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Match the tour to the customer
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Page 65
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WITH the 1979 season almost upon us, some coach operators face requests from private hire clients for original ideas for weekend and day trips. So for those looking to offer original and attractive subjects for excursions and tours within the structures of EEC drivers' hours regulations, here are a few suggestions.
Obviously, some destinations suitable as day-tour excursions from London will have to be come extended tour destinations from Fort William, but wherever your base is there are many interesting destinations which are little known.
This applies both to home tours and to continental ones, in particular our near neighbours.
In the heart of England, .Gloucestershire offers for example, Cheltenham, which has many hotels and is set in ideal coach touring country and boasts attractions such as its Regency architecture, its museums, art galleries, parks and the famous Pump Room.
Nearby Cirencester too is a destination which can be com bined with visits to attractions such as Bibury, Slimbridge and Berkeley Castle.
Herefordshire is a less wellknown destination for coach tours but Hereford and Ross-onWye both offer ample scope for coach parties. From Hereford it is but a step over the Welsh border to Hay-on-Wye in Powys, a novel attraction with its many bookshops for literary-mindedcoach parties.
Shropshire is a particularly under-rated area with its beautiful scenery and reminders of the industrial revolution. Ironbridge gets its name from the most important monument to British ironworks of the eighteenth century, the bridge that spans the River Severn here, and is easily reached by way of the M6 and A5.
In addition to Ironbridge itself, the immediate area includes Coalbrookdale with its museum of early ironworking. .Further along the river is the Blists Hill Open Air Museum which has exhibits such as working steam winding engine complete with mine shafts and a thousand-foot canal incline built in 1798 and now partially restored. Ludlow is also a delightful venue for a coach tours with a mass of historic buildings.
The Potteries tours of Staffordshire have much to offer tourists, as have the better known resorts in Warwickshire. Stratford-upon-Avon and Warwick are popular destinations while Royal Leamington Spa has many attractions but is off the usual tourist track.
Destinations so far have been particularly suitable for visitors and people looking for culture and gentle relaxation. But for special excursions to major sports venues, steam fairs and air shows the operator needs to lay his plans carefully in advance to get the best possible market share.
For group outings with mixed age groups, medieval banquets are now popular in many parts of the country. Although not a very sophisticated form of entertainment, they work well in breaking down inhibitions and make for a convivial group atmosphere. Coach drivers are usually not left out at these functions.
Continental touring at a rea
sonable price is attractive to many customers, although operators may be put off by the cost of any potential breakdown abroad. The Benelux countries and France are good countries, for an attractive Continental tour involving comparatively little mileage abroad.
One operator, Kingsman Coaches of Harpenden in Hert fordshire, recently ran a travel agents excursion to the Belgian Ardennes to advertise his tours to travel agents and to check out the-available attractions.
Ardennes is within three hours' drive of Zeebrugge and offers a diversity of little-known castles, country lanes, beautiful scenery, caves and the opportunity for tourists to sample the Continental variety of night life.
The main town in the Ardennes is Namur, a historic and attractive city on the banks Of the River Meuse. Ideal as a touring base, it offers numerous historical attractions, a compre hensive shopping centre, plenty of hotels and adequate nightlife. Among the attractions within easy driving distance is the Chateau de Annevaie with its water gardens with natural fountains, springs and waterfalls. Nearby is the town of Dinant, with its 11th century fortress overlooking the River Meuse. Access to the Fort is by cable car. Trips out can include the Chateau de Jannee, a completely original home of the Belgian aristocracy, and the grottos of Rochefort and Han-sur-lesse with their spectacular underwater caves.
Off-season destinations in Scandinavia can be offered in conjunction with the long ferry crossing which can be used to provide social occasions. Ferries feature casinoes and discotheques on board, which, in connunction with the allure of Sweden and Denmark, can provide a easily marketable tour.
No list of suggestions could possibly cover all that is available nor indicate all undiscovered spots in Britain and the Continent — there are yearround attractions awaiting dis covery in Britain and elsewhere.
It is important, I believe, for the operator to check out every tour before selling it. Hotel standards, walks from the coach park, early closing days and the like are factors that can make the coach driver's job extremely difficult and the passenger's trip unhappy. Unhappy passengers are not the best way to generate repeat business.
I remember once a weekend trip to Denmark which included a monumentally rough sea cros
sing to Esbjerg in Jutland and 21/2 hours in Denmark. Many of the passengers were young Men drawn by the thoughts of wild Danish night life; yet their visit consisted of a visit to a fishing museum and a visit to the town of Ribe where the naughtiest attraction was an advertisement for thermal underwear. The tour must be matched to the kind of client the operator wishes to attract.
• by Noel Millier