More than 200 delegates attended CTA's annual Conference & Workshop last weekend in Newcastle. This included 20 new members who attended the event for the first time. The CTA Conference & Workshop 2024 took place from 28-30 January. Based at the Hilton Newcastle Gateshead hotel, the weekend also included fam trips around the North East. [...]
CTA Spring Networking will take place on Sunday 19 and Monday 20 May in Oxford. Located at a coach-friendly hotel, the weekend will include a Fam trip to Blenheim Palace. Delegates will enjoy a light lunch at Blenheim Palace, as well as entry to the estate’s biggest ever exhibition, Icons of British Fashion. Blue Badge [...]
The Towergate Travel team has successfully assisted many travel companies, tour operators and cruise companies to secure new and larger bond requirements over the last 24 months. A key area of activity has been assisting travel companies trying to release much-needed cash flow and working capital back to their P&L by replacing bank held bonds [...]
CTA will once again host an annual networking get together on the opening day of the British Travel & Tourism Show (BTTS), 20 March, NEC. With over 250 destinations, attractions and group-friendly hotels for you to discover there is no shortage of inspiration, and exhibitors will be on hand to help you create the perfect [...]
CTA member Johnsons Coaches is trialing a fully electric Zeelo zero-emission coach. The 50-passenger coach features front and centre passenger doors on the near side, with a centre door and floor section designed to fit a slot-in wheelchair lift. The vehicle’s electric drive line and control system are identical to those used in the E10, [...]
As it approaches its centenary year in 2025, Edwards Coaches is due to take delivery of ten Van Hool Altano vehicles in June 2024 for use on the National Express network. The new high capacity vehicles represent a significant investment of around £4.8million in fleet renewal. Edwards has also committed to purchasing 68 tri-axle Caetano [...]
Ashley & Newey has announced a change in ownership following a successful management take-over by former Business Manager Shaun Read. The transition opens a new chapter for the wholesaler as it continues to provide high-quality holidays and innovative packages to coach operators across the UK. Ashley Booth, former Managing Director, retires having spent 35 years [...]
Dudley’s Black Country Living Museum, which recently became a CTA member, is inviting coach groups to experience 300 years of industrial and social history from the heart of the Midlands, tracing from the Industrial revolution to post-war prosperity. Groups can experience over 26 acres complete with recreated and rebuilt shops, homes, and industrial workshops, brought [...]
New CTA member Lomond Leisure Group is a family business with restaurants and bars in Central Scotland, focusing on hospitality, sustainability, environment, and character. The company has a portfolio of properties in Glasgow and Edinburgh and operates management contracts for clients in Loch Tay. Lomond Leisure Group is welcoming coach groups in 2024 to its [...]
VisitAberdeenshire has launched a new travel trade website that showcases travel trade-ready products in an easy and searchable format. The website includes dedicated accommodation pages, plus a transport section, along with other helpful aspects specifically for the travel trade. The new website can be reached at travel-trade.visitabdn.com/ and includes the MYABDN itinerary builder, enabling operators [...]
Hever Castle, Kent, the childhood home of Anne Boleyn, will unveil the Boleyn Apartment on the first floor of the castle on Monday 25 March to give visitors a unique and immersive experience of Tudor history. The apartment, the only surviving suite of rooms in the world that the Boleyn family definitely occupied, is being [...]
Shipbuilder Cammell Laird is set to build a new Mersey ferry at the firm’s Birkenhead shipyard. The agreement follows a year of negotiations between the city’s Combined Authority and Cammell Laird. Steve Rotheram, Mayor of the Liverpool City Region, who was joined by engineering apprentices as he signed the contract, pledged that the multimillion-pound project will [...]
St Mary’s Guildhall in Coventry is inviting CTA members to a special fam trip, including a guided tour, taking place on Tuesday 27 February between 11am and 1pm. St Mary’s Guildhall acted as the centre of power in England during the War of the Roses, housed the crown jewels, was the prison of Mary, Queen [...]
Salisbury Cathedral welcomed over five hundred group visitors on 12 December for the annual Carol Concert for Groups, led by The Dean of Salisbury, the Very Reverend Nicholas Papadopulos. Visitors were treated to singing from the Cathedral’s world class choir, directed by David Halls, Director of Music, interspersed with special Christmas readings by staff and [...]
The Historic Dockyard Chatham in Kent has announced the return of its popular Call The Midwife Official Location Tour in 2024. Fans of the BBC series will have the opportunity to step into the actual filming locations at this historic site. The unique tour offers fans an exclusive behind-the-scenes views and a chance to see [...]
From March 2024, groups can experience The Queen Charlotte Afternoon Tea at Hampton Court Palace. From £30 per person, the afternoon tea includes two Duchess’s Finger Sandwiches, one Farmer George’s Pork Pie with Hampton Court Garden chutney, one mature cheddar cheese scone with herb butter, one Warm vanilla scone with gooseberry jam and clotted cream, [...]
Following a major project to conserve and share the stories of Belsay Hall, Castle and Gardens, the Northumberland attraction near Morpeth is keen to welcome coach groups in 2024. The striking hall, inspired by Greek and Italian architecture, features the imposing Pillar Hall, as well as the coffered ceiling and elaborate decoration in the reception [...]
CTA encourages members to book by 21 December for the remaining rooms available for the CTA Conference & Workshop 2024. The majority of places for the 2024 event, which will be based at the Hilton Newcastle Gateshead, 28-30 January 2024, have now been booked. [...]
CroisiEurope has extended the number of places available to CTA members for its 11-14 March 2024 Paris Fam trip. Members are encouraged to book before Christmas to secure the limited places available. As well as accommodation and product exploration onboard CroisiEurope’s premium MS Renoir river cruiser, the Fam trip will also now include visits to [...]
Would you like CTA support to promote your news? CTA members can share their news and social media content free of charge via CTA’s convenient online submission portal. CTA will review news submitted by members for publication in the monthly CTA News Update, which is distributed to all CTA members reaching nearly 400 organisations. Member [...]
Marriott is providing a range of offers and promotions to coach operators across various hotels on upcoming dates. At the Marriott Holyrood Hotel, from 1 January to 31 March, Sunday to Thursday, rooms are available from £70 bed and breakfast per half twin occupancy, or dinner bed and breakfast from £95. Meanwhile, at the Delta [...]
Mersey Ferries has announced its 2024 programme for Manchester Ship Canal & Liverpool Bay Cruises. The Manchester Ship Canal Cruise is a six-hour round-trip cruise and sails from Liverpool and Wirral along the Manchester Ship Canal to Warrington and back. Groups can relax as they travel under bridges mostly unchanged since they were built over [...]
English Heritage would like to remind CTA operator and wholesaler members about its Trade Admission Prices & Site Opening Times 2024/25 publication, available to download here. The document provides clear group pricing and dates of entry for all of English Heritage properties and locations across England. For inspirational ideas on group travel, and an ideal [...]
The A Chorus Line heads to New Theatre Cardiff for performances between 16 and 21 September 2024. The musical is based in New York City, 1975. On an empty Broadway stage, seventeen performers are put through their paces in the final, gruelling audition for a new Broadway musical. Creator Michael Bennett uses real-life testimonies from [...]
Discover Durham has announced a range of developments in and around the city, leading with the newest of The Auckland Project’s attractions. The Faith Museum, now open, explores the ways faith has shaped lives and communities across Britain through rarely seen objects, artwork, and national treasures spanning 6,000 years. Meanwhile, as the countdown to the [...]
Movie goers will spot Blenheim Palace as a film location for several scene’s in Ridley Scott’s current cinema epic, Napoleon, and coach groups will be able to explore some of the areas used in the sets. The Blenheim Estate was used as the location for some of the film’s intense battle scenes. The palace’s great [...]
The Excursions group travel show is taking place at Wembley Stadium on Saturday 27 January 2024. 2024 is marking the 50th Excursions show and the event returns to Wembley Stadium where the show originally began. Fran Downton, CEO at Tourism South East, the organiser of Excursions, said: “Celebrating 50 years of Excursions firmly cements the [...]
The Royal Collection Trust is inviting groups to its new Holbein at the Tudor Court exhibition. As one the most important artists of the 16th century, Holbein was central to the depiction of Henry VIII and his court as we understand it today. Running from now until 14 April 2024 at The Queen’s Gallery, Buckingham [...]
With a range of hotels across Scotland and northern England, Strathmore Hotels is offering group rates – plus some late Christmas and New Year offers. Strathmore has eight hotels in locations including The Highlands as well as North Yorkshire and Cumbria, with a range of group offers available. Each hotel provides individual offers, including festive [...]
Visit Kent has announced the appointment of three new members to the organisation’s board of directors. Adam Bryan, Director of Place, Medway Council, joins the board, replacing Richard Hicks. Richard now becomes the Chief Executive of Medway Council and was a valued member of the Visit Kent board for eight years. Stephen Russell, Founder and [...]
CTA members have described that the recent Winter Networking event in Exeter was the “best ever” for business development. Over 100 coach operators, wholesalers, and tourism suppliers attended the event on 19-20 November with significant new business potential and partnerships created as a result. “Many delegates reported that Winter Networking was the ‘best ever’ event [...]
CTA welcomed around 60 members to its World Travel Market networking event. Taking place on WTM’s opening morning on 6 November at The Fox pub at the Excel arena, the CTA event was sponsored by CroisiEurope. The session welcomed operators, wholesalers, and supplier members, [...]
The government is calling for evidence on its planned reforms of the 2018 Package Travel and Linked Travel Arrangements Regulations. Relevant parties, including operators, should respond by 13 December. The government says the objectives of the regulation reform are to give consumers appropriate protections when buying package holidays, as well as supporting the travel sector [...]
The Department for Transport has published a Call for Evidence on infrastructure for zero-emission (ZE) coaches and heavy goods vehicles. The DfT seeks to gather information relating to refueling and recharging requirements. This evidence will inform the development of a government strategy for ZE-HGV and coach infrastructure. Operators can submit their evidence here by 14 [...]
CTA members A&P Travel, Heathside Travel, and Johnsons Coaches have all won titles at the routeone Awards, which took place on 8 November. A&P Travel took home the prestigious Coach Tourism Programme of the Year award from a variety of strong nominations. Meanwhile, Heathside Travel won the Small Coach Operator of the Year award for [...]
Johnsons Coaches and Hovertravel are celebrating a long partnership after the Isle of Wight hovercraft operator completed its one hundredth Hovercraft Experience flight. Hovertravel provides a unique flight across the Solent for coach operators to visit the many attractions on the Isle of Wight. Hovercraft Experience Flight customers have their own private charter, complete with [...]
Kent’s Hever Castle is celebrating another gold award at South & South East in Bloom 2023. For the ninth year in a row, the 150-acre gardens have been awarded a prestigious Gold medal with judges, describing the rose garden as a “significant highlight.” The South & South East in Bloom awards is the largest horticultural [...]
Tatton Park in Knutsford, Cheshire, is hosting a series of Alice in Wonderland-inspired Christmas events. Between 21 November and 31 December, Welcome to Wonderland: The Christmas Mansion, allows guests to follow Alice’s footsteps through Lewis Carrol’s make-believe world, including the Duchess’ Garden, the Queen of Hearts’ grand palace, and the Mad Hatter’s Tea Party. Group [...]
The Three Counties Showground in Malvern is inviting coach groups to its programme of 2024 events, starting with the RHS Malvern Spring Festival. This iconic event, taking place from 9-12 May 2024, is a vibrant celebration of gardening excellence. Featuring themed areas, floral displays, show gardens, expert nurseries, and celebrity-led demonstrations, the RHS Malvern Spring [...]
The Royal Collection Trust has released its Group Visits & Private Tours 2024 brochure, featuring the Official Residences of His Majesty The King, including Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle, and the Palace of Holyroodhouse. Available for download from this link, the new brochure presents special visits and highlights, as well as opening dates and times, and [...]
A classic Mini from the award-winning Great British Car Journey museum in Ambergate, Derbyshire, is taking part in the 2,000 mile legendary Italian Job run. The car rally is being staged in aid of Buttle UK, a charity dedicated to helping children and young people in crisis. The car, which was one of the last [...]
The Stompcast podcast, hosted by Dr Alex George, has partnered with Visit Isle of Man for a three-part episode on the island. The podcast episode features a special guest appearance by Peter Hickman, the celebrated Isle of Man TT racer and motorsport icon. Dr Alex George is a prominent figure in mental health advocacy, using [...]
Strawberry Field is a one of a kind, an authentic experience at the site that captured the heart of John Lennon as a boy and inspired the legendary Beatles song. It prides itself as one of the most genuine and accessible attractions in the UK and offers visitors the chance to see the original iconic [...]
Longleat has rejoined CTA as an attraction member and its travel trade team are delighted to invite coach and tour operator members of the CTA to a special Longleat House familiarisation visit on Friday 17 November from 11am. This event is part of Great West Way Marketplace and hosted by Longleat, conveniently taking place prior to [...]
Buyer registration for the VisitScotland Connect travel trade show is now live for 2024, taking place at P&J Live, Aberdeen on 17-18 April 2024. Fam trip options will also go live in October and will be available after buyer registration has been approved. VisitScotland Connect gives tourism buyers from around the globe the chance to [...]
Pendley Manor Hotel in Tring, Hertfordshire - a new CTA member - has launched a large function room that can cater for 600 people. The hotel’s Rose Garden Suite is a self-contained function space that can cater for large events. The new suite includes its own pre-function area, kitchens, and wash rooms. Pendley Manor Hotel [...]
VisitWindsor and the Royal Borough of Windsor & Maidenhead advises that work to refurbish the Windsor Coach Park lift and footbridge to the town centre has begun. The council has split these important works into two phases, with phase one refurbishing the bridge lift. During this stage, the bridge will remain open to the public [...]
VisitBlackpool is asking coach operators to respond to a short, five-question survey to improve the town’s coach facilities. To shape improved facilities around the planned Blackpool Central leisure development, VisitBlackpool is asking coach operators to respond to the survey on their use of coach parking facilities at this link. “Coaches have been an integral part [...]
UKinbound has awarded Blenheim Palace the accolade of Individual Attraction of the Year at its Awards for Excellence event at Belfast City Hall on 21 September. The winners were decided by a panel of independent judges from across the tourism industry. Heather Carter, Managing Director at Blenheim Palace, said: “Winning this award truly means a [...]
Chatham Historic Dockyard Trust has received the esteemed Sandford Award for high achievement in heritage education. The award reflects the excellence of the sessions delivered by the team, which includes work with schools, colleges and universities as well as families, community and special interest groups. The Sandford Award has been running since 1978 and is [...]
