Scotland Plots the Tourist Pattern

11th November 1955, Page 148

11th November 1955

Page 148

Page 149

Page 148, 11th November 1955 — Scotland Plots the Tourist Pattern

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Coach Operators and Caterers Get Together Under the Aegis of the Scottish Tourist Board By a Special Correspondent

WHAT do people expect when they go on a coach tour? What will bring them back again next year? What can be done to attract holiday-makers who have never before tried touring? In one form or another these questions are asked time and again when operators of coach tours in Scotland have their annual get-together with hoteliers and caterers under the auspices of the Scottish Tourist Board.

At a recent meeting, there were some 80 transport operators, including representatives of the biggest coach companies in Britain. There was also a number of English hoteliers, anxious to see how things were worked out and ready to co-operate with planners of southbound tours. Transport was represented by tours managers, traffic managers and general managers. The hoteliers came from a variety of places stretching from the Solway to the Pentland Firth. Some of these came from points off the beaten track in the hope that they might encourage operators to seek fresh fields. A random check showed that Newquay, Torquay, Hereford, London, Birmingham, Taunton and Kent, as well as many centres in Lancashire and Yorkshire, were represented by coach interests.

Big Money Coaches mean big business today, and in the course of a year one regular tour may represent an expenditure of between £40,000 and £50,000 north of the Border. Shortage of accommodation, even for one night, may mean that the whole season's bookings are at stake. A whisper of this ensures that the hotel representatives will go into action in an effort to co-ordinate the available accommodation so that the difficulty can be overcome. Mention at the conference of a shortage of accommodation at any place, however remote, is a near-certain way of securing a host of suggestions to meet the situation. Before setting out to plan future enterprises, the conference reviews the past season. Then it tackles the question of how to increase the enjoyment of holidaymakers in the future.

Segregation of coach parties at hotels is said to be diminishing. The ominous notice: "Separate dining room for coach parties" is not regarded as good public relations these days. Even if the food and service they get are no different from those of the other residents, the particular passenger objects to what he regards as " untouchable " treatment. Tours managers say they would rather pay extra than suffer anything that savours of cut-price service.

Should morning coffee and afternoon tea be included in the all-in fare? Yes, say the caterers. Every touring coach stops for morning and afternoon breaks, and the caterers don't like whole parties using the facilities of their establishments whilst considerably smaller numbers actually buy something. Furthermore, if the passengers pay individually more staff work is involved. But coach operators say that to include coffee and teas on a week's tour would mean raising the price by a further £1 1s.-El 5s. Someone mentions that a census taken among tours organizers showed a three-toone ratio against the inclusive arrangement. Not unreasonably, members of coach parties dislike the free-for-all that sometimes occurs round the reception desk on arrival at an hotel, particularly as it is suspected that those who get their hands on the counter first are likely to get the best rooms. From various quarters there is a manifold answer to this problem. If the operators will send their rooming lists several days in advance, the hotel will be able to allocate accommodation ready for the parties on arrival. If the hotels will send luggage labels to the organizers in advance and, if the drivers will see they are properly filled in and fixed to the bags, luggage can be distributed to the rooms without delay. There is a natural tendency for hotels to allocate the best rooms first, but if the operators will reverse the order of the rooming list on alternate nights those who had the second floor back on Sunday will stand a fair chance of being first-floor front on Monday.

Heavy Early Traffic Hoteliers are apt to regard with a languid eye the light loadings that have been a feature of some early holiday periods but, caught off their guard, even these hardened critics have expressed surprise at the traffic during March and April this year. However, they are all out to build up and to extend the season, a work in which they have the Board solidly behind them. Coach operators, too, are in favour of extending their seasons, and will lend a willing ear to any suggestions that show promise.

The Board's representatives are all for operators being "more venturesome," and are ready to suggest new routes and new interests which should be of assistance in attracting those who have enjoyed a Scottish holiday to come back for more. There are some passengers who indicate that they want to spend a week covering the greatest possible mileage, apparently so that they can say they have " done " Scotland and have no need to return. Scotland wants these tourists to come back, and does not regard as final something that should have been merely a foretaste. For this reason, the Board representatives suggest that tours should be arranged to coincide with famous Scottish events and with the opening of historic homes and castles north of the Border. On their part, the Board are ready to do what they can in persuading owners to open up their homes at times when they are not normally accessible to the public. Scotland has a succession of hydroelectric schemes and afforestation projects which a well-primed courier could make of absorbing interest to his party.

Various Scottish associations have been making keen efforts to encourage the flow of visitors f o r sporting holidays, and the hope is expressed that coach parties may be arranged to link up with the special facilities that are already proving popular. Fishing in Scotland was once a rich man's hobby, but reasonably priced fishing holidays are being organized primarily for anglers with limited skill who can receive instruction from experts and hire the necessary equipment. For fishing, March to June is the season.

Winter sports attract many people to the Continent, but in the Cairngorms it is often possible to ski in December, January, February, March and April. Instruction is readily available for beginners, and skis, boots and sticks can be hired at modest cost. Hotels, too, open specially for the season.

Some operators mention that they have not been advised in advance of fresh restrictions on the use of certain roads, probably introduced as a result of damage to highway foundations or bridges. The Board's investigations into this matter have revealed that, formerly, advance details of such restrictions were published only in the Scottish Press, which meant that coaches from England were often compelled to travel long detours without warning. Contact is now maintained between the Board and the highway authorities, and operators are being kept advised of any changes. Meanwhile the Board continue to urge the removal of restrictions on roads, especially in the Trossachs.

Some two days are spent in discussions at the conference, which is held in Edinburgh, probably Britain's greatest international holiday centre. Representatives return home to consider their arrangements and contracts for the coming season. Soon, printed material is being ordered. By Christmas many folders, the contents of which will have been influenced to some extent by the conference, will be circulated to prospective passengers.