115 Coach Tourism Association members attended CTA Winter Networking Perthshire, 21-24 November, sponsored by VisitScotland and Perth & Kinross Council and supported by Scotland’s Tay Country.

Several operators have made requested bookings as a result of the event that presented new product development opportunities.

Hosted primarily at the Crieff Hydro Hotel, the weekend visited various locations across Perthshire with a selection of familiarisation trips, plus a showcase exhibition featuring more than 50 suppliers.

New CTA members that attended a CTA event for the first time included Atholl Palace Hotel (Castle Collection), Kents Cavern, Loch Lomond Travel, Radisson Hotel Group, Scottish Canals, and Whitbread Premier Inn Group.

“CTA Winter Networking received high attendance including numerous new members,” says CTA Chair Robert Shaw. “The fam trips showed buyer members at first-hand what their customers can experience in Perthshire, and the Supplier Showcase gave a formal opportunity for buyers and suppliers to do business. VisitScotland and Perthshire were excellent hosts, and several operators are actively investigating new tours to the region as a result.”

The event began with a buyer-only gathering on Friday 21 November to visit CTA member Abbotsford, the home of nineteenth-century Scottish poet and novelist, Sir Walter Scott, including an overnight stay at the Peebles Hydro Hotel. On Saturday, delegates headed to Forth Boat Tours at South Queensferry near Edinburgh before going on to view the Stirling Highland Hotel by The Cairn Hotel Group.

Fam trips on Sunday took in Scone Palace where Scottish kings were historically crowned, with the group’s tour guide joined by the current-day head of the family that has owned the palace for more than 400 years, Lord Stormont. With lunch at the Strathmore Hotels’ The Salutation Hotel, the group then headed to the Perth Museum, followed by The Black Watch Museum that celebrates the oldest Highland regiment.

Coach travel across the weekend was provided by new CTA member Loch Lomond Travel, and Docherty’s Midland Coaches.

On Monday, the event culminated with a Supplier Showcase, including 12 Tay Country suppliers and over 40 CTA-member suppliers from across the UK who engaged with coach tour operators and wholesalers in discussion about product development.