Bury given coach friendly accolade
The Confederation of Passenger Transport (CPT) awarded the market town of Bury, in Greater Manchester, the Coach Friendly Town Award this month.
The coach friendly title, which is voted for by CPT’s coach operator members, was presented at the British Travel Trade Fair in Birmingham.
Many criteria were taken into consideration during the voting process including Bury’s parking and unloading areas for coaches, facilities for passengers and coach drivers, access for coaches and signposting.
The award coincided with the publication of a report entitled ‘Coach Tourism in England’s Northwest’, which identifies the volume and value of coach tourism to the north west. Jointly commissioned by the Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA) and CPT, it identifies where there is potential for development including improving existing coach facilities, developing more itineraries based around regional events and increasing training opportunities in handling group visits.
According to the CPT, the north west is now recognised as the most coach-friendly region of the UK with four destinations having been given the coach friendly award so far.
Bury, which welcomes more than 1,000 coaches annually, joins Chester, Southport and the Eden Valley in Cumbria, which have all previously been recognised for their pro-coach policies in the north west.