New website to promote tours by coach
A new website promoting tours by coach launches this week. It's a simple, user friendly guide to finding an excursion, short break or escorted coach holiday to anywhere in the UK, Europe or beyond.
findacoachholiday.com is a comprehensive guide to coach tours featuring more than a hundred UK coach tour operators who are members of the Coach Tourism Council (CTC), which promotes travel and tourism by coach.
Operators featured range from national companies such as Shearings, Collette, Cosmos, Leger, Alfa and Grand UK to medium size and smaller independent regional operators. While not a booking site there are quick and easy web links - and telephone numbers - for all the operators featured. It’s the easiest way to find a coach tour departing either from individual homes or from local pick up points, reducing the need to make long transfer journeys.
Coach tourism is one of the UK's biggest travel sectors. Nearly seven million people took a coach tour in the UK in 2009 with more than 1.5 million going on an escorted tour to Europe, or a fly coach tour to a long-haul destination.
“Coach operators expect the staycation boom of 2009 to continue through 2010 while the demand for escorted tours at affordable prices will see renewed demand for tours to the Continent,” said CTC chairman Sean Taggart. “Coach tours have helped drive the resurgence in theatre trips while tours to speciality events such as historic festivals, garden shows, horse race meetings and Grand Prix motor racing are also increasing in popularity.”
One of the biggest events this year is the Oberammergau 2010 Passion play, presented by villagers every ten years in the Bavarian Alps in southern Germany. With presentations throughout the summer, it is a huge coach tourist attraction.
The days of the seaside charabanc are long gone. New coaches now cost upwards of £250,000 and feature reclining seats, air conditioning, double glazed windows and on board facilities. Unseen elements are quiet cabins and a smooth ride. Many operators now have coaches that cost much more and feature club class style leather seats with extra legroom, drop down DVD screens, toilet facilities and even kitchens. Premiership football clubs and international sports teams now travel to matches on special coaches run by CTC operators.
The Coach Tourism Council was set up 21 years ago to promote travel and tourism by coach. Its members include 140 coach tour operators from across the UK - most of whom also offer coaches for private hire and group bookings – as well as 140 industry suppliers and supporters including national and regional tourist offices, major hotel groups, ferry operators, attractions and destinations.
For more information, visit: findacoachholiday.com
