The Royal Navy International Air Day is set to wow visitors this summer. Held at the Royal Naval Air Station at Yeovilton in Somerset, the award-winning event – on Saturday July 11 – will feature fast jets, historic warbirds, classic jets, helicopters, formation...

ETOA will welcome nearly 90 new businesses to its first flagship event of 2020 – the twelfth Britain & Ireland Marketplace (BIM) - on 28 January at the London Hilton on Park Lane. BIM, which showcases the best of UK and Irish tourism product to tour operators and...

Norman Allen, founder of Norman Allen Group Travel, passed away on 9 January 2020 aged 97.  Following a family burial, a memorial service took place in Wellington Chapel, Herefordshire on 17 January 2020. A travel industry pioneer, the story began in 1953 when, on...

At the start of its fourth decade, Warwick Folk Festival is delighted to announce that it will be moving to Castle Park – adjacent to Warwick Castle and closer to town from its previous location at Warwick School. The hugely popular 41st Warwick Folk Festival will...

The Hairy Bikers and James Martin will be gracing the culinary stage during Longleat’s fourth annual Food & Music Festival. The celebrity chefs will be cooking culinary delights, answering questions and providing tips at the festival, from July 4-5, 2020. From...

Stratford Literary Festival is giving local authors the opportunity to get their work seen during the 2020 spring festival. From the 9 to 17 May, the Festival will feature a Local Authors Pop Up Bookshop inside the Festival Hub Marquee. Curated by Warwickshire author...

Longleat officially welcomed its millionth visitor as 2019 drew to a close – a milestone achieved with the arrival of Dave and Katrina Jackson, and their sons Bodhie and Lachlan, to the Wiltshire visitor attraction. To mark the occasion, they were presented with...

Watford will roll out the red carpet to coach and tour operators and group travel organisers this May thanks to the Watford Group Buyer Showcase. Arranged by Visit Watford, the event – on Sunday and Monday 10 & 11 May 2020 – is being organised by UK group travel...

Hotel Indigo Stratford upon Avon is a finalist in the West Midlands Tourism Awards 2020. The boutique hotel has been shortlisted in the New Tourism Business Award category – with the winners set to be announced at a special ceremony on 26 February at the University of...

Dreamland Margate has teamed up with HemingwayDesign to create a striking new logo to celebrate the amusement park’s 100th anniversary. The family-led design studio has created the unique Dreamland 100 brand for use throughout 2020, when the iconic amusement park will...

Arundel Castle in West Sussex has announced its 2020 line-up of living history events and flower displays. From April to October, groups can experience 16 events, including the Annual Tulip Festival, International Jousting Tournament and 12,000 Years of Combat. As a...

Bulb cruises to Holland, visits to popular TV locations and trips to Disneyland Paris are just some of the new itineraries available to operators booking winter tours with Albatross Travel www.albatrosstravel.com for 2020/21 in the UK and Europe. Albatross Travel has...

This month sees Steve Reed Tourism (SRT) celebrate two decades in the group travel industry – with its founders, Steve and Judith (pictured here), now widely recognised as experts in the art of bringing buyers and sellers together. Launched in winter 1999, SRT quickly...

Winchester Cathedral Christmas Market has been voted one of the best Christmas markets in Europe - and the best in the UK - following a public vote organised by European Best Destinations. Twenty four ‘must-see’ Christmas Markets were included in the competition,...

The Lulworth Estate is an area of outstanding natural beauty and unique geological history in Dorset, which offers an incredible breadth of things to see and do. Its UNESCO World Heritage Jurassic coastline attracts thousands every year who come to marvel at the story...

The British Motor Museum has announced a schedule of 18 unique motoring shows for 2020, including the return of its Gaydon Land Rover Show and the National Metro & Mini Show, which will be celebrating the 40th Anniversary of the Metro. There’s also the opportunity...

Albatross Travel has agreed a new premium supplier relationship with Disneyland Paris, enabling the company to offer the best value itineraries for coach operators and group travel organisers for 2020 and beyond. Under the new relationship, Albatross Travel will offer...

Next year sees Kew Palace mark the 200th anniversary of the death of King George III with a new display. Opening on 3 April 2020, visitors to Kew Palace, located in the heart of Kew Gardens and included in garden admission, will discover the monarch behind the...

In the same month that England’s Great West Way® celebrates its official first anniversary, it has won the award for Launch Campaign of the Year at the Travolution Awards. The Great West Way is a touring route between London and Bristol. As well as large areas of...

Winchester Cathedral Christmas Market has been short-listed as one of Europe’s top 20 Christmas Markets by European Best Destinations – and is now in the running to be crowned the best Christmas Market in Europe 2020. The market is often acclaimed as one of the best...

Groups visiting Bury St Edmunds in Suffolk next year can celebrate the founding of the Abbey of St Edmund by King Canute 1000 years ago with a programme of events leading up to the weekend of St Edmund’s Day on 20 November 2020. The first Patron Saint of England and...

Arundel Castle in West Sussex is celebrating its most successful season to date, drawing visitors from far and wide with a record-breaking 60,000 blooming tulips, a world-class jousting tournament and the ultimate who-would-win showdown. Over the Easter bank holiday...

Supporting the growing trend in ancestral tourism, US Connections, a large-scale collaboration between 13 destinations, led by Destination Plymouth, has developed over 40 new bookable tourism products for international visitors that will be available to book in the...

Tour operators from all over the UK sampled the delights of a delightful and, for many, a surprising city last week. Hull – which was crowned UK City of Culture in 2017 – was hosting a group of coach and tour operators and GTOs during the 2019 Visit Hull Group Buyer...

Group Travel World (GTW) magazine has a big announcement this month: we’re joining forces with one of the UK’s top travel trade companies to arrange a series of exciting tourism events From 2020, Group Travel World magazine and Steve Reed Tourism Ltd of Hampshire are...

London‘s Museum of the Home (formerly the Geffrye Museum of the Home) will be re-opening in Summer 2020, following a major development revealing a beautiful new exhibition and event space.  New display spaces will present the Museum’s unique collection of previously...

The British Motor Museum has everything all wrapped up for Christmas – whether it’s a day out admiring over 300 British classic cars or a thoughtful and unique gift. The Museum's gift voucher includes two admission tickets and a souvenir guidebook as a memento. The...

European Tour Specialist, Reformation Tours, has launched a collection of fully commissionable Mayflower-themed tours that have been tailored to meet the increased demand from ancestral tourists keen to learn more about the momentous Mayflower journey undertaken from...

Visitors to Cheddar Gorge & Caves can discover a magical festive secret hidden deep underground this Christmas. A team of Father Christmas’ elves has been hard at work constructing a fantastical workshop deep inside Gough’s Cave, and in the run up to Christmas,...

Warner Bros. Studio Tour London – The Making of Harry Potter has announced a range of special events for 2020, including… Introducing the Art Department (14th to 24th February): Original filmmakers demonstrate how they brought the wizarding world to life and visitors...

For generations the Stonor family have delighted in decorating their glorious home, Stonor Park in Oxfordshire, for the festive season with natural greenery from the estate. This year is no exception and, once again, the doors will open later this month as the family...

Hatton Shopping Village in Warwickshire is hosting several festive events in the run up to Christmas, from festive markets to craft fayres. And the best bit? Hatton Shopping Village has FREE entry with masses of FREE parking – see www.hattonworld.com/shopping-village...

As well as honouring the service and sacrifice of all the heroic soldiers and fallen heroes this Remembrance Sunday, the team at Cotswold Wildlife Park are also proudly supporting the Purple Poppy Appeal, which honours the service of animals in war and provides a...

TUTANKHAMUN: Treasures of the Golden Pharaoh, presented by Viking Cruises, officially opened to the public this weekend – and GTW’s Julie Cousins was one of the first through the doors.  Produced by the Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities and IMG, this exhibition of...

Tailor Made Rail, independent rail travel experts specialising in bespoke rail holidays throughout Europe and around the world, has appointed tourism PR professionals Three Little Birds PR. The operator develops itineraries to meet travellers individual requirements,...

Castle of Light is hosting a special access night to ensure as many people as possible can experience the animated storytelling tour at Edinburgh Castle this winter. Taking place on Monday 2 December, the access night will feature a range of specific support including...

Hogwarts in the Snow and Gringotts Wizarding Bank are just two of the new exhibits that coach tour groups can experience on a visit to Warner Bros. Studio Tour – The Making of Harry Potter, with Albatross Travel www.albatrosstravel.com – the tour’s preferred partner....

From Flower Shows and festive ‘Glow’ illuminations to Rose Festivals and craft showcases, the RHS gardens are inspirational at any time of year. And with four – soon to be five – gardens around the country, garden lovers have plenty to choose from. Along with an...

The tourism industry of Monmouthshire and Newport in South Wales came together in one of the most beautiful parts of Britain this week. The Georgian Shire Hall in Monmouth was the venue for a group travel day in the lower reaches of the beautiful Wye Valley, with an...

Coach Tourism Association (CTA) members joined coach tour operators and group travel organisers from all over the country for a familiarisation trip to Ireland, pictured here at Fanad Head lighthouse. The wide ranging trip, organised by Tourism Ireland, Tourism...

Stratford’s popular and free to enter Arts Fair – Discover:Gather:Give – returns to the historic Stratford-upon-Avon Town Hall over the weekend of 2 & 3 November. Alongside the 40 exceptional artists with an exciting and eclectic mix of paintings, illustrations,...

Families are invited to get their Christmas season into gear with plenty of festive fun at the British Motor Museum. Christmas Craft weekends take place on 7 & 8, 14 & 15, 21 & 22 December when children can get creative and make a robin, snowman or Father...

Hatton Adventure World in Warwickshire is celebrating the 60th birthday of its pet donkey, Bubbles, who is believed to be the oldest donkey in the world. Bubbles is thought to have been born in 1959, which is the date shown on her pet passport, making her the...

West Midland Safari Park is getting ready to charm guests this Halloween season with its annual Spooky Spectacular event – and this year, there’s magic in the air… Beginning on 19 October, the two-week long festival includes ‘Potion Quest’, a brand-new interactive...

This October half-term, The Lulworth Estate on South Dorset’s UNESCO World Heritage Jurassic Coast is hosting an incredible four days of ‘Spooky Fun’ at the storybook Lulworth Castle. The event is suitable for the whole family and includes a whole host of...

Peter Stratton has been appointed as Head of New Business Development for the Kent-based travel group that includes Albatross Travel, Albatross Tours, Success Tours, Scenic Car Tours and Door2Tour. Peter, who has owned Simpson Recruitment, the travel industry...

The Lincolnshire Food and Gift Fair returns to the Lincolnshire Showground this winter, and with more than 8,000 people expected to attend and advance tickets now on sale at www.lincolnshireshowground.co.uk/whats-on/event/foodandgift19 here’s everything you need to...