hosts costumes and items from the popular [...]

Aylesbury’s Waddesdon Manor is presenting tours of the little seen, cultivated four-acre walled garden for groups of up to 30 people. Eythrope is the Rothschild's private walled garden at Waddesdon Manor, renowned for its gardening excellence and haven for traditional techniques. A visit to Eythrope includes a garden tour from one of Waddesdon’s specialist guides, [...]

Abba Voyage is lending the hand-made ‘Phoenix Collection’ outfits from the recent ‘virtual Abba’ show for public display at the British Music Experience. The display is part of the museum’s celebration of the Eurovision Song Contest 2023. The Abba Voyage show features digital versions of the band members created with motion capture and performance techniques. [...]

Booking is now open for group visits to Waddesdon in 2023 with so much to discover throughout the year. In the formal gardens, over 50,000 tulips will bloom in spring before beautiful bedding inspired by the coronation is planted. In the House, fine art and incredible treasures await visitors who will also see some incredible [...]

CTA member Blenheim Palace would like to welcome CTA operator members for a complimentary day visit for two people at their convenience. Availability for the visit will be subject to availability avoiding some events and Christmas. If you would like to take up this offer, just email partnerships@blenheimpalace.com to get your tickets.