More than 120 stakeholders from the coach tourism industry will gather in Bournemouth between 21 and 23 November for The Coach Tourism Association’s CTA Winter Networking 2026. The event will focus on product development for coach tour operators, including a selection of familiarisation (fam) trips plus business discussions with leading industry wholesalers and suppliers.

The event will be based at the Hilton Bournemouth hotel and will feature fam trips to the National Trust’s Kingston Lacy Venetian palace plus a cruise of Poole Harbour with Coastal Cruises Poole. Business networking opportunities will take place throughout the weekend between industry buyers and suppliers, including dedicated business development sessions as part of the event’s Supplier Workshop.

117 delegates have already booked their place for the CTA-member only event, with places still available until 16 October. Coach operators who aren’t a member of the CTA can join the organisation to attend the event for free, a benefit extended to new coach operator members for their first CTA event.

“Bournemouth is a classic coach tourism destination that also has a great deal to offer during the winter months and festive season, so we’re looking forward to seeing the latest product opportunities in the area,” says CTA Chair, Robert Shaw. “CTA events are designed for coach operators to discover new products and refine existing offers. The fam trips, combined with the wholesaler and supplier business meetings, are a highly effective, time-efficient way of product development.”

For early coach operator arrivals, the event begins on Saturday 21 November with pre-event fam trip options to either the New Forest Experience, including a visit to the world-renowned National Motor Museum – with this option already sold out - or an overnight stay at Bournemouth’s newly refurbished Queens Hotel & Spa.

The main fam trip programme, open to coach tour operators, wholesalers, and suppliers, takes place on Sunday 22 November and also includes lunch and a fam visit at Marsham Court Hotel. The evening, staged at the Hilton Bournemouth, includes a networking dinner and entertainment including music and song provided by CN Live Productions.

To conclude the event, a Supplier Workshop will take place on Monday 23 November. Featuring suppliers to the industry from across the UK, the workshop will enable business discussions in a formal setting.

“In addition to product development, CTA Winter Networking will give the opportunity for coach tour operators and suppliers to discuss the latest business landscape, particularly at a time when there are many changes taking place across the industry,” says Robert Shaw. “Attending CTA events gives coach operators a voice, and they’re a useful way of finding solutions to shared challenges. If you’re not a member, now is an ideal time to join the CTA.”

“As a supplier to the coach tourism industry, attending CTA events and meeting coach operators in person is important to strengthen our relationship with existing customers, and an effective way of meeting coach tour operators who haven’t yet experienced Plymouth Boat Trips and what we can provide,” says Dave Hardy, Head of Sales & Marketing, Plymouth Boat Trips. “Coach groups are important to our business, which makes membership of the CTA a crucial way to access the market and enhance our opportunities.”

Find out more about CTA Winter Networking here, and to discover the benefits of joining the CTA, visit here