A cautious optimism about the economy, combined with new products, are delivering a boost to coach holiday bookings. But what about the wider reputation of coach tourism?
It’s 0900hrs on Sunday morning, 30 August, and Pauline and Roger Bull have just arrived at the Cornmarket Hall in the Northamptonshire town of Kettering to host the annual brochure launch of Taurus Holidays.
Pauline, who runs Taurus, together with her husband Roger, who runs coach operator R.B. Travel, are expecting a busy day ahead. In 2024, the event attracted around 700 customers.
“Roger and I have been doing this for quite some time now, so nothing really surprises us anymore,” says Pauline. “However, as we approached the hall, and still with an hour to go before the doors opened, we were absolutely astonished to see a lengthy queue already forming. It took most of the morning to sign everyone in. Right from the start, the enthusiasm for booking holidays was evident. By the end of the day we’d welcomed a staggering 1,000 people and many of our tours were full with hotel allocations all taken. We now have wait lists for most holidays so the process of going to hoteliers to see if we can find additional allocation has begun! Our 2026 programme will see us operating 43 holidays compared to 38 in 2025. I recall someone saying that coach tourism was a dying industry. From where we’re standing, it’s thriving.”
Introducing new products into a brochure is one way of attracting business and helping raise the profile of coach tourism. Pauline notes that in her case, the inspiration for these have come as a direct result of membership of the Coach Tourism Association (CTA).
“Attending CTA-organised member events around the UK across the year has been time well spent,” she says. “We get to talk with other operators and suppliers, and we get to visit some fascinating places. I may have been doing this for many years, but there’s always something new to discover. The CTA is playing its part in helping us boost business.”
An industry ambassador
There’s long been a call for the coach tourism industry to have a well-known face – an ambassador if you will – someone who would highlight the benefits, much like Michael Portillo does for train travel. Brendan Sheeran, the ebullient host of the Channel 4 reality series ‘Coach Trip’, went some way towards fulfilling this role, appearing at Parrys International’s open days, as well as speaking at a recent CTA event. But that was then. In general, the industry has struggled to generate media coverage to help raise awareness.
In January 2023, viewers of ITV’s ‘Emmerdale’ saw something different on their television screens. Starting with the intriguing phrase: “It starts with a perfect pick up!”, over the next 60 seconds an advert delivered a masterclass in highlighting all the benefits and the positive experience of a coach holiday.
This was a new initiative from Leger Shearings Group (LSG). Over those first three months of the year the advert was seen by some 46 million people.
LSG Chief Executive Liam Race told routeone at the time that it had brought an uplift in unprompted brand awareness by some 30%.
“Our aspiration is to keep pushing that awareness,” he said. “We’re on a journey of growth. We want our operators, partners and suppliers to come on that journey with us, and the advert has played an important part in that.”
However, he also highlighted that the advert had helped raise the profile of the industry too.
At the start of 2025, LSG was back on the small screen, this time featuring the refreshed Shearings brand and building on the marketing activity from 2023.
Engaging with the media
With significantly smaller budgets, other operators are using social media, most often to promote the arrival of a new coach or highlighting forthcoming day trips and holidays. This activity is often reaching younger audiences to whom travelling by coach might have been a thought limited to National Express or Flixbus.
But this is where the discussion returns to the CTA. As the only membership organisation solely focused on coach tourism, the CTA not only supports coach tour operators with opportunities for the aforementioned ideas and inspiration, but also acts as the mouthpiece of the industry.
Robert Shaw, CTA Chair, and a Director of Coventry-based Harry Shaw, notes that the trade body is increasingly recognised by the national media as the voice of the UK coach tourism industry.
“This year alone, CTA has been approached several times for comment from national media organisations,” he says. “These approaches have been regarding issues such as coach access, the demands for coach tourism, and the benefits that coach travel provides. CTA board members have been represented in interviews on BBC television and radio, and in the national press. Topics have included coach access and parking at Bourton-on-the Water, Bibury in the Cotswolds, and Birling Gap in East Sussex. For our coach operator members, this media engagement presents a unified voice and a clear message, a message that ultimately supports the rights of coach tourism customers. Crucially, it also helps visitor attractions and destinations and most importantly, the public, understand the sustainable benefits that coach tourism can provide.”
Increasing B2C activity
There’s another element of CTA activity that is helping to put coach tourism on the map and influence its overall reputation.
‘We Love Coaches’ is an ongoing B2C campaign aimed at existing and potential coach tourism customers,” explains Robert Shaw. “The online campaign supports coach operator members by helping consumers find the right coach for their trip and tour requirements, as well as promoting the benefits of travel by coach.”
Earlier this year, CTA ran a ‘We Love Coaches’ digital marketing campaign, with adverts across media and general consumer websites, as well as on social media. CTA says the campaign was seen by more than two million people.
Robert Shaw again: “A primary objective of CTA is to support operator members by providing the environment to help them develop business, including growing their relationships with suppliers to the sector. The ongoing ‘We Love Coaches’ campaign, a relatively recent addition to the services we provide, supports coach operator members’ own marketing. The programme is starting to increase traction directly with coach tourism customers and has already started to deliver results. In particular, the contribution by CTA’s industry partners, including DFDS, Tourism Ireland, Visit Wales, and VisitScotland, demonstrates the broad esteem in which the coach tourism sector is held.”
Changing outdated perceptions
But do coach tour operators themselves feel the reputation of coach tourism is changing?
Louise Webster, of East Yorkshire-based Acklams Holidays, feels that the perception of coach tourism is evolving in a positive way.
“It’s no longer seen as just a budget option but as a quality, great-value travel experience,” she says. “Demographic shifts include younger travellers engaging with coach travel for concerts, shows, and short breaks, while our core senior market continues to value the sense of community and ease of travel that door to door coach holidays offer. Across the board, expectations are higher, and I do think the industry is rising to meet them.
“There’s already some great work being done to modernise the image of coach tourism through branding, strong partnerships, and the increased focus on quality experiences. More promotion on the environmental benefits of coach travel, especially when compared to individual car use, or flying, is also important. Educating the public on coach travel sustainability could really help reposition it as a smart, responsible choice, not just a convenient one. The more we highlight what coach travel can be, the more we shift outdated perception.”
Engaging with new customers
Paul Cartwright of Lincolnshire-based A&P Travel, believes it is getting stronger year by year.
“For many years of my early working life, and with the onset of cheap flight options, many were saying that coach travel would die off as everyone would fly there quicker,” he says. “We are still here, doing very well and numbers are increasing year-after-year.”
Jason Edwards, of South Wales-based Jason Edwards Travel, and CTA Vice Chairman, quantifies the benefit of being a CTA member.
“Utilising the CTA network has seen our domestic product range increase by around 20%,” he says. “As a small company we don’t have the riches of resources so sourcing products at a CTA one-stop-shop to enhance our itineraries has seen our programme become more user-friendly and refreshed. That, in turn, has engaged a new type of customer while retaining existing customers.”
In the meantime, Pauline and Roger are now looking back at their highly successful day.
“Many of our customers were booking more than one holiday,” says Pauline. “One actually booked five tours. We must be doing something right!”
