The Coach Tourism Association’s CTA Annual Workshop 2026, which took place from 6-10 February, attracted nearly 180 industry stakeholders to Derry-Londonderry for the industry’s flagship annual business development event.
The CTA Annual Workshop, sponsored by Tourism Ireland, was the first edition of the organisation’s new-look annual event and featured a full day of pre-arranged, one-to-one business development meetings. The Buyer Workshop hosted a record 1,296 meetings between CTA buyer members, including coach tour operators and suppliers, and CTA supplier members, such as hotels, shows and attractions, destinations, ferry and cruise operators, and service providers. The event also included a packed fam trip programme across Northern Ireland and County Donegal in Ireland, designed to develop new coach tourism products.
“The record number of meetings at the Buyer Workshop highlighted the ongoing confidence in the market and the quality of experience that coach tourism provides,” said CTA Vice Chair, Jason Edwards, Jason Edwards Travel. “It was very positive to see many new members coming to CTA’s flagship annual event for the first time, and many new business agreements have been made as a result of the face-to-face meetings.”
Proceedings began on Saturday 7 February with a pre-event fam trip sponsored by Tourism Northern Ireland for operators and wholesalers, taking in the Causeway Coastal Route and Mid Ulster. Following this, on Sunday 8 February, the CTA Annual Workshop fam trip, open to all CTA members, included a walking tour of The Derry Walls, plus a visit to the Museum of Free Derry, and The Story of Derry Exhibition featuring the Derry Girls Experience. Earlier events in the day also included a visit to the Wild Ireland animal sanctuary in Donegal, plus the Muff Distillery, and lunch at O’Loughlin’s Irish House in Derry. J&K Coaches sponsored travel across the event, providing transfers and journeys to the fam trips, while Irish Ferries sponsored crossings to and from Ireland with a Bensons Travel coach.
Networking is a key aspect of CTA events with members from across the UK and beyond creating solutions to shared challenges. The event’s primary networking dinner in the grand surroundings of the city’s Guildhall included an address by Ruairí McHugh, the Mayor of Derry City & Strabane. The Mayor highlighted the importance of coach tourism spend to the local economy. Following the Buyer Workshop on Monday 9 February, which took place at the Everglades Hotel, CTA members concluded the event with a networking dinner at The Walled City Brewery.
"The CTA Annual Workshop was very successful in presenting Northern Ireland, Donegal, and the surrounding areas to the UK's leading coach tour operators," says Caroline Mulligan, Tourism Ireland. "Many coach operators have been visiting this area for many years and it was also great to meet operators who hadn't previously experienced Derry~Londonderry - they were really impressed with the attractions, accommodation, and historic and cultural highlights on offer.
“Coach tourism is very important to the island of Ireland, however the GB market continues to be of critical importance, being our largest source market by volume, where in 2024 we welcomed four million visitors generating €1.8 billion in revenue for the island or Ireland,” Caroline adds. “Group travel within that mix is vitally important where many visitors travelling stay longer, travel regionally away from the honey pots, and stay during shoulder seasons. This business supports local economies and communities across the island, which is why we were delighted to sponsor the CTA's flagship annual event."
“Attending the CTA Annual Workshop for the first time proved to be a genuinely worthwhile experience,” said Chris Bond, Managing Director of Loch Lomond Travel. “It sparked a number of fresh product ideas and, more importantly, enabled us to have focused, face-to-face conversations with suppliers, all in one place. We were pleased to conclude a number of agreements on the day, which will directly support our future programme and strengthen our supplier partnerships. The fam trip programme was particularly impressive, showcasing high-quality attractions and experiences, and Derry~Londonderry was an excellent host city. The workshop reinforced the real value of CTA membership and the strength that comes from collaboration within the coach tourism community.”
"Irish Ferries was delighted to sponsor the event with a crossing to and from Ireland," says Marie McCarthy, Irish Ferries. "Coach operators are a very important market for us. We were very happy to welcome many CTA-member operators onboard to experience the quality of service we can provide to coach groups heading to the island of Ireland and to Europe via the Dover to Calais route."
“The new-look CTA Annual Workshop in Derry~Londonderry was a fantastic experience, developing new ideas for trips and tours as well as strengthening business relationships old and new,” said the CTA’s Jason Edwards. "We received a genuinely warm welcome from the people of Norther Ireland with lots of coach operators looking to include the region in their next holiday brochures."
The location for the CTA Annual Workshop 2027 will be revealed in the coming months. Meanwhile, CTA’s next event includes CTA Networking at BTTS 2026, 19 March, taking place at the NEC, with the member-only CTA Spring Networking 2026 event taking place 9-11 May 2026. To attend CTA events and benefit from the business development opportunities, you can join the CTA at this link.
PHOTO: Stuart Render Tourism
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