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Month: March 2020

CTA has seat at Tourism Industry Emergency Response group (TIER)

This week’s issue of trade magazine Bus & Coach Buyer (25 March) carries the following interview from editor Mark Williams with John Wales, chief executive of the Coach Tourism Association.

To see the issue, go to www.busandcoachbuyer.com

To read more from the Coach Tourism Association, go to www.coachtourismassociation.co.uk

The Chairman of the Coach Tourism Association, John Wales, says that not only does the coach industry need government help urgently, it offers the country the best opportunity for tourism when the market recovers.

The CTA says it has a seat at the table of TIER – the Tourism Industry Emergency Response group – talking directly to ministers to mitigate the tourism crash and plan for recovery.

John Wales, the CTA’s chairman, told Bus and Coach Buyer that the key to emerging from the health crisis strongly later this year will be for every element of the industry to share the problems and remaining risk, expressly to avoid coach operators going out of business.

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John Wales (r), CEO of the Coach Tourism Association, seen here with Graham Vidler, CEO of the Confederation of Passenger Transport UK at the CTA Conference and Workshop held in York in February 2020.

“The fact is, the coach tourism can spearhead a tourism recovery,” he said. “There won’t be a quicker route to market than coaches, able to deliver 50 customers to hotels and attractions. The travel industry has demonstrated an admirable ability to adapt to some of the most severe conditions. These have ranged from natural disasters to attacks by terrorists. The Coronovirus pandemic does however represent the greatest challenge our businesses have had to face for several generations. At the time of writing it would seem that almost all non-essential travel is being closed down.

“I recently wrote a letter to all the members of the Coach Tourism Association in which I sympathised with both those coach operators and suppliers who are now experiencing the immense financial impact, saying: ‘There has never been a time  when we have been more in need of flexibility and understanding during these extraordinary circumstances so we can mitigate costs and ensure we have strong partnerships going forward.’ Yet I am still getting reports of some hotels and tourist suppliers enforcing strict cancellation terms on future bookings of coach operators, even though there is no actual operating cost to them…. it’s a future cost.

“Operators are obliged to refund their clients in 14 days (PTD), due to the situation and comply with trading standards, which makes it even more astonishing that these generators of business are then ‘fined’ by large corporations who do not share the real impact on the front line and accelerate the financial disaster most operators are experiencing.”

John said that the CTA is launching a website portal this week offering advice to group tourism operators.

“I want to reassure operators that we will do everything in our power to put your voice across to the TIER group – we’re at the table every week,” he said.

In particular, John said, CTA is appealing to government to get coach operators to be considered leisure businesses, and get the business rates holiday and grants promised for that business sector.

“Unfortunately, right now, we must wait to see the full impact and timescale. All we can do is control and reduce our costs and plan for a recovery, which we all hope will be in the shorter term. We must wait and see what government support is pledged to enable the coach operators to survive.

“Hopefully the media will show as much enthusiasm on the positives when the pain clears and helps boost tourism – we will be sharing information on the CTA website to assist all members and planning some PR stories ready for the recovery and welcome any assistance and input from suppliers and operators.

“The hundreds of millions of pounds privately invested in low carbon emission coaches, delivering the cleanest form of transport, has been a massive burden on operators, magnified now as all incomes have dried up in this crisis. There was a sense of long-term optimism voiced in the CTA’s Conference and Workshop in York in February.”

CTA is appealing to government to get coach operators to be considered leisure businesses, and get the business rates holiday and grants promised for that business sector.

“But, and this is a big but, survival through the effects on our industry from this pandemic is the only short-term focus for operators, suppliers and all services associated with tourism. I believe our coach tour operators and supporting suppliers in our close-knit industry can spearhead the recovery, capitalising on the stacked up demand generated from lock down, delivery of mass numbers around the country easily and in environmentally friendly way.

“I would say that, in all my 38 years in various tourism sectors, I have never had the privilege to be associated with a more hands-on, robust, friendly and forward-looking group of people than the coach operator members of the CTA who can react swiftly to changing circumstances. With help from Government, partner supplier support and determination to survive, we will overcome the dark clouds on the immediate horizon. Working together we can navigate, deliver and quickly drive down the road to tourism recovery the country needs, hopefully in the summer.”

AGTO Showcase Weekend highlights solo travel trend

Solo travel as part of a group is thriving, according to Debbie Marshall, managing director of Silver Travel Advisor, the website for the over 50s mature traveller.

She was presenting to members of the Association of Group Travel Organisers (AGTO) at the AGTO Showcase Weekend 2020 that took place at the end of February at Ettington Chase Hotel near Stratford-upon-Avon.

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Debbie Marshall (left), managing director of Silver Travel Advisor, Helen Peters (centre), chief executive of Shakespeare’s England, and Wendy Hartley-Scarff (right), chief executive of AGTO

She told the 115 delegates that a growing number of solo travellers are choosing to travel on their own but as part of a group, often because they no longer have a partner to travel with, or by choice, either choosing to travel with girlfriends or simply because their partner doesn’t want to go with them.

She explained that around a quarter of people surveyed by Silver Travel Advisor said that the benefit of travelling with an organised group was because it allowed them to travel as a single person but have someone else organise everything for them. A third of respondents said that having everything organised for them would encourage them to travel with a group.

This year’s AGTO Showcase Weekend included presentations from Helen Peters, chief executive of Shakespeare’s England, who said that renewed efforts are being made to encourage visitors to stop-over in the region rather than simply visit on a day trip. Shakespeare’s England also arranged four familiarisation trips that included Warwick and Kenilworth Castles, the British Motor Museum and Shakespeare’s Birthplace.

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AGTO GTO and Associate members enjoying a fam trip to the British Motor Museum at Gaydon

The popular AGTO Associates’ Exhibition saw around 60 tourism suppliers meeting with GTO members from around the UK. A highlight of the event was the Gala Dinner, sponsored by made Tourism Marketing with a 1920s ‘Peaky Blinders’ theme. The prize for ‘Best Dressed’ guest went to Matt Coulter from the groups and travel trade team at Historic Royal Palaces.

AGTO Showcase Weekend 2020
Matt Coulter of Historic Royal Palaces won the prize for ‘best dressed’ at the ‘Peaky Blinders’-themed gala dinner. The dinner was sponsored by made Tourism Marketing. Matt (centre) is joined by Jonathan Mountford (left), managing director of made Tourism Marketing, Wendy Hartley-Scarff, chief executive of AGTO, and two 1920s flapper dancers

Commenting on the event, AGTO chief executive Wendy Hartley-Scarff says: “The annual AGTO Showcase Weekend provides a catalyst for GTOs and our Associate supplier members to network and socialise. This year’s programme, supported by Shakespeare’s England, made Tourism Marketing and Cruise & Maritime Voyages, provided our GTO members with lots of inspiration and ideas to take back to their groups. It also gave our Associate supplier members the opportunity to find out more about the changing expectations of group travel organisers.”

The Association of Group Travel Organisers is an independent organisation representing the interests of those who organise tours and trips for groups as well as those who provide services for group travel. The Association has over 400 group travel organiser members and around 250 supplier members.

www.agto.co.uk

Here’s a selection of other photos from the AGTO Showcase Weekend 2020.

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The coach arrives in Stratford-upon-Avon
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