“Coach travel will return” — that’s the key message from Steve Rooney and the Coach Tourism Association (CTA) in this exclusive Q&A.
Coach tour operators have been among the hardest hit by the Covid-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdown (pre-corona, Britons took over 18 million day trips by coach annually, plus over 5 million coach holidays abroad). Through these difficult times, the CTA has been supporting and working tirelessly on behalf of its members to help ensure that the industry survives.
We’d like to take this opportunity to say a big thank you to the CTA for their continued dedication to this wonderful industry.
Here’s their message to you (written by Steve Rooney, who jointly manages CTA Membership Services):
What steps have you/are you taking to support your members locally and nationally?
It was evident from the outset that our members, and especially coach tour operator members, have been suffering considerable hardship with concerns about how to survive once they were effectively shut down by the government. CTA has been providing regular updates for members by collating government advice and guidance and other information and has been working closely with other trade bodies to represent the coach tour sector to government. In particular, we lobbied for a temporary change to the Package Travel Regulations to relax the 14-day requirement for cash refunds to customers whose holidays operators were forced to cancel due to the government lockdown. CTA has also been pressuring the government to include coach operators within the definition of ‘leisure businesses’ to enable them to qualify for business rates relief.
What information and resources are available to your members?
Our website (www.coachtourismassociation.co.uk) has carried more than 150 separate news items with advice and guidance from official sources and trade bodies over the past few weeks. CTA also negotiated access for its members during the crisis to the legal helpline operated by Bonded Coach Holidays.
How can we collectively help the coach tourism industry?
One thing is certain: coach travel will return. Our collective responsibility is to help the industry to survive through this very difficult period of lockdown and then maximise our efforts to promote coach tourism. If, as is likely, there is a renewed focus on domestic holidays, then coach tourism is in a great position to help boost UK tourism which will benefit attractions, destinations, hotels and all suppliers who are part of this sector.
What’s the best business advice that you’ve heard recently?
Communicate, communicate, communicate.
How important will tourism be to the UK’s economic recovery in the months ahead?
Tourism has been one of the most serious casualties from the pandemic but it can also be part of the solution. Coach tourism can play a key role in the recovery by offering a safe, green option and the dedication, ingenuity and humanity of our operator members will help us to get there.
The Coach Tourism Association was set up 30 years ago to bring the coach tourism industry together and to promote travel and tourism by coach. Steve Rooney jointly manages Member Services for the CTA with Sue Rooney. He is also Managing Editor of Bus and Coach Professional.
Find out more at www.coachtourismassociation.co.uk