Welsh tourism organisations and local authorities provided a very warm welcome to Coach Tourism Association delegates for their Spring Networking event which is likely to lead to a strong boost for tours and excursions to the area. The CTA event was sponsored by Visit Wales with strong support from Southern Wales Tourism who organised a [...]
A new consumer campaign to promote coach tours and excursions has been launched by the Coach Tourism Association. The consumer campaign runs under the umbrella branding ‘WeLoveCoaches’. This theme provides a simple and effective branding that is equally relevant to both Operator and Supplier members of CTA who are now getting behind the campaign. The [...]
Coach holidays are back! The world’s first Covid vaccine recipient, Margaret Keenan, is one of the first passengers to enjoy setting off on a coach holiday with the lifting of restrictions on 17 May. Margaret Keenan, with her daughter Sue and son-in-law David, joined other passengers for family-owned firm Harry Shaw’s first coach holiday to [...]
On St David’s Day (1 March) Visit Wales has strengthened its relationship with the Coach Tourism Association by becoming a new Partner Member. The importance of working together on tourism issues and opportunities for Wales in the coach operating sector has been highlighted during the pandemic and Visit Wales is pleased to formalise the already [...]
Commenting on the government’s announcement of its Roadmap, CTA chair Robert Shaw said: “The prime minister’s announcement yesterday (22 February) on a Roadmap out of Covid-19 lockdown for England is very welcome. While there are still a number of detailed questions, the setting of a target date in May for recommencing holidays will be a [...]
A ministerial statement in a House of Commons debate on tourism this week has offered a small ray of light for those coach tour operators who have not been successful in gaining access to Covid grants because they don’t have a retail premises selling direct to consumers. Minister Nigel Huddlestone acknowledged that coach tour operators [...]
The Business Visits and Events Partnership (BVEP), Coach Tourism Association (CTA), Confederation of Passenger Transport (CTP UK), English UK, ETOA, Tourism Alliance and UKinbound have collectively expressed their despair and disbelief that Government has again chosen to deny businesses in the inbound tourism sector, which generated £28.4 billion in export earnings for the UK economy [...]
The Department of Digital Culture Media and Sport has now given The Tourism Alliance further clarity regarding the coach operations. In a summary the DCMS has said: “If it is possible to ensure that groups of more than six do not mingle on a tour, coach tours of over six people on the coach can [...]
The Coach Tourism Association has backed the Confederation of Passenger Transport in its new call for government support and stressed the need for coach holidays be reclassified into the Leisure sector in order to open access to greater support. The CPT has called on Tourism Minister Nigel Huddleston to support the coaching industry this Winter [...]
After months of closure and already halfway through its peak season, the London tourism sector has today joined forces to urge the UK Government to act now or face an economic crisis in the capital. The 10,776 London attractions, restaurants, hotels, industry bodies and event organisers have written to the Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, to [...]
Coach operators who failed to receive funding via the Business Rates Relief Scheme can now apply for grants of up to £25,000 from the new £617 million Discretionary Grant Fund. Following discussions between The Tourism Alliance and the Local Government Association coach/tour operators have now been added to the list of businesses who can apply [...]
The Guardian has highlighted the need for urgent government support for the coach tourism sector in an article published online following an interview with CTA. The article includes extensive quotes from CTA chair John Wales who argued for coach tour businesses to be treated the same as other leisure industries that have received state fiscal [...]
Trade associations representing thousands of tourist businesses, together with the Local Government Association, have written to the Chancellor of the Exchequer asking him to urgently change civil servants’ interpretation of his Coronavirus Business Rates Relief Scheme, launched to support the UK’s hospitality and leisure industries. Tour and coach operators, represented by the Coach Tourism Association, [...]
The Government’s plans for a net zero emission future will create major opportunities for the coach industry, transport experts told the Coach Tourism Association’s 2020 conference in York. Stressing the need for Government to move people away from cars to high occupancy vehicles, Confederation of Passenger Transport chief executive Graham Vidler told CTA members: “The [...]
Coach Tourism Association members got a double dose of culture and the highlife recently when they sampled a new double header group tour taking in Shakespeare’s Globe and The View from the Shard. The twin-attraction package gives clients a VIP tour of Shakespeare’s Globe after which they are whisked up the The View from The [...]
The Coach Tourism Association annual conference is well known for its top level presentations, one-to-one workshop meetings, and social networking, but few delegates ever realised that making a winning bid for a charity auction prize could lead to a new tour programme. But that’s exactly what happened when Barry Cobb of Johnsons Coach and Bus [...]
Coach Tourism Association members headed down to Brighton for their annual Summer get together and before you could say ‘why is that deckchair so big’ they were looking down on the resort from a great height, thanks to a flight on the British Airways i360. Still, it was just as well the chair was as [...]
The Coach Tourism Association has appointed three new directors to its board, following the annual general meeting held in June. The new faces on the board are: Paula Ward, Account Director, Hilton Worldwide Leisure Sales; Andrew Day, Business Development Director at Wrightsure Services, and Dave Parry, Managing Director, Parrys International. Said CTA Chair John Wales: [...]
Action by ‘honeypot’ destinations to reduce their visitor numbers was dismissed by the European Tourism Association chief at the Coach Tourism Association’s 2019 conference in Cambridge. ETOA CEO Tom Jenkins told delegates: “Cities are meant to be crowded and having lots of visitors is a sign of their success. Overtourism is a phenomenon which only [...]
The Coach Tourism Association has appointed Helen Bowron to the new position of Communications Director. Helen has extensive experience of the group travel industry, dating back to 1984, including working with an inbound ground handler, a Japanese wholesaler, scheduled American Tour Operator and a wide range of online intermediaries. Helen will continue as a director [...]
Board changes give new impetus at Blackpool Conference The Coach Tourism Association, UK voice of coaching holidays, has embarked on a new era following the election of a new chairman and board members at its 2018 Conference. As previous chairman Denise Bridges stepped down after three years, the role was taken over by John Wales [...]
