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Hello again...
 Welcome to our June edition of the Group Travel Grapevine!
We’ve got some great new visit ideas for you!
We’re excited about the guided tours and new rooms to see at the recently re-opened historic Fulham Palace House and Garden in London and news of how Buckingham Palace will be providing two innovative, engaging and immersive experiences for visitors at this year’s summer opening.
And, while we’re on the subject of immersive events, group tickets are now available for the impressive new War of the Worlds Immersive Experience in London, which combines VR, cutting-edge technology and good old-fashioned acting to give visitors the thrill of finding themselves facing an alien invasion!
Since our last Grapevine we’ve been busy with the Group Travel Awards, which took place on 7th June in central London. Our report reveals the winners from the 26 nominated categories, which were voted for by both readers of GTO magazine and the Grapevine.
We’ve also got items in this issue about the new Great West Way visitor trail, and an unusual new animal to meet at ZSL Whipsnade Zoo.
And, in another first for us, you can follow the travels of Editorial Director Peter Stonham on a cruise round Scotland through a link to our brand new group travel blog!
Finally, there’s a new Fam Trip for you to consider, as we invite Grapevine readers to join us on a Heritage day out with a twist, visiting Greenwich and the Olympic Park in East London.
See you next month!
Val Baynton, Editor
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Creating trips with a difference is an enduring challenge for GTOs, and adding insights and interest for visitors by booking specially guided tours is an excellent solution.
Many historic properties are very happy to organise bespoke tours for your group and recently reopened after renovation, Fulham Palace House and Garden, the home of the Bishops of London for 1,300 years, has five tour options.
The restoration work has included creating a new museum and opening up rooms not previously available to visitors, the Tudor Courtyard and an expanded collection of historically significant plants in the 13-acre botanic garden.
Groups can select from - ‘Garden’, ‘History’, ‘Architecture’, ‘Palace and All Saints Church’ and the ‘Bishop’s Park’ tours – and each is led by an experienced guide. These will allow your group to discover insights into the building’s and garden’s history and, afterwards, you can enjoy refreshments in the Drawing Room Café.
You’ll read more about a whole range of places offering guided tours in the June/July issue of GTO Magazine, which will be available online from early July and mailed to readers on 10th July. Discovering the secrets of an attraction or going behind the scenes with an expert guide is a way to make group trips even more appealing!
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The Arundell Arms Hotel, rated 3 AA Silver Stars and 2 AA Rosettes, offers late availability 2019 bookings.
Located on the Devon/Cornwall border, in Lifton, the Arundell Arms is just off the A30 road to Launceston. There are 26 individually appointed en-suite bedrooms, a cosy lounge and bar and a more formal dining room, and the hotel promises to cater for your group’s specific requirements at a competitive rate.
Independently owned, the hotel has been in the same family for over 58 years, offering warm welcomes and high-quality service. It’s a perfect base from which to explore the Cornish peninsula and well-sited to enjoy spectacular Dartmoor.
It’s a great venue for classic car rallies too. As well as many places on the English Riviera, popular destinations such as Clovelly, The Eden Project, Bude, Boscastle and Tintagel can all be reached within 45 minutes.
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A trip to ZSL Whipsnade Zoo with your group this summer will provide an educational, fun filled day with the chance to meet Whipsnade's latest not-so-little new arrival! A reticulated giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis reticulata) was born to first time mum Luna and dad Bashu on Friday 26 April and has been named Khari, which means ‘King-like’ in Swahili, because of his regal-looking ossicones - the tiny crown-like horns on a giraffe’s head. He already stands head and shoulders above most of the residents at the UK’s largest zoo – hovering at almost six-feet tall!
Groups can also stop by the Chimpnasium to see the chimps play, pay the fastest land animal on earth a visit and adventure through Hullabazoo Farm to meet and greet pygmy goats, donkeys, lambs and more.
Groups get 25% off when visiting with 10 or more people!
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Buckingham Palace offers two new unique group experiences
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In just a few weeks, the magnificent State Rooms at Buckingham Palace will open to the public for the 2019 summer season with an immersive experience as part of this summer's special exhibition. Queen Victoria’s Palace will include the recreation of a waltz danced at one of a series of Balls held in 1856, transporting you back in time to experience the Palace as Queen Victoria and Prince Albert would have known it.
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For a memorable experience at the landmark Leonardo da Vinci exhibition, try the specially-designed escape room! The Queen’s Gallery has been transformed into four rooms of thematic puzzles and riddles, so that your group can solve the mystery of the missing curator. You will need to think like a Renaissance genius to beat the clock and unlock the mysteries in Leonardo’s drawings. Suitable for groups of up to eight participants, with no prior art history knowledge required.
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The group travel sector celebrated the 23rd edition of the prestigious UK Group Travel Awards at London’s Park Plaza Riverbank Hotel on Friday 7th June. The BAFTA award-winning television presenter, Michaela Strachan, was the fantastic awards host, alongside Landor Travel Publications’ Partnership and Product Director, Sarah Jeffery. Together they welcomed the winners from the 26 nominated award categories (voted for by readers of GTO magazine and the Group Travel Grapevine) and five special Editor’s Awards.
As well as the awards ceremony, guests were treated to a wonderful evening’s entertainment which began with a glamorous drinks reception, a three-course meal, live music performed by talented band All Covered Up, a disco and fun casino - plus some West End sparkle as stars of the stage, Sorelle Marsh and Georgina Castle, entertained the crowd by performing several songs from long-running hit musical Mamma Mia!
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‘A wonderful way to enjoy some beautiful and remoter parts of the British Isles in comfort and without difficult travel!’ is how editorial director Peter Stonham described his recent trip by cruise ship up the North Sea, around Scotland and down the Atlantic coast.
Peter has written a blog on his week long adventure, travelling with Cruise & Maritime Voyages on the Columbus, on one of her regular British Isles Discovery Cruises. His journey began in Tilbury and called first at Amsterdam, and then the Orkney Islands, Skye and the Isle of Mull in Scotland before a stop in Dublin and visits to the Scilly Islands, Guernsey and Honfleur in Brittany. Though Peter had to leave the vessel in Dublin he found the Scottish segment of the cruise a really enjoyable experience, and thoroughly recommends the trip for group customers.
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The Great West Way is a new touring route between London and Bristol, now being promoted by a marketing initiative undertaken as one of the projects supported from the government’s Discover England fund.
The historic route, once defined by Isambard Kingdom Brunel's Great Western Railway line and the A4 road, covers a 125-mile journey featuring a huge variety of cultural attractions to explore with a range of itineries and themes certain to interest groups.
The Grapevine's sister website Discover Britain’s Towns has just posted a look at some of the places en route, and introduces you to the wider Great West Way concept.
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The Royal Museums Greenwich and ArcelorMittal Orbit (the helter skelter sculpture on the Olympic Park site) are two attractions sited in beautiful East London parks. Grapevine readers can join this Readers’ Event to discover a relaxing day out for groups away from the hustle and bustle of the city centre. The Heritage with a Twist Readers’ Event is open to genuine GTOs looking to bring a group back in the future. GTOs may apply for a maximum of two tickets, and there are up to 30 places in total.
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Just opened for visitors in the City of London, the War of the Worlds Immersive Experience is a ground-breaking new attraction combining virtual reality, immersive theatre and cutting-edge technology. H.G. Wells' Victorian England is brought to life all around you, as your group can now live through his vision of a Martian invasion together, all whilst immersed in Jeff Wayne's iconic score throughout.
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