August 12 2024

Durham city, and the county market town of Northallerton, will this week both
become the latest tourist destinations to win Coach Friendly status from CPT.

In Durham on Monday 12 August to give the city Coach Friendly certificate. Andrew
McGuinness, Regional Manager (North of England) for the Confederation of
Passenger Transport said: “CPT is delighted to see Durham gain Coach Friendly status, precisely because it is
the kind of destination that can really gain from holding this accreditation. This
award provides recognised assurance to coach operators, drivers, and their
passengers that they will be well catered for and welcomed by Durham so they can
make the most of its rich array of historic venues.”

Michelle Gorman, managing director, Visit County Durham, added: “Coach Friendly Accreditation is an important standard by which many coach companies and their customers measure a destination’s readiness and welcome for group visits. Through achieving the accolade, Durham City can pledge that it can
manage coach tourism professionally and deliver a great experience for visitors.”

The North Yorkshire market and county town of Northallerton is also set to receive its
CPT Coach Friendly award on Wednesday this week (14 August).

Looking forward to receiving the award Alex Shennib, Northallerton BID Manager
said, “Northallerton BID has led the coach-friendly initiative since its re-election in 2022,
and is delighted to see its efforts gain national recognition through coach-friendly
accreditation. I want to take this opportunity to express my gratitude to the Town
Team, comprised of Northallerton BID, North Yorkshire Council, Northallerton Town
Council, Northallerton Tourist Information Centre, and Hambleton Community
Action. They have all worked tirelessly over the past two years on this scheme, and
their hard work is being acknowledged through this accreditation. We hope that all
future visitors have a wonderful experience and enjoy all that Northallerton has to
offer.”

Welcoming Northallerton to the scheme Phil Smith, UK Coach Manager for CPT
added, “Northallerton’s BID and its partners are to be congratulated for doing a lot of work
to win this valuable status. CPT’s Coach Friendly scheme recognises the
commitment made by a key stakeholder to work in partnership to improve coach
parking and provide convenient pick up/drop off locations and other facilities for
passengers and drivers. By going ‘coach friendly' a town or tourist attraction will help
curb congestion, improve air quality and do more to help preserve their unique local
environment while developing more sustainable tourism that supports thriving local
businesses,”

Durham city and Northallerton join a growing band of around 30 destinations and
attractions boasting this valuable accolade.

CPT looks forward to awarding several more towns and attractions their Coach
Friendly awards over the coming months.

ENDS

 

Notes for Editors

More information about arrangements in Durham is provided here. 

CPT’s Coach Friendly scheme was created in 2014 to offer a framework within which local
authorities, BIDs, Destination Management Organisations, and diverse businesses in places
such as seaside resorts, historic towns and attractions like heritage parks can work in
partnership with the coach sector to improve facilities for coach passengers, drivers, and
operators.

Any city, town, village, or attraction that can demonstrate a significant tourism offer and
wants a means of achieving more visitors in a sustainable way will find it useful to consider
becoming accredited under 'Coach Friendly' as it offers a way to help local shops, cafes
and other businesses increase their earning potential while also driving more sustainable
tourism by cutting car travel and congestion, improving air quality and doing more to
protect their local environment.

Coaches provide an excellent value alternative to trains, cars, and air, they help prevent
social exclusion and opening up exciting opportunities for leisure and tourism across the
income spectrum. They also deliver high-spend visitors in a way which minimises congestion
and reduces emissions (one coach carrying 50 people can prevent at least 20 individual car
trips, and carbon emissions from one modern coach come in six times lower per passenger
than private car travel).

Many local transport plans overlook coaches and fail to recognise their potential to deliver
environmental benefits while supporting more economic activity. At best, many simply
consider access for long-distance scheduled services to bus and coach stations. This is why
CPT’s Manifesto for Coach calls for the Government to impose a statutory duty on local
transport authorities to collect data on the current and potential coach market, and to
consider appropriate drop-off/pick-up and parking facilities for the scale and range of
coach operations (scheduled and non-scheduled), in their area. It also calls on ministers to
issue guidance to ensure local authorities also provide clear information about coach
facilities and make bus priority measures available to coaches unless there's some specific
reason to exclude them.

Other destinations that have achieved CPT Coach Friendly status in the last year include:

  • The Sill National Landscape Discovery Centre in Northumberland National Park that
    specialises in dark sky experiences.
  • Bishop Auckland, a popular destination in Co Durham, with a unique collection of
    heritage attractions.
  • Taith Pyllau Clo Cymru, the Welsh Mining Experience in the Rhondda valley.
  • Aerospace Bristol – the supersonic aeronautical and space technology museum.
  • Oswestry – the second town in Shropshire to gain the award.

Several other cities and tourist destinations have also successfully renewed their Coach
Friendly accreditation this year including:

  • Shrewsbury - the medieval town founded by the Saxons and developed by the Tudors
    with narrow streets and a notable skyline.
  • The Royal Mint Experience
  • Beamish – the world-famous open-air museum which brings the history of Northeast
    England during the 1820s, 1900s, 1940s and 1950s to life.
  • Inverness and Perth, the first two place in Scotland to have secured recognition for
    their excellent coach facilities and visitor services.
  • Wells in Somerset - the iconic cathedral city with 8 free coach parking spaces and a
    complimentary "meet & greet" for pre-notified coach visits.