Winning new customers to coach holidays | British Tourism & Travel Show 2025

so for our panel discussion now I'm delighted n pleased to welcome three directors of the CTA Jason Edwards the far end owner of Coach holiday operator Jason Edwards travel and vice chair of the CTA don't it'll go to his head in the center we have Luis Fitzpatrick head of sales at tour wholesaler Albatross travel thank you and last and absolutely last no any kidding grahe hopcraft is global sales manager with Ferry operator dfds I think Louise wins anyway I'm going to ask each of them just to say a few words about what they're doing to attract new customers to coach touring or perhaps just introduce themselves and then we'll ask a few questions and if you can be thinking of questions you'd like to ask them we have a roving microphone and we'll be coming to you later so you can ask our three luminaries I think that's what Jason said he was um to you can ask them questions so to start off and probably just to give a little bit of an update on CTA activities as Vice chair Jason Edwards hey good afternoon um thanks for coming every thanks for the invite I think you know where we are this is again use the phrase all the time it's a bit of a blank canas you know it's a fantastic industry to be involved with but I think as with any business you need to understand what your core values are what are you actually looking to achieve what your budget restraints are um you know where we are we in quite a unique sort of position we only started two years ago so we've gone from a standing start with zero customers um you know we we traveled turn over year one and we pretty much on target again that for Year too um a lot of that is is is the team of people who go around you without the shadow a doubt that some of them are here today um and the customers you got to offer something a little bit different you know it's that quality is value for money we got to make people want to travel with us we going to make people want to spend money with us and want to to return time and time again I got that old adage um you know if we had our existing customer base to book a another 5% of a holiday we couldn't cope with demand so it's it's it's looking after the existing customer base in existing customers which is key and what sort of magic can we sprinkle on something else then whether it's product or um opportunities um to to attract newer in a younger audience we we would talking earlier you know and I'm 54 now I probably am now the new younger audience it pains me to say but um you know we are so we're all getting a little bit older and we' all um you know aging gracefully some of us are anyway um so again it's it's just looking at those opportunities understanding what what what's important to your a business the GE geographical are you're in and the sort of budgets you got you know we we can't spend thousands of thousands of pounds on AI technology and things what we can do is look at our stuff look at our website look at the way we present our business even uniform is part of sort of your branding your awareness and everything else so um I was traveling back from yesterday and there was three a bit of a coach anara on this one but there was three Brooklyn coaches in memory Services absolutely Immaculate now they just travel up from Kent so they've done done a couple of Miles anyway but they business card is a 12 meter coach traveling along the road and I actually stopped and took a picture is you know it's so again there's loads of different opportunities but um the only advice I can try and give you is just to focus on some simple sorts of steps and work on that okay well come I'm sure we'll come back to that at a moment Louise um I was going to say good morning but it's not as good afternoon um thank you for having me Stuart um as a wholesaler to the UK coach Market we have a fantastic product team pulling together an extensive range of different products and it is something you pointed towards you know you've got your core product but with a Sprinkle of something extra and I think it's really important we are all focused on how do we get a younger traveler on the coach holidays how do we get new customers on the coach holidays that sometimes we forget about the core customer so I think it's really important that you continue with your core product because there is always going to be an aging population who at some point in their life is going to turn turn to coach holidays if they are no longer driving comfortable driving but having a different range of product for potentially reaching out to other markets but having that separate from your core product you know I think marketing is a real key factor in that I'm sure we will all agree a younger traveler on a traditional coach holiday is never always the right fit because there could be accessibility issues with a much older a a much older traveler and that could cause frustrations for a younger traveler so I think yeah marketing is a real key element of that I also think when it comes to social media and websites to reach to a we we had the question what is a younger Market person we've all asked that question and I think nowadays it's 70y old today is not the same as a 70y old yesterday they're more active they're more agile they've possibly grown used to booking holidays online relatively easily that I think looking at your website is your website easy to use is it clear is it easy to book a holiday I think those are also things to look at as well as social media we've seen a a growing Trend in event driven breaks okay they're short breaks but we are seeing a huge growth in event driven breaks and I think that's something to look at as well sometimes you need to be agile with that because the event could be quite short lead but you do see quite a big range of Ages traveling on those kind of breaks and as well we've seen a growing trend of Coach Holiday by a I know for some coach operators saying a coach Holiday by air isn't necessarily what they want to hear cuz they feel it's not a coach holiday but again it's just a great way of offering different destinations however to a different audience and making the travel time cutting the travel time down which a younger audience don't necessarily want to be on the coach two days before they get to their destination so think it's being open to those kind of ideas as well okay thank you very much grahe thank you very much um agree with everything you say Eloise everything that you've mentioned there is on this same piece of paper with my so I've got Absolut nothing to say the fds however comes at a different angle because we are only a very small part of any tour and we we are the the part where we got to get you across Walter say you ask why am I set up here giving you my Pearls of Wisdom but my Pearls of Wisdom really come about collaboration understanding your markets understanding what your markets want and actually understanding how we can make a difference to your tour you all do fantastic tours across Europe and across the UK that's no doubt but we've got to add something in that that makes us Stand Up Above the Rest and for us to give you something that really supports your customer and looks after your customer use there's a couple of areas where I've looked into when I was asked to do this and one of the things was we take an awful lot and hundreds and hundreds of coaches over February halterm to the ski results around Europe that market is not our demographic for our scores towards to skegness or to Locks and Glenn it's not that Market at all it's a very young Market but that young Market one day is going to to be our demographic sorry Jason we S A age a little bit older than you so I'm I'm ahead of you on the on the list um so with with that in mind how do we get that market to look at a coach in the industry now I went out to a couple of coach operators and I won't tell you who they are my want EMB Barrison and said what information what data did you put on your private hire coach taking your schools to Europe and they come back and said well we either they don't do anything at all or they put their brochure on it and I said so what in that brochure is for that market what is going to what is going to make them want to come back for you next week become that new customer that existing customer the the answer there is very little because there's not many operators who have that product now then you look at how how can we collaborate with all the different parties involved in travel to find out who and where our new B customers are coming from that so you got to look at your destinations and your destinations I think are are the key to the success on this we got to make sure the destinations have got something for that market and the right product to that market so if you're looking at that demographics going skin a Nuki tour perhaps with um surfing activities more CL club club in my day was very different club today I'm sure but CL club events I nearly use the phrase disco and that really does show my age but looking at something that they're going to want to go to as well and perhaps not trying to mix it with our existing clientele so and being brave to go out there to do it within the fds way we've collaborated and way we've successfully grown the coaching industry certainly on the DOA France routes is by talking to the coach coach customers and understanding their customers and talking to their customers and finding out what they want from us so I take you back to the beginning where I started it's all about collaboration it's all about working for the destinations to make sure that we are finding the right product and getting the mark get into the market the right way in an opportune time thank you very much grae um I'm intrigued Jason because you know you've been around in the he said cautiously and carefully here we've been around a little while in the industry but setting up a new coach tour business on that side of what you do you had have an opportunity obviously to dip into the existing traditional over 55 60 Market but are you diff how do you differentiate yourself as a new business in what is already quite a a crowded coach tour Market in well South Wales um how how have you established yourself in that way or more importantly what have you done that's different in trying to do anything with it with a a slightly different audience at all yeah a tough question um for us really you know it's just looking at yourself we're just trying to be the best we can we yeah we got an eye on competition is is friends of mine who are competition here today you know we we we help and support each other as much as we can we try and be a little bit different we look at our cost paace I think you know when we try to attract a younger audience as well they quite Savi you know they they got the Environmental Green Card there's always a concern on that our coaches the EUR 6 engines you know you go look at the uong electric coach there that's the next step for us maybe um you know we using some fantastic products as well we and I think the younger audience wants multiple breaks a year you know the old eight days to Great Yarmouth and Isa white as much as it was easy for us because we'd have a bus away for eight days fantastic the drivers are over the moon they'd having two days off halfway through the week you know that's changed so you know John sest down clo he's got a fantastic business the majority of his work now is weekend stuff with the younger audience I think he was telling me his average age is about 43 5th 45 you know going on a coach holiday so there's there there's opportunities out there but it's knowing your Market again knowing your geography um you know traveling from the north of England down you know to London all the time is a far along long old drag let say Pro probably a little bit easier for us you know so it's understanding the areir you're in what's manageable really as a comfortable sort of destination for us they don't want to spend eight nine hours on the co I wouldn't you know unless you're go to Europe you want to you want time in the resort or or the destination in the hotel is it a spa there you know um happy hour in a bar or whatever else it is you know um itin so there's a wealth of different things and I think that's something that's sometimes where we trip ourselves up we try to be everything to everybody instead of saying right hang on there's three core values here this is what we stand for this is what we do and and as long as you can keep those values simple you know I think that's what takes off it's simply it's work for us you know budget constraints are a massive thing you can spend 600,000 pound now on a brand new vanu you know 40 seats with all the kitchen in the back there's no many customers out there will want to pay for that seat you know there's not many companies out there can afford that on finance as well you know the rates the way they are so again it's just understanding your audience your own sort of abilities really how far you can stretch your cash flow projections and everything else and we talk about cash flow every day you know um so there's all these sort of different factors all pulling into that one resource right okay is this going to sell or not can we make margin are we going to is it excitable to somebody you know um can we do it safely and to the best of our ability you know so there's there there's loads of different things loads of different Hoops that we try and jump through before we actually and some of it you know the guys are say say listen just take a punt let's just throw it throw it out let's see what happens and some of the most you know the tours you think will never ever sell are the ones that AB we got a waiting list on you can't believe you know you look at your abers and your m m they've just changed the industry the moment you know it's just something fresh it's exciting attracting a new audience and even the older audience always makes me laugh I love helping a customers you know going on a trip and stuff and all you older ladies you're all in a suitcase and it's all you can know is clinking there wine bottles gin bottles and stuff I said you know there's a bar in your tell as well last for the bus that is and you know they they must be get off the Court Street to the win but you know where we are you never we never understand what those people have just gone through they may have had a tough time May lost so many just come from a medical condition so we never judge you know they they G away they going out to absolutely enjoy the themselves you know um and as as long as we can offer that facility safely you know and and do the best we can at value for money well that's what we are to do really I think it's interesting and Lou you picked up on the the point about when we talk about new customers are we talking about new younger customers so we're moving from I think the ledish earrings um activity was saying that they've traditionally been 55 plus and now they're they're trying to attract the 50 plus it's only a small margin but if you're going on a coach holiday you need the time to do that and traditionally it's been the retirees I suppose um but there's an interesting point that comes out of all of this and seeing the electric coach over there which been passing if you've not been to have a look at it um it's a magnificent vehicle um and the whole idea of electric coach travel is already one of the most sustainable travel options out there um but however going down the electric route and we're some way off before an electric coach like that will be able to take a full load with luggage stop overnight and make sure it's got places to charge up overnight and all of that however for day trips and that sort of activity and contract work those are already proving very popular in different parts of the country but I'm wondering if and it' be intered to know what the panel thinks are younger people or perhaps this people who whove been going on holidays themselves they're well aware of the importance of of going to to to zero emissions and are coming into our sort of age range is electric some something that will go Ah that's good and we might get people in terms of the marketing that we do whe whether it's a ferry operator or a wholesaler or an or a coach operator is electric a message that's resonating or as I think you've probably already explained focusing on what we have already in doing that really well um and making sure that the different types of of product they will attract new people in where where are with that is is electric something that the whole sustainability green credentials is that something we should be thinking about because I know with ships obviously it is but Absol absolutely sure yeah with with ships it definitely is and dfds have have a a sustainability policy where by 20 40 we're looking at being uh carbon neutral 2050 all fully carbon neutral and that's not that long not long the way I I'll be retired by it won't to me what we're running it on but uh it will for my children and it will for my grandchildren um but at the moment for on the ferry point of view the infrastructure on land isn't there for to support fully electric vessels on the channel um P have got a wonderful ship one two wonderful ships that run on hybrid but they they don't have the power at report because the infrastructure is not there so they're they're pushing towards this sustainability this green credentials but the infrastructure just isn't there yet the same as a coach for a coach um but it will come it will come in time um and whether it's electric or it's ammonal or or methanol or whatever it is carbon fuels is definitely on the way out and the investment that has been happening across the world with feries particularly is enormous um you won't see an awful lot of new new vessels that aren't hybrid coming onto the waters in the in the distant future in um they will all be uh ready for the next Generation I know Louise you have a background in hotel with you know with hoteliers and and whether hoteliers are embracing this to help ensure that if a Coach operator has an electric vehicle and wants to go to a hotel the hotel is going actually yes here's an opportunity for us or the cost of that far outweigh the benefits and therefore it's not something that's going to happen for a little while I mean I think sustainability is important to people but I think until the infrastructure is in place with that it it's a difficult message to go out there and Market with isn't it and you know I can see there's some Hotel um people in the audience I've been out of hotels for a while but certainly you know coach parking in a hotel can be challenging because they don't have dedicated Co coach Bay for example they're taking up parts of their car park so potentially it's then an extra cost for them to put the charging Point into the hotel and I think you know until we're at a place that there is consistency around seeing the true value of Coach travel and what that can bring trying to counterbalance that message that it's going to be cost effective for you or it's your profit margins ET ET it's going to be positive that is a really tough message to get across I I think electric coaches and you can correct me if I'm if if I'm wrong because you're the expert on this compared to me but I think for longer distances you know it is challenging and I think we should focus on the sustainability of Coach holidays with a Euro 6 vehicle in the sense of you're taking a short break to a city Center there's potentially 20 30 cars less going to visit that Center City Center because we're bringing people by coach and I think until we're at a point of infrastructure for electric in general for vehicles I think that's the message that we need to be focused on it sounds chicken and egg that until the demand is there hotels aren't going to do much um but then will the demand be there if hotels aren't doing much Jason at the moment you mentioned electric as something you know in the pipeline for you as a coach operator but is not something important necessarily yet or is it h for us is you know we we I was lucky enough to spend some time out in Rus two weeks ago they just developed um you know a new courts coming into the market hydrogen is is is on everybody's lips up there you know so you're looking at you know the Pelican phenomenal electrical vehicle but it's only got a limited range I think it's something like 300 Mi you know um hydrogen is not quite there yet you know but it's going to be but but whatever it is the market is changing and going back to again you know with with us coach operators we've got ear a living you know the price of these vehicles coming through the door now are absolutely you know double TR treble and what we would St pay for a standardized diesel engine you know so we got to make sure that are margins are there we got a sustainable business um we we we doing um uh a sort of a presentation with the the CWS Bo on water with the coach back and you know it's it's pretty fair to say a coach will take 44 cars off the road but we can't drop the coach people off in the center of the Town they've got to walk 20 minutes 30 minutes into town and you saw the numbers of joshuas pouring out earlier the value of spend you know we we've seen it from ourselves our coach customers spend money they come to the local economy they spend money you know we we lucky enough to do cruises and things and everything else which is I'm not you know saying it's a bad industry involved with but they don't spend money they got an all-inclusive bar on a festar ship with a Mitchell in celebrity chef they are going to eat in a sort of Cafe whatever it is on the side of the you know Common or whatever you know so I think people need to understand the importance of our industry the infrastructure certainly needs to be there the basics a Coach Park you know a restroom for the driver cuz he is working you know when we all work in our offices we got simple facilities like a microwave hot and cold water a toilet well the driver hasn't you know and then you expected him in to look after 40 people to the best of his ability um and want to come back to that destination again and I can tell you now my guys want if there's another destination up the road that is more suitable for them and they need they'll stop there and rightly so as well so again it's it's it's the complete sort of investment is the word really whether it's the vehicles or the the tourist information centers or the the local Authority it's not for us as operators to tell them that we should be coming in number one of your on your agenda we we don't know what the the council's problems are but if you've certainly got an interest in tourism and tourism is a big factor of you you know income in the community when it needs to be addressed yeah we' got time for a couple of questions or so does anybody like to ask a meaningful question put our panelist on the spot well maybe not but can I just start off a minute know if anybody mentions a rugby I'm [Laughter] off anybody with a question goodness me I think one question while you again just thinking and it you know might be the all the questions have been answered I think from a ferry operator's perspective and it's something that's dear to everybody's heart here just briefly delays at do which can sometimes put people off from traveling we hear the research where they say oh you know we don't want to do Continental touring because of the delays is very frustrating for everybody who's involved in delivering a first class service and dfds obviously does the coach operators do the tour wholesalers do putting you on the spot slightly grow and the fault of the delays at Dober is nothing normally nothing to do with you how can you mitigate sort of that damage to reputation and and and avoid putting people off from traveling so in attracting new customers it wants to be a seamless Journey but it's pretty difficult to deliver that at the minute with the way everything is at the ports it it is and it's it's a it's been a try and time and of course the Press excuse me for sles in the Press Stewart but they do like to jump on a bad news story and unfortunately last summer we had a horrendous situation where it um it was Easter where the the coaches were piled up for a normous amount of time at the for going out at DOA we are at the the the mercy of the authorities down there with path and uh with border force and we need path to to understand the numbers commercially it's a port and we are three commercial operators all running out of one small P of the corner of DOA there is always going to be delays but how we mitigate that how we manage that and we have to believe in the process we have to believe in the process that DOA Harbor uh DOA Harbor authorities are doing the right thing by moving the coach check into the Western dock with their own dedicated toilet and and rest facilities in there a cafeteria with a with new buildings in place so that when the ETA ETS Etc F the fingerprint faal recognition comes in that's going to be done off site um at at the Western docks which mitigates any problems with cues going down into the Main Avenue into the Eastern docks so everything for you as a coach your ra excuse me it will be done in the western docks when you go through to the Eastern docks you just drive straight through on the right hand side straight around to check in because everything would have been done you coach will be sealed and this is U portter Do's plan your coach will be sealed with a little sticker long that sticker in place you'll go straight way through so what it does it takes your customers into a more comfortable place so if there are delays you have toilets that don't you don't get blue bum and anyone who's sat on the coach knows exactly what I mean there um you you have top um Cafe facilities where you can top up your water you can top up your drinks and we as a ferry operator ask you as responsible coach tour operators you make sure you got provisions on bu your coach for your customers and and and be very timely simple as that yeah it makes some sense we are seeing I think now um in talking to coach operators when I'm writing I write for a a trade magazine called route one and we're talking to coach operators and there many are seeing a Resurgence now in Continental touring um The Challenge of the delays at do which certainly impacted on on for a period of time on the success of those tours that's eased a little we hear now the EES the entry exit system with the Biometrics at the Port is due I think to come in in October and then etas which is the um Visa waver Visa waiver scheme is at some point then I think in the early into 2026 possibly as late as 2026 October it's yes so that's going to add another element in but the popularity of of getting on a coach and spending time away touring all all around different parts of Europe is coming back um which is encouraging I'm conscious that we're we're almost on time I think I'm going to ask my ask the panel if they would bearing in mind this topic is winning new customers to coach holidays and we'll say Jason till last but I'm going to start with Louise if if there was one thing after all the things we've disc discussed it's almost like the Holy Grail if I'm able to say that these days about how do you win new customers to coach holidays what is it for me it is the right product and how you Market that product if you're after a new Mar a new market attracting a new customer your marketing has to reflect that and not be in with your core Market marketing that would be my key takeway okay GR collaboration um a timely um timely getting the outs of the market so make sure you're getting you're making most of your opportunities to get your product your new products to your new customer to Market in time okay Jason well for me um uh don't be afraid of failure give it a go you know it's it's a fantastic industry we belong to you know we're all passionate about what we do we wouldn't be here now there's no one answer will fit anything if I knew that got to be sitting on a yach marer not sitting on you now um and just give things a go just try and enjoy yourselves but you know you are going to fail you know you you you you re-evaluate what you've just done you go back on the bike and go again okay I think one thing we've learned probably one thing we can expect is in the year ahead it's going to be another fascinating year ahead for this industry it's a magnificent industry thank you very much indeed for taking the time to come and listen today would you thank our panelists in the usual manner hello

2025-04-25 07:47

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