Festive Showcase: North East and North Yorkshire Welcome Groups

01/12/2011

Festive Showcase: North East and North Yorkshire Welcome Groups

01.12.11

There’ll be a festive welcome for the UK tourism industry this week as County Durham and North Yorkshire gear up for a unique Christmas Showcase event 4-6 December.

Organised by travel trade specialists Steve Reed Tourism Ltd, the 30 plus coach and tour operators and group travel organisers – from all parts of Great Britain – will seek out the areas’ top tourist attractions and destinations to help plan their forthcoming tours.

If successful, the event could result in many more visits by coach parties – attracting new spending power into the local economy.   

Based at the modern, comfortable and superbly located Aston Hotel Darlington, just off junction 59 of the A1, the buyers will be transported in style courtesy of leading Yorkshire coach operator Eddie Brown Tours from Wetherby.

With Blue Badge Tourist Guide Laura Rhodes guiding the way, the group will commence their familiarisation visit on the Sunday with a trip to the City of Durham’s award winning annual Christmas Festival. There the VIPS will enjoy a champagne cruise with the Prince Bishop River Cruises before a pilgrimage to Durham Cathedral, a shopping trip to the famous Durham Indoor Market and – to underline the festive mood of the day – mulled wine in the historic and atmospheric surroundings of Crook Hall.

Sunday evening sees the operators enjoying a welcome dinner at the Aston Hotel – an occasion for them to hear how good this particular Aston hotel and indeed its partner hotels around the north [in Sheffield and Dumfries and Galloway] can look after groups of visitors. 

North Yorkshire is in close proximity to Darlington and that means the group will be heading south to the historic and ancient town of Richmond. Here the visitors will be taken on a fascinating tour of local attractions, museums and places of interest.

The Yorkshire market town theme continues with a call into Helmsley where the delegates will take in the popular and iconic English Heritage site of Reivaulx Abbey.

A busy and rewarding day will be topped off with a visit to the World of James Herriot attraction in nearby Thirsk – and here too the tour buyers will enjoy a flavour of what groups and coach parties can expect on a visit to this attractive town. 

Tuesday is the final day for the visitors and the festive theme continues with Beamish at Christmas. This is a chance to experience one of the country’s top attractions in Yuletide mood.

The event concludes with The Bowes Museum in Barnard Castle – complete with carol singing - and a tour of nearby Raby Castle in Staindrop where the group will give their verdicts on their whirlwind fact-finding mission.

Katie Barker is the Sales Manager for Aston Hotels:

‘We’re very glad to host this valuable business generating event for the area here at the Aston Hotel Darlington.  It’s so important that we keep reminding the UK tourism industry how well we look after groups of visitors when they book tours around the North East of England and indeed North Yorkshire,’ explains Katie.  

                                                Ends

For further information contact:

Katie Barker Aston Hotel Darlington – 01325 329600

Steve Reed – 0786 7788 754