Greatdays' Manchester Sightseeing Tours has launched ‘Secrets of the City’, a new, unique bus tour that celebrates Manchester’s innovative spirit and reveals stories about the city and its people. The 90-minute tour features a live commentary delivered by specially...

This week, Eurostar has launched a third direct daily service from London to Amsterdam – and to mark this, as well as the opening of Van Gogh’s sunflower exhibition in Amsterdam next week, it's unveiled a specially commissioned gown made entirely of fresh...

Hever Castle & Gardens in Kent has been awarded a TripAdvisor® Certificate of Excellence as both a Visitor Attraction and for its Luxury Bed & Breakfast accommodation for the fifth year running. The achievement celebrates hospitality businesses that have...

Butlin’s has unveiled its new £40m pool at its Bognor Regis resort, complete with the world’s first water helter skelter. The new development is the latest in a wave of multi-million-pound investments across the brand’s three coastal resorts, and demonstrates Butlin’s...

This year’s Food & Drink Festival at Longleat (June 22nd-23rd) will have a decidedly Australian flavour to celebrate the recent opening of Koala Creek at the attraction. Now in its third year, the festival showcases the finest local produce - while also...

Popular travel industry stalwart Laurie Kennard has retired from Norman Allen Group Travel (www.group-travel.com). Laurie arrived at Norman Allen Group Travel (NAGT) as Business Development Manager in 1992 and immediately hit the road, visiting clients, generating new...

The Kent County Show has boosted its offering in the Garden Life Marquee for its 90th Show from 5, 6, 7 July 2019. New in the area will be talks from some of the top names in gardening and horticulture. Jim Buttress will be appearing on the demonstration stage to chat...

IHG® (InterContinental Hotels Group) has announced the opening of Hotel Indigo - Stratford upon Avon, marking the brand’s debut in the heart of this historic market town. A slice of bygone England, Stratford-upon-Avon is a magnet to visitors from around the world who...

The Stratford Literary Festival’s spring events smashed previous attendance records – with a staggering 30% increase in ticket sales. And the festival is back on 19 July with David Nicholls, BAFTA award-winning writer and creator of the best-selling One Day, who will...

Greatdays Holidays, part of Greatdays Travel Group, has announced a new dedicated range of 18 two and three-day group travel packages to RHS gardens and RHS flower shows. The new packages, which include RHS Garden Bridgewater in Greater Manchester that opens to the...

Sydney in Australia is set to be awash with colour and special effects – for the next 23 nights – with the lights officially turned on for Vivid Sydney this evening by Premier Gladys Berejiklian. The largest event of light and music in the Southern Hemisphere will...

Discover Whitby, the beautiful seaside town on the North Yorkshire coast with picturesque views, stunning beaches and delicious seafood. On the surface, Whitby appears to be a traditional seaside resort. However, if you scratch the surface, there’s more to Whitby than...

In recognition of its achievement of being the most visited attraction in the UK in 2018, the Tate Modern is to receive the prestigious Tourism Society Annual Award at a ceremony at the House of Lords on 3 July 2019. Tate Modern staged a wide range of exhibitions and...

Group bookings are still available for the RHS Flower Shows at Hampton Court Palace, Chatsworth and Tatton… • RHS Chatsworth Flower Show (5-9 June, RHS Members’ Day 5 June) Returning for its 3rd year, RHS Chatsworth Flower Show, located in the magnificent setting of...

West Midland Safari Park will be hosting a special fundraising week during May half term, dedicated to the conservation of endangered rhinos. Rhino Week will run from 25 May to 2 June and guests will be able to take part in a whole host of fun activities, while...

Mayflower 400 UK have announced the launch of the Mayflower Self-Guided Tours app, an innovative free app that provides users with easy to follow self-guided tours of the UK towns, cities and villages connected to the Mayflower. App users will enjoy free, guided walks...

Visitors to Hever Castle in Kent over the summer and autumn can see posters, images and costumes from films and TV shows the attraction has appeared in as part of a new small temporary exhibition. 'The Hever Castle on Stage and Screen Exhibition' opened this month,...

Coach and tour operators from around the UK are being invited to sample a group hotel that may not be on their radar. Durker Roods – on the edge of the Peak District and the Yorkshire town of Huddersfield – nestles in beautiful rolling countryside near to the...

There is plenty on offer for all ages at Stratford-upon-Avon Butterfly Farm during the half term from 24 May – 2 June. Back in residence is the Orb Web Spider, also known as Nephilia inaurata. Unusually this spider is not displayed behind the safety of glass but can...

Get set for a summer of Shakespeare as the Stamford Shakespeare Company launches a season of plays at the stunning Rutland Open Air Theatre at Tolethorpe next month. Described by The Sunday Times as “One of the finest things to do this summer” and The Stage as “One of...

Air China has introduced its new Airbus A350-900, operating on its London Heathrow to Beijing route. The new aircraft will improve the in-flight experience for passengers across business, premium economy and economy classes, and has allowed Air China to increase the...

Are you looking for new places to visit and take your group? Visit Essex has got it covered! The Essex Group Travel Show will take place on Tuesday 8 October at the Jobserve Community Stadium in Colchester, from 10.30am to 2.30pm. Providing a fantastic opportunity to...

Durham offers acres of glorious gardens for groups to explore – from hidden gardens in the heart of the city to historic walled gardens and beautifully landscaped parks. Durham City has many green spaces groups can enjoy, including Crook Hall and Gardens, a stunning...

Global networking specialist Connections is to hold its second event focused on high-end adventure travel in the Azores, Portugal, from 27-30 October, 2019. Connections Adventure 2019 will run in partnership with Turismo de Portugal and Grand Hotel Açores Atlântico,...

AC Group has appointed Mamdouh Abdelkader as Sales and Operations Manager (Middle East and East Mediterranean) as the wholesale tour operator seeks to grow its presence in the Middle East. Abdelkader’s appointment marks AC Group's expansion within the Middle Eastern,...

Stefflon Don, Ms Dynamite and Mahalia are confirmed to headline this years Strawberries & Creem festival, which will return to Cambridge on Saturday 15th June. Curated by a team of young creatives with an average age of just 25, the one day event stays true to its...

Butterflies are set to emerge as the newest art installation at Staffordshire’s award-winning Trentham Gardens - creating a stunning visitor attraction, as well as raising funds for a local hospice. From the end of May, ‘Taking Flight’, an inspiring temporary...

This week marked the latest and most successful Steve Reed Tourism Group Buyer Forum event – in what is SRT’s twentieth consecutive year of putting buyers together with sellers. Top Surrey attraction Painshill Park was the venue for this set piece activity, best...

A new Antiques Centre is to open at Hatton Shopping Village near Warwick on Friday 10 May. ‘Hay Store Antiques Vintage & Interiors’ is run by Emma Sutor, who has been dealing in antiques for nine years. Hay Store Antiques now joins the other 20 independent and...

It's International Whisky Month! And, to celebrate, The Real Mary King’s Close has announced a new partnership with local whisky expert and retailer Jeffery Street Whisky. Scotland’s Best Heritage Tourism Experience will run a late night whisky tour - A King’s Dram -...

As part of its ongoing investment – which has seen the recent addition of two new hotels in Bridlington and Torquay to the Leisureplex Hotel Group – Alfa Leisureplex has placed a landmark order that sees Alfa Coaches take delivery of 10 new Mercedes-Benz Tourismos. As...

WICKED – the classic West End musical that tells the untold story of the Witches of Oz – has announced Miss Saigon star Alistair Brammer will play Fiyero at London’s Apollo Victoria Theatre from Monday 22 July 2019. Alistair made his Broadway debut in 2017 as 'Chris'...

Scotland's Crieff Hydro is 'top for families', according to bestselling travel guide Scotland the Best… The Perthshire resort, which is celebrating its 150th year in business, has won its latest family-friendly accolade - the top rating of "three ticks" in the hit...

Two porcupettes (the term for a baby porcupine) were a surprise for keepers at Cotswold Wildlife Park & Gardens in Burford, Oxfordshire, after their parents Hannah and Prickle – also newcomers to the park – hit it off. According to their keeper Estelle, “They were...

The British Tourism & Travel Show (BTTS) Domestic Tourism Industry Snapshot Survey was completed before and during last month's event at the NEC by more than 80 leading travel and tour operators, DMOs, visitor attractions, destinations and hotels. Its findings...

According to independent research conducted by multi-award winning cruise agency, Cruise 118, cruising is now a popular choice for solo travelers, as well as groups and families, across all age groups. In particular, cruisers in their 30s are booking travel to exotic...

The National Wallace Monument has re-opened its doors to visitors following a complete refurbishment of the exhibition galleries within the famous landmark, which this year celebrates its 150th anniversary. The work to totally transform each of the three floors within...

The Churnet Valley Railway in Staffordshire has a great group experience on offer thanks to its Staffordshire Cream Tea service, which gives customers a slice of the Moorland Dining Train action. The dedicated dining carriage 'Diana' is tastefully decorated and takes...

Music, flowers, food and drink feature in Greatdays' new 2020 Group Travel Guide… The comprehensive guide gives details of more than 100 UK tours and nearly 100 continental European holidays and Christmas market short breaks: • In the UK, ‘Kent Grape and Grain’ offers...

The Tourism Society has announced that its annual Symposium entitled, ‘Disruption and The Tourism Challenge’, will take place at Blackpool’s Winter Gardens Conference Centre on 23 and 24 September 2019. Tourism professionals will have an unprecedented chance to...

Beamish Museum’s Emily Hope is celebrating after being named the national VisitEngland Tourism Superstar. Emily, who works at the museum’s entrance, is thrilled to have won the public vote to claim the prestigious title. She was among 10 finalists from across the...

The Tourism Society is seeking a new Chief Executive following the end of the incumbent, Cheryl McCain’s, contract term. Board Director, Mike Bugsgang, will act as interim Chief Executive while a replacement is sought. Ms McCain is leaving to pursue consultancy...

This year sees the 25th anniversary of the introduction of Southport’s famous ‘Meet and Greet’ for groups – better known as the ‘Southport Welcome’ – and Wendy Wright has been at the heart of things right from the start. As the only member of the original team, this...

The transport management company behind the CoachHire.com platform – the largest provider of managed home to school solutions in the UK – has acquired the business and assets of Momentum Hub Ltd. The acquisition means the CoachHire.com platform will provide services...

From standing room only Keynotes to dazzling entertainment up and down the aisles, the British Tourism & Travel Show (BTTS) wowed the domestic travel trade industry for 2019. The leading event for domestic tourism was buzzing with activity over the two days, with...

This weekend's Discover Lincolnshire Weekend – from Saturday 30th to Sunday 31st March – will mark the beginning of English Tourism Week, an annual celebration of the people, places and experiences that help make holidays in England so great. Visitors and residents...

Representatives from Mayflower 400 UK, Mayflower 400 Leiden, Plymouth 400, VisitBritain and the General Society of Mayflower Descendants met at the New England Historical Genealogical Society in Boston, Massachusetts last week to share their 2020 Commemoration Program...