The CTC’s public relations company Direct Public Relations is happy to respond to all press enquiries. Please contact Paul Ovington of Direct Public Relations on
020 7407 6884.
The Chief Executive of the CTC, Chris Wales, is also happy to provide comment or response to any coach related matter - good or bad. He may be contacted at the CTC office on 0870 850 2839 or via admin@coachtourismcouncil.co.uk
Latest press releases can be viewed on this site. For feature copy, additional background stories or information on press facility trips, please contact Paul Ovington as above or email admin@coachtourismcouncil.co.uk
Free advertorial
July 2009
TRAVEL IN STYLE….TOUR BY COACH
Tours and holidays by coach are making a comeback in the recession with nearly seven million people expected to take a coach tour in the UK this year. Bookings for coach day trips, short breaks and longer holidays for 2009 have surged as more people look for an affordable holiday at home.
Coach tours are not just affordable but offer great value for money too. Most tours are all inclusive with not just travel, hotel accommodation and meals included in the price but also entrance tickets to attractions.
There are no hidden costs such as paying for airport parking and airport taxes and tours are hassle free too. Unlike air travel, you will not be faced by long queues for check-in, passport control or security, both before departure and on arrival at your holiday destination. And you won’t be sat crammed between two total strangers on the plane.
Coach passengers can start their tour from near to their home and on some tours will be collected by taxi. They get the personal service of their own driver and the security of being looked after during the tour. There’s no need to worry about getting lost, avoiding speed cameras or having to pay more than £50 just to fill up your car with petrol.
Of course coach holidays have many additional attributes. Coaches are the greenest travel option in the UK today – they use six times less energy than planes and cars and two times less energy than trains. Coach travel has the lowest carbon dioxide emissions per passenger of any mode of transport and help cut congestion.
Coaches are also seven times safer per mile than a car while a gallon of fuel will pro-rata, take two people travelling by coach six times further than by car. Gone are the days when an old bus took people to the seaside for a day trip – today passengers travel in ultra modern, air-conditioned coaches with all mod-cons, costing as much as £250,000.
Executive coaches cost even more. After all, the stars of the Premiership – not forgetting international rugby teams, Olympic athletes, pop stars and celebrities – all travel by coach because they demand not just luxury and comfort, but privacy, security and more space than can be found in any car, whatever the make.
Indeed research also shows that coaches are less stressful too. Leger Holidays fitted groups of passengers with heart rate monitors on trips from the UK to Disneyland Paris. Results revealed that those travelling by Eurostar, on aircraft and by car were more stressed, tense and anxious than those going by coach where passengers seemed to be in a state of serenity.
Coaches should not be confused with buses. While not all coaches are new, a typical modern coach is double-glazed, air conditioned and rides on air suspension to give a comfortable ride. Coaches have reclining seats with many operators offering club class style seating with extra legroom. The driver has the benefits of a luxury car – traction control, anti-lock brakes and even electronic stability control.
Passengers can doze or look at the passing scenery, chat to new-found friends or partners, enjoy a coffee and simply relax. Even on arrival at your hotel, your luggage is usually carried for you, at least as far as the lobby. And you can go straight to the bar for a drink without even thinking about driving!
Nowadays coach tours come in many shapes and sizes so whatever your age, there is something for all. Seaside holidays have not lost their appeal but today you can also see a top show in London, enjoy a flutter at the races, go to the Edinburgh Tattoo or simply sit back and relax as your coach gives you the best view ever of the beautiful countryside in England, Scotland and Wales.
The Coach Tourism Council promotes travel by coach on behalf of nearly 150 coach tour operators from across the UK. To find an operator near where you live visit www.coachtourismcouncil.co.uk which provides an easy-to-use and informative guide to all aspects of coach travel.
For further information or for pictures contact:
Paul Ovington
Direct Public Relations
Tel: 020 7407 6884
Email: paul.directpr@btconnect.com if you would like this advertorial copy in a downloadable word document
TRAVEL IN STYLE….TOUR BY COACH - 20 April 2009
Its not just holiday parks, campers and caravanners who are driving the resurgence in holidays at home in 2009. Tours and holidays by coach are making a comeback in the recession with nearly seven million people expected to take a coach tour this year.
Bookings for coach day trips, short breaks and longer holidays for 2009 have surged as people look for extra value with the all inclusive nature of coach tours – hotel accommodation with meals, entrance tickets to attractions plus travel from close to home – appealing to budget seekers.
Research in 2009 by JDA for the Coach Tourism Council, which represents 150 of the UK’s leading coach tour operators and specialist coach holiday booking agencies, indicates that with more people retiring and the over 65s population continuing to increase, there will be many more potential coach touring customers.
The latest Coach Tourism Council Handbook for 2009/10 underlines the sheer size, importance and diversity of the UK’s coach industry and why it is not just value that makes coach tours so appealing. For example coaches easily outscore planes, cars and trains for being the greenest and safest form of transport.
“Despite thousands being hit hard by the credit crunch, high unemployment and awful returns on savings, its easy to forget that there are still millions of people who are largely unaffected by the current economic turmoil,” said CTC chairman Sean Taggart.
The surge in bookings is backed up by specialist coach booking website, www.coachholidays.com which sells tours on behalf of more than 50 UK operators. It reports year on year sales up by as much as 50 per cent.
This Handbook supports a newly designed website www.coachtourismcouncil.co.uk which provides an easy-to-use and informative guide to all aspects of coach travel for consumers and how they can book excursions, short breaks and holidays both in the UK and abroad with coach operators from across the UK.
For further information - or to discover more about coaches
on a short break or coach tour – contact:
Paul Ovington of Direct Public Relations
Tel: 020 7407 6884 Email: paul.directpr@btconnect.com
Coach statistics
273 million people went on a coach for leisure purposes last year while nearly seven million people spent £1.15 billion on a UK coach touring holiday.
In addition there were 266 million day trips by coach with each passenger spending more than £50 on the trip.
Coach travel is the greenest travel option in the UK today with the lowest carbon dioxide emissions per passenger per kilometre of any mode of transport.
A coach is twice as efficient as a train, nearly four times more efficient than the car and six times more efficient than air travel.
Coaches help cut congestion – a coach carrying 50 passengers takes the place of 20 cars on the road.
Travelling from London to Edinburgh by coach is four times cheaper than going by car.
Safety: Coaches are seven times safer per mile than a car. They each get a maintenance check every day, and a full examination every four to six weeks.
The increased popularity of London’s theatres had been helped by coach passengers who account for 10 per cent of theatre visitors.
CREDIT CRUNCH BOOM FOR COACH HOLIDAYS
Tours and holidays by coach are making a comeback in the recession as more and more people look for extra value and a less costly way to travel. Bookings for coach day trips, short breaks and longer holidays for early 2009 have increased by up to 20 per cent, says the Coach Tourism Council which represents 150 of the UK’s leading coach tour operators and specialist coach holiday booking agencies.
The surge in bookings comes as a survey from trade association, the Confederation of Passenger Transport, reveals that 273 million people went on a coach for leisure purposes last year while nearly seven million people spent £1.15 billion on UK coach touring holidays.
Underlining the size of the industry there were in addition 266 million day trips by coach with each passenger spending more than £50 on the trip. Research also showed that twice as many Brits are planning to holiday in the UK this year but spend less than £500 as they seek value for money alternatives to holidays abroad.
“Despite thousands being hit hard by the credit crunch, high unemployment and awful returns on savings, its easy to forget that there are still millions of people who still intend to take a holiday this year,” said CTC chairman Sean Taggart. “Their preferred choice is the UK where coach tours are less expensive to buy than other holidays and they’re also safer, more secure and greener too.”
Scottish operator Glenton Holidays, part of Grand UK, has expanded its tour programme for 2009 and reports bookings 20 per cent ahead of the same period last year. Grand UK’s Harold Burke said: "We took away record numbers over the Christmas and New Year period and we are also seeing a huge increase of bookings from single people – up 55 per cent.”
“People are booking later and looking for bargains but we have never been busier," said John Flin of www.coachholidays.com which sells on behalf of more than 50 UK coach tour operators. “Bookings in January are up by 10 per cent with tours to the West Country and Scotland really popular."
Kate Herrington of www.Door2Tour.com, a booking service for more than 20 UK coach holiday companies said: “Overall bookings for UK tours are up by 11 per cent. The biggest draw are London theatre breaks which currently account for a third of our bookings, supporting the theory that people are still determined to enjoy themselves despite the doom and gloom. The average cost for a theatre break is about £156 per person, inclusive of travel, show and accommodation, and this value and hassle-free combination is a great attraction.”
Even tours to countries in the Eurozone are doing better than expected. This is due to the fact that prices were set before the value of the £ fell and due to the all inclusive cost of the package - hotel accommodation and most meals, all travel including ferries and entrances to attractions are included in prices.
For further details on coach tours and to find a coach operator from across the UK visit www.coachtourismcouncil.co.uk
(ends)
Coaches help cut congestion – a single coach able to carry 50 or more passengers is the equivalent of 20 cars on the road A coach generates one sixth of the carbon dioxide emissions of air travel, nearly a quarter of a car and half of a train New coaches cost as much as £250,000 and sometimes more. They include air con, reclining seats many with increased leg room and pull down monitors, as well as on board refreshment and washroom facilities. Tours with coach operators from a convenient departure point and on many tours operators pick their passengers up from their homes
Statistics Sources: Confederation of Passenger Transport
Coaches help cut congestion – a single coach able to carry 50 or more passengers is the equivalent of 20 cars on the road 
