The Coach Tourism Association, along with supporters, has conducted the biggest ever market research survey of the coach tourism industry. The results have been revealed, as Jessica Sludds finds out at the Coach Holiday Conference
The results of the Coach Tourism Association (CTA)’s coach tourism survey were revealed at the CTA’s annual Coach Holiday Conference last month (29-30 January).
Attended by 157 delegates, the conference was held at the Hilton Bournemouth, followed by the CTA Workshop.
Just one of the promising findings of the survey is that once someone goes on a coach holiday, it’s likely they’ll be back for more.
The response
Peter Stratton, Managing Director of ICT, presented the results, which achieved a response rate of more than 25,000 people, including 20% who are non-coach travellers.
“This was an incredible number of people to take part in a survey of this type,” says CTA Chief Executive Chris Wales. “It has provided some really good in-depth research which will help operators, and anyone involved in the coach industry, plan for the future.”
The survey was sent to various people, including CTA coach tour operator members, and readers of Choice, Mature Times, and Silver Travel Advisor. In addition, Visit Kent, Bournemouth Tourism and CalMac Ferries issued the survey to their web users.
People of all ages responded to the survey, but 65% of responses are from people aged 55-74, which matches the age of the core coach tourism market of over-65s. However, 8,500 of the responses came from under-65s. 61% of the respondents are women, while 39% are male.
Favoured trips
On average, the respondents take 2.3 trips in the UK and 1.2 trips abroad – with 52% of coach passengers going abroad by coach.
For 80%, coach holidays are the most popular holiday choice, while 52% chose a beach/sun holiday, 30% said cruise, and 13.5% said train.
The most preferred duration of a trip in the UK is four nights or more, with 68% choosing this option, and 49% choosing a short break in the UK of one-three nights. 45% of respondents opt for a longer break abroad of four nights or more.
A day trip to London, without a visit to the theatre, scored highly for 38% of respondents and a theatre trip to London was the preferred choice for 17%.
All-inclusive coach tours are the most attractive, followed by luxury tours and special interest holidays. Mixed coach and cruise tours were also favoured by 26% of respondents.
The survey also found that the destination was the most important factor in a person’s decision to book a coach holiday, followed by the comfort and modernity of the coach.
Get them hooked
The survey reveals that loyalty among current coach travellers is high. 80% of respondents have taken a coach holiday in the last five years, while 92% of existing coach users said they are likely to consider coaches again in the next five years.
Although 20% of the respondents said they had not taken a coach holiday in the last five years, 43% aged between 45-64 years old said they were likely to consider it.
The perception about coach holidays among these non-coach holiday makers is positive in several areas: It’s value for money, it takes the hassle out of travel, it’s comfortable, and it’s a sociable and safe way to travel.
However, another perception is that coach holidays are for older people. But this should be viewed as a positive, and a strong strategy should be in place to make coach travelling a natural step for people as they grow older.
Peter Stratton urges operators to ‘stop worrying’ and focus on what can be done to grow a business and attract new customers. “Stop looking at your competitors,” he says.
There is a need to do more than simply sticking to what sells to existing customers. Operators need to introduce new products to appeal to customers – both mature and younger – and keep them hooked.
Be inspired
Speakers at the conference included Jon Weaver, Head of Resort Marketing and Events in Bournemouth, Deirdre Byrne from Failte Ireland, and Geoff Ramm from OMG Marketing.
Jon talked about the versatility of Bournemouth and its commitment to welcoming coach groups to the town in a number of ways. New developments were also revealed, such as a new entertainment complex and the re-landscaping of one side of the Pier Approach, with plans for the other side to be re-landscaped in the future.
Deirdre spoke about ‘Ireland’s Ancient East’, urging operators to consider the less visited hotspots in Ireland, such as the east coast, where they will “uncover 5,000 years of history, in lush green landscapes, with stories told by the best storytellers in the world”.
Details can be found at www.irelandsancienteast.com.
Geoff got operators to consider whether they would treat a customer differently if the customer was a celebrity. If the answer is yes, then its customer service can be improved, he says.
With real life experiences given as examples from Geoff, such as the greatest cabin crew member of all time and a burger chain’s heart-warming story involving a sesame seed bun, it was hard to leave without feeling inspired.
And since over-65 is the fastest growing age group, the survey results can only heighten the industry’s optimism for the future of coach tourism.
