The transition of coaches to zero-emission will be front and centre of a summer networking event to be held by the Coach Tourism Association (CTA) at the DoubleTree by Hilton London Elstree in Hertfordshire on Sunday 23 and Monday 24 July.
Also described as a business development weekend by CTA, the gathering is sponsored by Visit Herts and VisitScotland. Supplier networking and a familiarisation trip are on the agenda alongside a seminar dedicated to coach tourism’s challenging move into the zero-emission sphere.
The Sunday will see a visit to Hatfield House, including lunch and a tour. Later, a reception of local suppliers will be followed by a dinner while the following day, a supplier member showcase will enable operators and wholesalers to meet suppliers hailing from the hotel, attraction and destination areas, along with service providers.
However, Monday will open with the seminar dedicated to zero-emission. CTA describes it as “highly relevant to coach operators.” Head of Yutong UK Ian Downie will address delegates, as will Equipmake Chief Executive Ian Foley.
The Yutong TCe12 is currently the only new zero-emission coach available in the UK – although it will be joined by the GTe14 next year – and Equipmake recently commenced the repower of diesel coaches to battery-electric with a Van Hool T917 owned by London operator Westway.
While discussion around zero-emission is important for coach operators, CTA notes that it is also important for attractions and destinations. The seminar will explain to them the developments and implications of charging infrastructure and the needs of those vehicles.
CTA Chair Robert Shaw notes that the move to zero-emission will be “a historic step for the coach tourism industry,” but he adds that “there is clearly a lot of work still to” in that field.
“Already, travel by coach is more environmentally friendly that travel by car, train or aeroplane, and the zero-emission transition will push the industry’s environmental sustainability further still,” Mr Shaw continues. “There are some important steps for all stakeholders in coach tourism, including attractions and destinations, to take before then, so this seminar will be a very useful event for all CTA members.”
Visit Herts describes coach tourism as important for Hertfordshire. Chief Executive Deirdre Wells says: “Hertfordshire has a great deal to offer coach groups, and CTA’s event will present operators and wholesalers with an excellent overview of these facilities.”
Delegate fees and the itinerary can be found on CTA’s website.
