Coach tourism community honoured at National Coach Tourism
Awards 2016
The winners of the 2016 National Coach Tourism Awards were
announced last night (Wednesday 16 March) at a prestigious ceremony
at the Vox, Resorts World, NEC Birmingham, following the first day
of the British Tourism & Travel Show.
Weston-super-Mare’s Grand Pier, Burnham-on-Sea, Blackburn
Market, Hallmark Hotels, CalMac Ferries, Encore Tickets, Maynes
Coaches, and Johnsons Coach Travel all took home accolades, while
Roger Elsmere, managing director of Woods Travel, was this year’s
recipient of the Coach Monthly Special Award for outstanding
contribution to coach tourism.
Celebrating its 11th anniversary this year, the annual awards –
the only national awards scheme that specifically focuses on coach
tourism – were organised by Diversified Communications UK, and
hosted by Coach Monthly magazine. This year’s celebrity presenter
was TV personality Anthea Turner.
The event brought together over 400 industry professionals,
including coach tour operators, destinations, visitor attractions,
hotels, and tourism industry suppliers, to recognise and celebrate
excellence and innovation across the multi-billion pound coach
tourism sector.
Tony Henthorn, group director at Diversified UK, says: “With
nearly 120 finalists competing for the top spot across 19
specialist categories, coach tourism was the real winner of the
night. And it has much to celebrate. As a snapshot of the industry,
the incredible standard (and record number) of entries across the
board for 2016, reflects a thriving industry and is a testament to
the strength of commitment of the individuals working within
it.
“There are many tourism awards, but only the National Coach
Tourism Awards specifically focuses on coach tourism. They are the
most important annual celebration of the very best our industry has
to offer. As well as recognising excellence and innovation in all
aspects of the trade on a big stage, the awards offer winners a
year-round marketing opportunity and a big morale-booster for
hard-working teams. Congratulations again to all our fantastic
winners.”
National Coach Tourism Awards 2016 winners include:
Coach Friendly Destination – sponsored by My Day Out
• Burnham-on-Sea, Somerset
Coach Friendly Visitor Attraction – jointly sponsored by Planet
Hollywood and Hospitality Line
• Grand Pier in Weston-super-Mare, Somerset
Coach Friendly Shopping Destination of the Year – sponsored by
British Tourism & Travel Show
• Blackburn Market, Lancashire
Cross-Sea Carrier of the Year – sponsored by Edwards Coach
Holidays
• CalMac Ferries (Caledonian MacBrayne Clyde & Hebridean
Ferries)
River and Inland Cruise Operator – sponsored by Coach Tourism
Council (CTC)
• Ullswater ‘Steamers’, Cumbria
Heritage Railway – sponsored by DFDS
• Vale of Rheidol Railway, Ceredigion
Accommodation Provider: Hotel Groups – sponsored by
Fieldfisher
• Hallmark Hotels
Accommodation Provider: Individual Hotels – sponsored by Visit
Scotland
• Rendezvous Hotel, Skipton, North Yorkshire
Ticket Supplier – sponsored by West Midland Safari & Leisure
Park
• Encore Tickets
Tour Wholesaler – sponsored by P&O Ferries
• Greatdays Travel Group
Holiday Programme – sponsored by Independent Coach Travel
• Shaws Coaches, Cambridgeshire
Day Excursion Programme – sponsored by Warner Leisure Hotels
• Johnsons Coach Travel, Warwickshire
Coach Tour Operator Brochure – sponsored by Towergate Chapman
Stevens
• Silver Star Holidays, Gwynedd
Coach Tourism Innovation – sponsored by Eurotunnel Le
Shuttle
• Johnsons Coach Travel – Bard on Board, Warwickshire
Coach Tourism Professional of the Year – sponsored by Group
Line
• Alan Payling, owner of Coach Drivers Information Pack,
Devon
Coach Tour Driver of the Year – sponsored by Cornmarket
Insurance Services
• Alyn Frankel, tours director at Moving People, Lancashire
Coach Tour Operator: Small Fleets (1 to 5 coaches) – sponsored
by Norman Allen Group Travel
• Fenn Holidays, Cambridgeshire
Coach Tour Operator: Medium Fleets (6 to 15 coaches) – sponsored
by Roadchef
• Parrys International Tours, West Midlands
Coach Tour Operator: Large Fleets (more than 15 coaches) –
sponsored by Wrightsure Insurance Services
• Maynes Coaches (Moray and Orkney)
Coach Monthly Special Award – sponsored by Hilton Worldwide
• Roger Elsmere, managing director of Woods Travel, West
Sussex
Jessamy Chapman, the new editor of Coach Monthly, described how
the winner of this year's Special Award – Roger Elsmere – set up
business with a single taxi in a small, West Sussex seaside resort
in the early 1970s. Today, she said, he “now oversees Woods Travel
one of the most highly-regarded coach tour operators in the
land”.
“Roger Elsmere is an operator whose award-winning business is
both widely admired within the coach tourism sector, and also
highly-regarded in its home town [of Bognor Regis] as a shining
example of a successful family-run business that has gradually
grown to be a true star of the community and wider industry.
“After winning his local newspaper’s Lifetime Achievement Award
in 2015, business people in the town queued up to offer their
congratulations. ‘Integrity’, ‘involved’, ‘charitable’,
‘professional’, ‘quality’, ‘dedicated’, ‘trustworthy’ were just
some of the words his friends and peers chose to describe him,” she
said.
“He is both a leader and innovator – and much, much more,” she
said, as Mr Elsmere accepted his award to a standing ovation.
For further information, including a full list of finalists and
details of the 2016 judging panel, please visit www.ncta.co.uk.
The second day of British Tourism & Travel Show 2016 is open
from 10am to 4pm today at the NEC, Birmingham. Exhibitors include
CalMac Ferries, Love Weston, Hallmark Hotels, Encore Tickets, and
Greatdays Travel Group. For more information, please visit
www.tourismshow.co.uk.
###
Notes:
High res images available upon request. 2016 winners –
http://www.tourismshow.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/NCTA-winners-1.jpg
http://www.tourismshow.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/NCTA-winners-2.jpg
Diversified Communications UK (Diversified UK) is a fast growing
trade event organiser and publisher based in Brighton, Peterborough
and Nailsworth. In addition to National Coach Tourism Awards,
Diversified UK’s portfolio includes Coach Monthly; British Tourism
& Travel Show; Coach & Bus Live; Euro Bus Expo; The Route
One Operator Excellence Awards; office*; Accountex; lunch!; Casual
Dining; Casual Dining Restaurant & Pub Awards; Commercial
Kitchen; Natural & Organic Products Europe; Nordic Organic Food
Fair & Natural Products Scandinavia in Malm�, Sweden; Natural
and Organic Awards; camexpo; SITS – The Service Desk & IT
Support Show; GEO Business; Capturing Reality; Ocean Business; and
MARELEC Marine Electromagnetics conference. For more information,
visit: www.divcom.co.uk.
Diversified UK is part of Diversified Communications, a leading
international media company providing market access, education and
information through global, national and regional face–to–face
events, digital and print publications and television stations.
Diversified serves a number of industries including: seafood, food
service, natural and organic, healthcare, commercial marine, and
business management. Based in Portland, Maine, USA, Diversified
employs over 850 staff, across eight divisions in seven countries.
For more information, visit: www.divcom.com.
This information was brought to you by Cision
http://news.cision.com
View source
version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160317005465/en/
Media enquiries & photography requests to:Emma-Louise Jones,
Head of PRt: +44 (0)1273 645134e: ejones@divcom.co.ukTwitter:
www.twitter.com/DiversifiedUKWebsite: www.divcom.co.ukorAwards
enquiries to:Louisa Pope, Awards Managert: +44 (0)1273 645140e:
lpope@divcom.co.ukTwitter: www.twitter.com/CoachTourismWebsite:
www.ncta.co.uk