Coach operators take the flexible approach

Coach operators take the flexible approach

Central and Eastern Europe is increasing in popularity as a coaching destination. Brian Richards reports

LEADING coach holiday operators are offering their biggest tour programmes yet to central and Eastern Europe for next year, following a surge in demand for the region this year.

Shearings has added five new tours, increasing capacity by 50%. Most incorporate an element of air travel and some include an option of coach travel all the way.

Commercial director Brian Hawe said: “Our expansion is based on this year’s sales. Once people have been to that part of the world, they want to keep going back.

“People’s perception of the region has changed. When the Berlin Wall came down, the area was something of a mystery – now people realise the region has a great deal to offer.”

New fly/coach tours are the Baltics and St Petersburg (eight days from £599) and Romania (eight days from £716); a 14-day tour by coach to Opatija in Croatia is priced at £453.

Two tours have the choice of fly/coach or just coach travel – Prague, Vienna and Budapest is nine days fly/coach, from £615 and 12 days on coach from £595. The Grand Poland tour is 12 days fly/coach from £699 and 14 days coach from £675.

Hawe said: “Three years ago most people wanted to travel all the way by coach. Now more fly to join the coach tour. It saves a night’s stay, so the price difference is not great.”

Wallace Arnold is focusing on Polish and Hungarian resorts with two new 14-day coach products for next year.

One itinerary includes seven nights in the Polish mountain resort of Zakopane, priced at £679. The other combines three nights in Budapest with four nights at Hungary’s Lake Balaton region for £659. General manager product planning Stuart Westerman said:”We already had tours in both countries and we’ve extended the idea to leading resorts.”

Budapest: Shearings has added options that inlcude the Hungarian capital