The 6th RDA Commonwealth Seminar in co-operation with Visit Kent and the CTC-Coach Tourism Council (UK) took place on 28th January 2010 in the beautiful Canterbury Cathedral Conference Centre, Canterbury, England. The theme of the half-day RDA Forum and B2B networking get-together was: “Promoting your business in the German coach & group travel markets.” Some 55 RDA, CTC and Visit Kent coach operator and coach tourism supplier members attended, along with the Lord Mayor and Lady Mayoress of Canterbury, Dr. Harry and Mrs. Cragg, together with distinguished members of Canterbury City Council and of the British coach travel trade press.

RDA CEO, Dieter Gauf, RDA Market Representative for Great Britain Dr. Patrick Patridge, Therese Heslop, Manager Visitor Services Canterbury Cathedral, Mary Sewell of Medway Council and CTC Chairman Seán Taggart informed an attentive audience about the German coach tourism market, about German coach holiday travel to the UK, about the RDA-Workshop and in particular about their experience and successes to-date working with the RDA and the RDA-Workshop. Questions and answers were followed by a tasty buffet lunch at the nearby Canterbury Cathedral Lodge hotel and by the official opening of the new Canterbury Coach Park (with space for some 40 holiday coaches) by the Lord Mayor of Canterbury, Dr. Harry Cragg, RDA CEO Dieter Gauf and CTC Chairman Seán Taggart.

Therese Heslop, Manager Visitor Services Canterbury Cathedral, in co-operation with Visit Kent, Medway Council and Hever Castle & Gardens has been very active in the German market over the past number of years. Central to this activity there has been the RDA-Workshop in Cologne where valuable contacts to German wholesalers in particular have been made. German coach business is Canterbury Cathedral’s second most important incoming market segment. Coach tourists generate considerable turnover for Canterbury – the Cathedral receiving up to 50 coaches on a very busy day. RDA CEO Dieter Gauf states: ‘Canterbury’s efforts in attracting and looking after coach tourists are exemplary and will in future be recommended in our RDA Seminars as an example of a coach-friendly destination.’

The RDA representatives conducted discussions with Graham Messenger, Confederation of Passenger Transport, Chris Wales, CEO Coach Tourism Council (UK), and Sean Taggart, Chairman Coach Tourism Council (UK) and Owner / Group Managing Director Albatross Travel Group, as part of an ongoing dialogue and mutual co-operation between the RDA and its sister UK federations. Before returning to Germany, Dieter Gauf and Dr. Patrick Patridge made a courtesy call at RDA member Hever Castle & Gardens, the childhood home of Anne Boleyn, where they were cordially greeted by Ann Watt, Manager Marketing & PR, and Duncan Leslie, the Estate Manager. Hever Castle has, since joining RDA last year, experienced an increase of some 40 per cent (ca. 80 coaches) in the total number of German coach groups visiting their historic attractions. Ann Watt, needless to say, is very much looking forward to participating in this year’s RDA-Workshop once again.