british tourism companies

• Europe Tours
• England Tours
• Tour Operators

Top Tour Operators and Travel Agencies in England 2024/2025

Top Tour Operators and Travel Agencies in England. Below you will find 25 of the best tour operators and travel agencies in England offering in total 271 tours and holidays through-out England. Combined they have received 438 customer reviews and an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars. The top tour activities offered in England are: Sightseeing, attractions, culture and history, Adventure and sport & Wildlife, landscapes and nature.

• Tours in England
• England Travel Guide

24 Tour Operators in England with 438 Reviews

Brendan Vacations

• Address Brendan Vacations 801 E. Katella Avenue Anaheim, California 92805, California, USA
• Response Rate 90%
• Response Time 1 hour

Walkers' Britain

• Address 1B Osiers Road, London, England
• Response Rate 83%
• Response Time 3 hours

• Best-in-Class Top 5% of companies
• Excellent Service Top 10% of companies
• Superior Service Top 15% of companies

• Address 109 Power Road, Chiswick, London, England
• Response Rate 81%
• Response Time 2 hours

• Address Picquet House, St Peter Port, Guernsey, London, England

Mckenzie Mountaineering

• Address Hillcrest Braes , Ullapool, Scotland
• Response Rate 100%

Expat Explore

• Address 10 Merryweather Place, London, England

Collette Tours

• Address 162 Middle Street, Pawtucket, Rhode Island, USA
• Response Rate 84%

• Address Nelson House, 55-59 Victoria Rd, Farnborough, England
• Response Rate 96%

• Address 33 Kern Road, Toronto, Canada
• Response Rate 88%

Luxury Gold

• Response Rate 60%

• Address 38-51 Bedford Way, London, England

The London Bicycle Tour Company

• Address 74 Kennington Road, London, England

Indus Travels

• Address 233, 11951 Hammersmith Way, Richmond, Canada
• Response Rate 98%

Scenic Luxury Cruises and Tours

• Address 15/56 Pitt St, Sydney, Australia
• Response Rate 74%

England Tour Reviews

• Rebecca Pence
• Steve Smith
• England budget tours
• Eco tours in England
• England guided tours
• England family tour packages
• England honeymoon packages
• England luxury tours
• England private tours
• England self-guided tours
• England small group tours
• England solo trips
• England tailor-made vacation packages
• England tours for senior citizens
• England tours for young adults
• England group tours
• England last minute deals
• England travel deals

Popular Destinations

• London Tours

Upcoming Departures

• Spring 2024/2025
• Summer 2024/2025
• Winter 2024/2025
• August 2024
• September 2024
• October 2024
• November 2024
• December 2024
• January 2025
• February 2025
• August 2025
• September 2025

Best price guaranteed - No booking fees

Sign-in to unlock instant trip discounts. Create wish lists and save up to USD 1,500.

Select language

What are you looking for, see things differently, welcome to britain.

Discover inventive new experiences and captivating stories in 2024, brought together with a dose of British flair. From exploring film settings and pioneering cultural spaces to countryside trails and relaxing wellness retreats, it’s all happening on our shores and you’re invited!

Join immersive exhibitions as the National Gallery celebrates a landmark anniversary or get a taste for chocolate as Birmingham’s Cadbury World also marks its 200th birthday. Venture off the beaten track for new coastal adventures, exploring new trails and walking routes, or take in sporting action as the world’s best compete in everything from athletics to the Premier League.

Whether it’s getting a feel for our vibrant cultural cities, embarking on a coastal adventure, or discovering locations made famous by film and TV, it’s time to experience Britain differently.

VisitBritain/Helena Bradbury

Explore different

VisitBritain/Kieran Duncan

Glen Coe, Scotland

Spilling the tea on GB

We’re spilling the tea on the hottest experiences – and it’s not just a good old brew that we’re mad about.

Cardiff, Wales

Key sporting moments in 2024

Grab your tickets, or a spot by a screen, and join the atmosphere of brilliant British sport.

VisitBritain

Day trips from London

Britain packs a punch when it comes to the eclectic range of destinations within close proximity to London.

VisitBritain/Daniel Struthers

Parc national de Sowdonia (Eryri), Pays de Galles

How to see Britain differently

From gastronomic adventures to eco-friendly stays, there’s always more to explore on Britain’s shores.

VisitBritain - The official tourism website of Great Britain

Providing you with inspirational activities and experiences, from those in the know.

Your guidance and information about travelling to Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

Helping the travel industry showcase the best of Britain.

Cultural hotspots

An unmissable destination for travellers, London is a melting pot of history, culture and green spaces.

VisitBritain/Hazel Parreno

From palaces to cobbled alleys, and a dormant volcano, this city is a real show-stopper.

VisitBritain/Andrew Pickett

World-class football and a music scene that brought Oasis to centre stage – there’s lots to love about Manchester.

VisitBritain/Manchester Craft Beer Festival

A quirky seaside city filled with diverse cuisine, vintage shopping and adrenaline fuelled adventure.

VisitBritain/i360

From The Beatles to Frankie Goes to Hollywood, Liverpool is a UNESCO City of Music with seriously cool credentials.

Oh Me Oh My

Cool creative Bristol is a must-see for art, culture and action-packed adventure.

VisitBritain/Rod Edwards

Step into a land of castles, world-renowned rugby and a whole host of myths and legends.

VisitBritain/Ben Selway

Pushing the boundaries of art and culture and a heart that beats through its people.

VisitBritain/Tommy Ga-Ken Wan

An industrial hub with a vibrant, creative heart and a whole host of quirky adventures.

West Midlands Growth Company

Newcastle upon Tyne

Linked by no fewer than seven bridges, it's one vibrant place to visit.

Rich Kenworthy

Newcastle, England

A hotbed for shopping and the arts, you’ll find lots to explore in Leeds.

VisitBritain/Thomas Heaton

Packed with lively pubs, an eclectic food scene and a myriad of immersive experiences.

Tourism Northern Ireland

Discover annual events

James Bridle

Celebrate in Britain

Find out what’s happening across the nations with our round-up of annual events.

Planning a trip? We're here to help

Your trip to england is just around the corner.

Discover the land of Big Ben, Banksy and bangers and mash. From its bustling cities to its blooming beautiful gardens, it doesn’t disappoint.

Discover Great Britain’s northern reaches

Imagine a country where ancient castles guard mysterious lochs and emerald glens, and where the local spirit is as warm as the welcome.

Discover a land of adventure and mythical creatures

Delve into a world of dragons, renowned choirs, championship rugby, and some of the most spellbinding scenery Britain has to offer.

Your trip to Northern Ireland has never looked more magical

Get swept up in a world of ancient myths and modern-day legends, from the Giant’s Causeway and Game of Thrones to the vibrant buzz of Belfast.

Follow us on Instagram

Best Great Britain Tour Companies

Search 87 Great Britain tour operators and travel companies, with 797 reviews.

Featured Great Britain Trips

All Great Britain Tour Companies

Omega Tours

Health Safety +

Intrepid Travel

The Relaxed Explorer

Travel for All

ROW Sea Kayak Adventures

Health Safety

Sign in  to see which companies give additional savings to Travelstride Members (it’s free)

Planet Rail

Image Tours

Speyside Wildlife

Celtic Tours

Sage Traveling

Distant Journeys

Wilderness Scotland

Golf Scotland

EF College Break (EF Ultimate Break)

National Geographic Expeditions

Go Ahead Tours

87 match your criteria (1 - 20 shown)

View Great Britain trips

Plan your Great Britain trip

Great Britain Reviews

Castles, kilts and whisky - oh my.

My trip to Scotland was amazing! There was something for everyone to enjoy. From the beautiful landscapes, sheep everywhere, botanical gardens, Queen's yacht &...

Wonderful Tour

The tour was a wonderful experience

The tour company really takes the time to find find great locations and provide time to relax.

European Dream

Everything was as we expected!!!

European Spotlight

I don't like getting up so early in the morning, but that was not the fault of anyone we just had to in order to get into some of the venues before the long lineups....

Ok. The tour guide Guy was excellent.

See all Great Britain reviews

What to Look for When Reading Tour Company Reviews

Trip planning

TTC family of brands

My Trafalgar

Destinations

Get Inspired

866 513 1995

See All England Tours

See More England Trips

5 million happy guests and counting

Pound Sterling

Capital City

Winter avg temp

Summer avg temp

Good morning

Good evening

"What is there to not love about England. Real life castles, Princes and Princesses, stunning scenery, and historic streets lined with lively pubs everywhere you go!”

Aryan, Travel Director

Admire the British capital from the London Eye

Watch London unfurl from the iconic 135-metre height of the London Eye. The unmatched views extend in every direction, reaching Buckingham Palace, the river Thames and the famed clock tower of the Palace of Westminster. All London’s highlights in one peaceful, 30-minute rotation.

Take in the views of Britain's Lake District

Delve into Britain’s natural wonders and take in the panorama of rolling hills, rocky mountains and glittering waters of the Lake District. Abounding in outdoor opportunities from cruises to hilltop walks, you'll find serenity in this national park resting between Leeds and Glasgow.

Visit the Roman baths in Bath

Turn back the clock 2,000 years at the remarkably preserved remains of the Roman Baths. Still flowing with steaming, geothermally heated water, the ancient stone pavements reveal the culture behind the simple daily task of washing. Let time stand still staring at a spring filled with 12,000 Roman coins.

Enjoy the guided tour of Liverpool

Sink into the nostalgia of the Beatles, cruise along the Mersey River and sample real ale at the Albert Docks. A visit to Liverpool is an invitation to uncover the many layers of British culture; the UK's fifth largest city means more than the passion of its football club.

See the Stonehenge's stone monoliths

Southwest England’s soil is rich with mystery. Stand in the shadows of Stonehenge’s stone monoliths and let your imagination be sparked by the secrets of this 5,000-year history. Weighing up to 30 tonnes each, the weight of history will leave its mark on you.

Our top 5 things to do in England

Mysterious stone monoliths and preserved ancient baths prove there is so much more to see beyond the limits of London city. Let Trafalgar turn the pages of the history book that is England.

The British Museum

The British Museum is a ticket to relics that reveal some two million years of human history. Feel small standing beneath the colossal presence of Rameses II and contrast the myth and reality of Troy with the graphic world of Manga. This London highlight will take you on a journey of time travel.

Natural History Museum

The Natural History Museum takes you on an unfathomable discovery of the formation of the solar system and its path to the present. Trace the origin of our species under the shade of a T. rex and glimpse rare meteorites straight from the surface of Mars. If this doesn’t shake you, the earthquake simulator most certainly will.

Victoria and Albert

The Victoria and Albert Museum is an encounter with the very best of human creativity in almost every medium. Here you will design your own bioplastic bag, step behind the creative lens of Christian Dior and take a literal walk in history’s shoes admiring a 2,000 strong collection spanning 3,000 years.

Best museums in England

A cultural epicentre of the planet steeped in royal heritage, the museums of England sparkle like the Crown Jewels. Let Trafalgar guide you through the very best the region has to offer.

Fish & Chips

It’s hard to separate the partnership of fish 'n' chips. Try this traditional meal both from a gourmet restaurant and a local 'chippie' wrapped in newspaper. Always with lashings of salt and vinegar on top.

Sunday Roast

Embrace the traditional English Sunday lunch with roast meats, a side of vegetables and an indulgent topping of gravy. The joy of this simple culinary experience is best served in a traditional English pub complete with football on the screen and a few stouts.

Full English breakfast

The full English breakfast is a requisite of a trip to England. A hearty plate piled with fried bacon, grilled tomatoes, buttered toast, mushrooms, eggs, beans, and black puddingis hard to resist.

Best food in England

Food is at the heart of every journey when you travel to England. This is a country of warm and hearty meals, our trips will show you the very best of it.

What to pack for England

With a high chance of experiencing four seasons in one day, an umbrella is a must when visiting England, both for rainy days and occasions when the sun beams down.

Digital maps

It's always good to have a backup of digital maps on standby when you're out exploring in your own time. Download them prior to your trip so you can reach them even when your phone is offline.

Travel adaptor

Though many hotels will have adaptors available for use, being prepared with your own will ensure you're always charged and ready to go.

A good book

With a seemingly infinite list of parks found in England, don't forget to pack a novel and immerse yourself in a good book should the occasion arise.

With days full of adventure and numerous souvenirs tempting your strolls, a day pack will ensure your hands always remain free. Split the weight across your back with a double strap bag for extra comfort.

Our Europe & Britain destinations

Bosnia Herzegovina

Czech Republic

Liechtenstein

North Macedonia

Netherlands

Northern Ireland

Switzerland

Italy Test 02

Other worldwide regions we visit

Africa the Middle East

Australia and New Zealand

North and Central America

South America

Get your free brochure

Find your next escape with the world's leading travel brand

Request A Brochure

Award winning tours

Every year, we're proud to win some of the most prestigious travel accolades around the world - from the Travel Globes to the Agent's Choice Awards

Search Our Tours

Help & Info

WE MAKE TRAVEL MATTER®

Unedited Reviews

Our Destination Management Companies

Frequently Asked Questions

Travel Updates

Media & Press Room

Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information

Travel Planning

Get Your Free Brochure

Travel Insurance

Booking Conditions

Trip Deposit Level

Recommendations

Trafalgar is a proud member of  The Travel Corporation  family of companies.

#SimplyTrafalgar

Selected Region

United States

United Kingdom

New Zealand

South Africa

Copyright 2024 Trafalgar. All rights reserved.

Terms and Conditions

Privacy Policy

Cookie Policy

Best UK Tours 2023/4 – Reviews & Itinerary Guide

By: Author Tracy Collins

Posted on Last updated: June 13, 2023

Taking one of the many UK tours on offer can be a great way to explore the United Kingdom if this is one of your first trips in the UK. There are several advantages to taking a guided or self-guided tour for part (or all) of your time visiting the UK. 

Guided tours of England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland allow you to minimise the travel hassle as you’ll have a company to do most of the planning for you, and many of the United Kingdom tour package options we’ve included here allow you to see far more of the UK in a shorter period of time than it would be possible to do on your own. 

Guided tours of UK can also offer good value for money, and there are some great UK trip packages on offer. Unfortunately, choosing which UK tour to take is not so easy – as the choice of tours in UK can be really overwhelming. There are just so many, so where to start looking? 

In this guide I’ll walk you through some of my favourite UK tour itineraries and how to choose the best UK tour that’s right for you. Whether you’re looking for England tours, cheap UK tours, all-inclusive England vacation packages, or the best coach holidays UK has, you’ll find plenty of options in this blog. I’ve also included some of my recommended cycling and walking holidays UK has for those looking for an active break. 

Let’s get started with the best Great Britain tours 2023/4 options on offer! 

Best Tours of Great Britain – Comparison Chart

When is the best time to go on your uk trip , mode of transport, pace of travel, elegance of great britain – insight vacations – 11 days, castles & kilts – trafalgar tours – 10 days, great britain 7 days, uk by train – great rail journeys uk – 12 days.

• The Lake District & Scotland – Rabbie's – 9 Days

Highlights of Scotland – G Adventures – 7 Days

Country roads of scotland – insight vacations – 9 days.

• Best of Scotland 

8 Day Isle of Skye, Orkney & North Coast

Britain and ireland, essential britain & ireland – globus – 10 days, britain & ireland explorer – insight vacations – 13 days, walk hadrian’s wall, g adventures, globus journeys , great rail journeys, insight vacations, intrepid travel, indus travels , trafalgar travel, rabbie’s tours, extending your british tour with extra days in london.

If you want to compare even more of the best coach trips the UK has or other styles of tour, I recommend TourRadar as a great place to compare tours and read more UK tour reviews. 

When planning for your trip to England or the rest of the UK, it’s important to take seasonality into consideration. I go over all the details of the weather and the seasons in the UK here in this article . 

When comparing tour operator UK options and which trip to take, be aware that UK tours tend to run with reduced frequency during the winter months, with many of the best UK tour packages running more frequently in spring and summer (April – August).

While some British coach holidays run year-round, speciality outdoor trips such as cycling holidays UK options may only run during summer months. 

Best United Kingdom Tours – Choosing the Best Tour for you

When searching for the best UK travel packages and tours, there are many factors to consider. Here are some of the top things I recommend taking a few minutes to think about before deciding on the best tour of Britain for you: 

Many of the most popular UK guided tour options are small group tours. UK small group tours vary widely in size with what is deemed to be a ‘small’ group – with some having up to 50 in a group while others keep it to 12 or under. 

Coach tours UK options are a convenient way to travel around with the rest of your group and often allow more to be fitted into an itinerary than independently travelling by train.

These range in style and you can find plenty of luxury coach holidays UK options as well as budget bus tours UK.

If you want to take the train but also like the idea of a guided tour, you could consider one of the train holidays UK options listed below. 

This is the one most of us forget to consider! In order to fit as much in as possible, some of the popular coach holidays in England and the rest of the UK move very fast, taking in multiple cities and sights in a day and usually spending only 1 night in a place. 

This can get tiring, so if you prefer to spend at least a couple of nights in each place, check for itineraries that allow you more time or you could consider choosing one of the self-drive holidays UK options available. 

Also, see our tips at the end of this article for extending your stay in the UK by spending extra days in London, Edinburgh, or any of the other common UK tour starting and endpoints. 

England vacation packages and tours have different inclusions depending on the style of trip and company.

Most include transport, guide, accommodation and some meals, but check the small print so you know what you are and aren’t getting included on tours to England.

The entrance fees to many sights are often not included in tour pricing. 

Best Great Britain Tours (England, Scotland, Wales)

Below you’ll find our favourite United Kingdom trip tour packages that take in England, Scotland and in some cases Wales, too. For tours that also include Ireland, see the next section. 

Best for seeing England & Scotland at a more leisurely pace

Starting in Edinburgh and finishing in London, this 11-day journey through some of England and Scotland’s finest sights is a great option for those wanting to travel in comfort or who are looking for the best UK tours for seniors. 

This is one of our favourite England and Scotland tour packages if you prefer a tour that spends 1-2 nights in each place and allows you to relax more in the places that you visit.

Staying at 4* accommodations throughout the trip, this itinerary starts in Edinburgh and takes in Gretna Green, the stunning Lake District , historic York, Stratford-upon-Avon, the Cotswolds and Bath before finishing up in London.

Travel is by private coach. 

As trips to England and Scotland go, this Insight Vacations UK trip is one for those who want to see the best of the UK’s history, natural beauty and culture in comfort and style. If you have additional time, we highly recommend adding on extra days in London or Edinburgh (or both!). 

Click here for more info and pricing

Best for fitting lots of England in at a great price

Starting in London and finishing in Edinburgh, this 10 day London – Scotland tour by Trafalgar Tours England is a great option for those who want to see as much as possible during their trip and don’t mind travelling at a faster pace. 

One of the popular tours of England and Scotland, this itinerary spends 3 days taking in the sights of London at the start of the tour, so you don’t need to worry about booking additional time at the start of the tour (unless you want to).

From London, head north to Oxford and Bath before crossing the Welsh borders and exploring some fine Welsh castles . You’ll also visit Chester, Lancaster and Hadrian’s wall before finishing in Edinburgh. 

If you want to include a trip to Wales in your UK tour itinerary then this is a great tour to go for, and history lovers will enjoy every stop of this trip that showcases the UK’s history from the Wars of the Roses to Roman Bath – you even get to stay at Ruthin Castle in Wales – a 13th century castle with its original moat!

Best for seeing it all in seven days

If you only have seven days to spend in the UK, this whistle-stop tour will whisk you up and down the length and breadth of Britain to introduce you to the highlights. Included on the itinerary are a list of destinations for day trips outside London – and beyond. 

The cities of Bath, Cambridge and York in England, plus the Scottish capital of Edinburgh, are included. Stratford-upon-Avon is also visited as the home of the UK’s most revered playwright. Experiences to savour include seeing Britain’s highest peak, Ben Nevis in Scotland, and enjoying a traditional roast dinner in historic, compact York. 

In addition to Georgian Bath and the capital London, this seven day tour takes you to some other fascinating UK locations too. There’s sculptor Antony Gormley’s famous Angel of the North artwork, a Scottish border town, Edinburgh Castle and the Royal Mile, and the Scottish Highlands and Loch Ness.

Once you head down the west coast, the musical and sporting city of Liverpool awaits. You’ll also venture into Wales to see the city of Cardiff and a ​​mediaeval Welsh castle. After touring Bath, the last stop en route back to London is Stonehenge. This ancient site is shrouded in mystery – and a must on the itinerary of every visitor to the UK.

Best for train travel and rail holidays UK

There’s arguably nothing more quintessentially British than train travel – and if life on the rails in Britain is what you’ve been romanticising about, then this is one of the train tours UK for you.

This UK rail itinerary takes in the best of Scotland and England, with the chance to ride on one of the best-known steam train trips UK has to offer on the Jacobite steam train from Fort William to Mallaig.

You’ll travel on the West Highland Line, North East Main Line that links Edinburgh and York, and the West Coast Mainline south from Glasgow.

Travel is at a more leisurely pace with 2 nights spent in most cities, staying in mostly 4* hotels. You’ll also get to see Bath and Stonehenge before finishing in London. 

If you’re looking for guided tours of England and Scotland by train, this is a great itinerary to go for. You’ll get to experience many of the UK’s best-known railways and take in the country’s top historic and cultural sights along the way. Travel is by train and private coach. 

The Lake District & Scotland – Rabbie’s – 9 Days

Best for taking in the beautiful scenery of the Lake District & Scottish Highlands

Rabbie’s tours of the UK offer great value for money, and if you want to be immersed in some of the UK’s finest landscapes and are interested in guided walking holidays UK options, this is a great way to dip your toes in. 

Starting in Manchester, this itinerary is a ‘rail and trail’ combination of 2 Rabbie’s trips , meaning you’ll change minibus and guide half way through.

First you’ll explore the stunning Lake District in the beautiful north west of England, enjoying Windermere and Ullswater before taking the train up to Edinburgh for your Highlands adventure that visits some of the most scenic spots on Scotland’s west coast: Uban, Mull and Skye before heading back to the mainland to visit the iconic Eilean Donan castle. 

If you’re looking for the best adventure tours UK has, then we recommend Rabbie’s who deliver great tours at a budget-friendly price point for those who love the outdoors.

Best for Scottish Highlands exploring and Solo Trips UK. 

If you’re looking to focus your UK trip on Scotland , then this 7 day Scotland tour from Edinburgh by G Adventures is well worth a look.

G Adventures also offer very reasonable single supplements if you’re looking for the best solo holidays uk options – or you can choose to share a room with another traveller of the same sex. Either way, G Adventures UK is popular with solo travellers. 

Starting in Edinburgh and finishing in Glasgow, this Scotland tour takes in Inverness and the famous Loch Ness, Culloden Moor (famous for the Jacobite rising of 1745), the beautiful Isle of Skye and Fort William, with a chance to snap the famous Jacobite Steam Train crossing the Glenfinnan Viaduct (a must for Harry Potter fans) en route.

Accommodation is on a twin-share basis in 3* hotels and travel is by private minibus. 

If you want the highlights of the highlands of Scotland, this is a good tour to go for, with the option to add on extra days at the start or end of your tour – you could easily spend more time in Edinburgh, or head down to London. 

Off the beaten-path Highlands of Scotland

One of our favourite Great Britain vacation packages for getting a little off the beaten path is this wonderful northern Scotland adventure by Insight Vacations. Perfect for those wanting to see more of the Scottish Highlands or try something different when it comes to the many UK holiday packages. 

Starting in Edinburgh, on this upscale tour you’ll take in Inverness and Loch Ness, the beautiful and remote Orkney Islands at the northern tip of Scotland – a part that few visitors see – before heading south down the west coast of Scotland to take in the Isle of Skye, the stunning Glencoe pass and Loch Lomond before finishing up in Glasgow.

Accommodation is in 4* hotels and travel is by private coach. 

This is certainly one of the best UK coach holidays 2021 has to offer if the Scottish Highlands have been calling to you. You’ll love this one if you want to see the full diversity of landscapes and richness of community and culture that Scotland has. 

Best of Scotland  

Best for uncovering all four corners of Scotland  

If you want to find the best luxury coach tours in the UK that cover much of what lies north of the border, then the Best of Scotland tour from Trafalgar is a popular option for summer. The adventure begins in the capital of Edinburgh on day one. You’ll then be transported around Bonnie Scotland for seven days before ending up in Glasgow. 

This vibrant city lies to the west of Edinburgh. It’s the biggest in Scotland in terms of both population and square mileage. The metropolis is renowned for its magnificent architecture and as a cultural hub for fans of music, museums and more.

After arrival and on the second day of the tour, you’ll delve deeper under the surface of the historic and breathtakingly beautiful Scottish capital. Key sights including Edinburgh Castle, the Royal Mile and Palace of Holyroodhouse are visited during your guided tour, and you’ll also enjoy free time to spend as you wish. 

Between leaving Edinburgh and arriving in Glasgow – both of which are in southern Scotland – you’ll head north. The first stop is St. Andrews, where Prince William met Kate Middleton, before overnighting at a hotel in the Cairngorms National Park. During day four, you’ll visit the site of the famous Jacobite uprising, see Eilean Donan Castle, look out for the Loch Ness Monster and head over to the Isle of Skye. 

The fifth day of the tour includes Ben Nevis and Glencoe en route to Glasgow. After staying overnight there, you’ll take a city tour before calling at Clydeside whisky distillery and Stirling Castle on day six. Day seven is departure day, unless you decide to stay on in Glasgow for longer. 

Best for touring unspoiled Scotland

If what appeals to you most about the British Isles is the chance to spend time in Bonnie Scotland, this tour to far northern Scotland might be the one for you. It’s what Great Britain vacations are made of for many – beguiling cities, beautiful coastline and of course a dazzlingly rich and varied history. 

Day one transports you from Edinburgh to Inverness, via the famous Forth Bridge, picture-perfect Perthshire, the peaceful village of Dunkeld, the fascinating Highland Folk Museum, the Cairngorms National Park, bloody Culloden Battlefield and the standing stones at Clava Cairns. 

Next up on the second day is the spectacular North Coast 500 trail, via French-style Dunrobin Castle, en route to the island of Orkney. Puffin territory and an astonishingly well-preserved Neolithic settlement await after overnighting on Orkney. 

Both the better-known and lesser seen sights of Scotland make up much of the tour’s second half. These include Smoo Cave in Sutherland, the harbour village of Ullapool, Eilean Donan Castle, the Isle of Skye, the Jacobite Steam Train from Mallaig to Fort William and Glencoe.

During the last day, you can also choose to take an optional side trip to one of the Western Isles – namely Iona, Kerrera, Mull or Staffa. Alternatively, climb up Battery Hill in Oban or call into the 

 local Whisky Distillery. Finally, before heading back to Edinburgh, visit the Kelpies and Stirling Castle. 

Best England, Ireland, Scotland Tour packages

Some of these itinerary options include the best England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales tours for a comprehensive circuit of the British Isles, while others combine Ireland and Scotland to get a fuller taste of the Celtic lands. 

Best for a whistle-stop tour of the UK and Ireland

If seeing England and Scotland isn’t enough for you, then you might like to add on Ireland. This ten day trip is arguably the best way to see England, Scotland and Ireland in one hit. It lasts for ten days, and packs far more into that time than you could feasibly manage on a self-guided basis. 

First up after departing London is Shakespeare country and Stratford-upon-Avon, then it’s the Yorkshire cities of York and Bradford. The Yorkshire Dales, Lake Windermere, Gretna Green and Glasgow are then on the agenda for day three. 

There’s a day in Edinburgh for the fourth day, before heading to Ayrshire, Belfast, Dublin, Kilkenny and Waterford on day five and six. Cardiff, Bath and Windsor are the final stops before the tour winds up back in London. 

This tour offers incredible value for money, and really maximises each and every day when time in the UK is tight. 

Best for trips to England and Ireland that include the main highlights

If you’re looking at tours of England, Scotland and Ireland, then this 10 day trip by Globus may tick all the right boxes. 

Start and end in London on this tour that takes in the English highlights of Stonehenge and Bath before exploring Newport and Cardiff in Wales en route by ferry to Waterford and Dublin in Ireland.

Head north through Ireland towards the up-and-coming city of Belfast and crossing back into Scotland to take in the sights of the Scottish capital, Edinburgh.

On the final leg you’ll head south through York and Stratford upon Avon to London to soak up the best of English history. Travel is by coach. 

This is one of the best tours of England, Ireland, Wales and Scotland if you’re tight on time and don’t want to forgo any of the countries of the British Isles. The travel is at a fairly fast pace though – so you may wish to add on a few days to relax at the end of your trip. 

Best for combining Scottish Highlands & Ireland

One of the comprehensive UK tours from London options in this list, this itinerary works well if you want to start in London and have a few days before your trip starts to explore the UK’s capital – either through an extension booked through Insight or under your own steam. 

Leaving London, this ultimate UK tour takes in the historic English highlights of Stratford and York before heading past Hadrian’s Wall to Edinburgh and circling the Scottish Highlands.

Take in the legendary sights of Loch Ness, Glencoe and a boat trip on Loch Lomond before heading back south into England and Wales, and crossing over into Ireland.

Travel is by private coach and accommodation is at 4* hotels. 

On this grand UK tour, you’ll spend a total of 5 nights in Ireland and 7 in England & Scotland, making this the perfect UK tour packages from London when you just want to see it all! 

Best for English countryside and Roman history

Following the route of Hadrian’s Wall makes for one of the best road trips in the UK. Though the wall is quite justifiably famous, the route along it is far less touristy than other parts of the British Isles. The wall stretches from near Newcastle-upon-Tyne in the east to the compact city of Carlisle in the west. 

Hadrian’s Wall can be found within the more peaceful parts of England’s two most northerly counties. As this is a walking tour you’ll need a reasonable level of fitness, but this also means you’ll get up really close to the sights of Cumbria and Northumberland. And of course the unspoiled English countryside, with its dry stone walls and sheep-dotted emerald fields. 

To give you some idea of the distances, the first day’s walk is around eight miles, between Carlisle and Irthington. Other walks include the six mile trek between Lanercost Priory and Gilsland, the three-and-a-half Walltown Crags to Haltwhistle route and seven miles from Once Brewed to Brocolitia Fort. It’s also nine miles from Chollerford to East Wallhouses, and about five from East Wallhouses to Wylam. 

Highlights of this tour include the pretty Cumbrian village Crosby-on-Eden; Birdoswald, Housesteads, Brocolitia and Vindolanda Roman Forts, Walltown quarry, Sycamore Gap, the site of the victory of Oswald and the historic old Military Road. 

Best Tour Companies UK Reviews

Not sure which of the best travel agency UK options you should pick? Below you can find a short review of what to expect when travelling with any of the UK tour companies mentioned above. 

G Adventures tours are known for their good value and experience-rich approach. They attract travellers of all ages, both couples and solo travellers, thanks to their twin-share policy where single travellers can travel at no extra cost if they share with another traveller of the same sex.

Travel is in small groups (max 12) and includes a local tour guide “CEO”. Accommodation is in mid-range hotels and guest houses, and typically breakfasts and entry to some sights are included.

Travel in the UK is mostly by private mini-bus unless otherwise stated. 

Popular for coach tours in the UK and around the world, Globus Journeys offer guided coach tours in the UK and Ireland, either with smaller groups (max 24) or larger groups (up to 50) depending on the style of the trip.

Accommodation is typically in tourist class hotels (3* and 4*) with well known brands. Globus is popular among travellers aged in their 50’s, 60’s and up for the convenience of travel by coach and their tours have more meals and excursions included than some.

Expect itineraries that pack places in, so you’ll see a lot, and stays are typically 1 night. 

GRJ are the go-to for UK steam tours and railway journeys around the UK and beyond, so if travelling the UK by train is what you’re hoping to do, look no further.

Itineraries are designed to take in iconic lines and to provide the best steam train holidays UK has (or ‘regular’ trains). Journeys are escorted by a Tour Manager, and the majority of travellers are either solo travellers or couples aged between 45 – 80.

Accommodation is in 3* hotels or higher. The maximum group size on any trip is 50, or you can opt for a tailor made travel experience. 

Insight Vacations are an upscale tour company offering luxury UK coach tours with up to 40 people per group.

Travellers are typically 45 and up, and itineraries are a little more relaxed than many other tour companies, including 2 night stays at many destinations and “relaxed starts” in the morning spread out through the trip allowing time to catch up on rest if you need it.

Accommodation is in 4* hotels and trips are accompanied by a tour manager. 

Famous for great value adventures around the world, in the UK Intrepid offer a range of shorter ‘retreat’ style trips – so if you’re after hiking trips UK or a guided walking and cycling holiday, look no further.

Accommodation is in local guest houses and you’ll be accompanied by your own Intrepid Travel guide for the duration of the trip.

Maximum group size is 12, and rooms are on a twin share basis with the same sex if you’re a solo traveller, or you can pay a supplement to have your own room. 

Offering a mix of small group tours, independent adventures, cruises and self-drive vacations, Indus Travels allows you to set your own pace of travel with flexible itineraries when you choose one of their ‘unbundled tours’ or self-drive trips.

Self-drive trips are just you, your car rental, itinerary and accommodation, whereas group tours have up to 22 travellers, English-speaking local guides, deluxe accommodation and air conditioned coaches included.

Indus is popular with younger and older travellers alike, with many travellers in their 30’s, 40’s and 50’s. 

Well known and popular Trafalgar Tours England have been offering coach travel around the UK for many years and have many happy customers behind them.

Group tours have a maximum of 50 people, travelling by coach to the most popular destinations. They are popular for England tours for seniors (and younger people), and on any of their England tour packages you’re guaranteed to have a lot packed into your itinerary. That’s one thing to bear in mind – this is definitely not slow travel – but it’s a good way to get an overview of the British Isles.

All tours are accompanied by a guide and accommodation is tourist class 3* or 4* international standard hotels. 

Rabbie’s tours have some great England travel deals (and beyond). They’re a small group tours company providing great value breaks that help you get off the beaten track in the UK and Europe.

Rabbie’s aim to support local communities and promote responsible travel, by keeping tour groups small (10 people). They also work differently to other tour companies in that accommodation is not included in the tour price – once you book your tour you can choose your accommodation from a selection offered by Rabbie’s to suit your budget and preferences.

The name Rabbie’s comes from the nickname for famous Scot, Robert Burns! 

If you have a day, two, or more aside from your tour, we highly recommend taking advantage of those to explore London, or another city if your tour is starting from elsewhere – Edinburgh is another popular starting point for the UK tours mentioned in this guide. 

While some tours include sightseeing in London (or another departure city), not all do – or they include a very shortened version – and trust us that 1 day is definitely not enough to see London in, especially if you’re jetlagged. 

If you can, arrive a few days before your tour begins to enjoy the top London sights and get onto UK time if you’re flying in from far away. You can find our complete London travel guide here to get you started.

If you have specific questions about a destination in the UK why not join my UK and London Travel Planning Group on Facebook where you can chat with others planning their trip.

United Kingdom Tours & Vacations

Get ready to experience the United Kingdom, Intrepid style.

Four unique countries, four bewitching cultures and tens of thousands of years of history between them. From the sandy beaches in Cornwall to the enchanting landscapes in the Scottish Highlands and the rugged mountains in Snowdonia National Park —the United Kingdom is packed with adventures. Walk beautiful lochs in the Cairngorms, uncover Roman history along Hadrian's Wall or explore the enchanting Giant's Causeway . Experience the best the UK has to offer with our UK tours and holidays .

Our United Kingdom trips

Let's create an exclusive trip for your group.

United Kingdom tour reviews

Filter by rating

Highlights of Scotland

Walk Hadrian's Wall Highlights

Articles of United Kingdom

Discover the wonders of Cardiff through the eyes of Doctor Who  

The world’s first rewilding centre in Scotland is tuning into nature’s healing instincts 

Visit the site of the World Stone Skimming Championships in Scotland  

England or Wales? The UK destination that should be next on your list

England or Scotland? Which country should you visit next?

England or Ireland? Where to go on your next trip

Scotland or Ireland: which country should you travel to next?

Where to celebrate Pride in Europe 2023

United Kingdom departures by month

Uk tours by country, united kingdom at a glance, capital city.

London (population, 9 million)

67.33 million

English, Welsh, Gaelic

(GMT) Greenwich Mean Time : Dublin, Edinburgh, Lisbon, London

CALLING CODE

Electricity.

Type D (Old British 3-pin) Type G (Irish/British 3-pin) Type M (see D)

Learn more about United Kingdom

Best time to visit the united kingdom.

The UK shines from June to August, though there’s never any guarantee that their summer is full of sunshine and warmth. The days are long, tourist crowds are abundant and the country wakes up from its dark slumber and celebrates – a lot.

Spring and autumn can be cool and wet but with some sunny days, and the days are still long enough to enjoy this country’s diverse and beautiful scenery.

Winter – December to February - brings short days, grey skies and sometimes snow, though this is more often in Scotland and England’s northern counties.

History and government

Early history.

The United Kingdom came into being in 1707 with the political union of England and Scotland (Wales was classed under the Kingdom of England). In 1800, the Act of Union with the Kingdom of Ireland formed the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.

The last major change was in 1922, when the Anglo-Irish Treaty saw the Irish Free State form and secede from the UK, and Northern Ireland becoming part of the UK (though it wasn’t until 1927 that the UK formerly changed its name to United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland). Though united, each country had their own laws, churches and education systems. 

Recent history

The 18th and 19th centuries were notable for the UK’s countless wars with France, colonization in the Caribbean, the loss of colonies in North America, the gain of Canada, the discovery of Australia, the second wave of the British Empire in India, Asia and Africa, the beginnings of the industrial revolution, the abolishment of slavery and the long and successful reign of Queen Victoria. Needless to say, this is but a snapshot. The first half of the 20th century was marred by two devastating world wars, which not only devastated the population but the wealth of the country. It also saw the crumbling of the British Empire, with independence being sought and won in Ireland in 1922 and India in 1947, and by the 1980s Britain had withdrawn from all of its colonies. In 1997 devolution was established in Scotland and Wales.

Top 6 places to visit in the UK

1. edinburgh.

Wander the atmospheric streets of Edinburgh , through the medieval Old Town, along the famous Royal Mile and up to the iconic Edinburgh Castle which looms over the city. With its narrow streets, cobbled roads, and cosy pubs, Scotland's capital city is not to be missed.

2. Loch Ness

Go searching for ‘Nessie’ in Loch Ness and decide if the myth is true. Loch Ness is located near Inverness. It's shrouded in mystery and surrounded by beautiful landscapes. Lochs are formerly known as lakes, and there are plenty to see in the Scottish Highlands .

3. Isle of Iona

Set in the Inner Hebrides off the West Coast of Scotland, lies the gorgeous Isle of Iona. Discover beautiful coastlines, an abundance of scenery, heaps of wildlife and fascinating historical sites, including the grave of Macbeth.

Lose yourself in the cosmopolitan energy of Belfast, rich with culture and history. Belfast has a vibrant nightlife and arts culture, especially in Cathedral Quarter where you'll find theatres, galleries, bars and live music.

5. Giant’s Causeway

Explore the wild coastline, basalt columns and legendary tales of the Giant’s Causeway in Northern Island. With its dramatic cliffs and unbelievable scenery, this natural wonder is not to be missed.

6. Hadrian’s Wall

Dive headfirst into Roman history on a Hadrian's Wall walking tour . This historic spectacle spanning coast to coast across northern England was built by Roman emperor, Hadrian during his reign in the once Roman province of Britannia.

Top 5 British subcultures

Stylish in tailored suits and classy shoes, mods’ hey-day was the early to mid sixties. They rode around on vespas, listened to modern jazz, were attracted to late night cafés and got into rumbles with rockers.

2. Skinheads

Originally nothing to do with hooligans, racists and fascism, skinheads were born in the 1960s in working class areas of the UK. Skinheads fashioned themselves on Jamaican rude boy style, listened to ska and wore tight jeans, white t-shirts, braces, checked shirts and cherry red docs.

3. Glam rockers

Glam rockers wore high shoes, outrageous clothes, dramatic makeup, lavish hairstyles and plenty of things that glittered. This subculture rose to prominence in the early 1970s and faded out about 5 years later, but went on to influence punk, goths and new romantics. Think David Bowie’s androgynous phase and Garry Glitter.

Though not originating in the UK, when punk hit the UK’s shores in the mid 70s, it was hard to miss. UK punks were on the whole more theatrical than those in the US. Armed with anti-establishment views, mohawks, ripped clothes held together by safety pins (anti-fashion), piercings and thrashing around to punk rock, punk caused a big stir, which died down not long after it exploded.

An offshoot of the post-punk scene, goth became popular in the early 1980s. Although there are many styles of goth, they are characterized by wearing dark clothes, heavy make-up and dark hair.

Further reading

United kingdom travel faqs, do i need a covid-19 vaccine to join an intrepid trip.

Trips from 1 January 2023 onwards

From 1 January 2023, Intrepid will no longer require travelers to provide proof of vaccination against COVID-19 (excluding all Polar trips and select adventure cruises).

However, we continue to strongly recommend that all Intrepid travelers and leaders get vaccinated to protect themselves and others.

Specific proof of testing or vaccination may still be required by your destination or airline. Please ensure you check travel and entry requirements carefully.

Do I need a visa to travel to United Kingdom

UNITED KINGDOM Australia: No - Not required Belgium: No - Not required Canada: No - Not required Germany: No - Not required Ireland: No - Not required Netherlands: No - Not required New Zealand: No - Not required South Africa: Yes - in advance Switzerland: No - Not required UK: No - Not required USA: No - Not required

Is tipping customary in the United Kingdom?

Tipping isn’t expected but a tip for good service is always appreciated. Rounding up a taxi fare is commonplace.

What is the internet access like in the United Kingdom?

Internet access is good in the UK, with internet cafes and Wi-Fi hotspots easily found in most cities and major towns.

Can I use my cell phone while in the United Kingdom?

Cell phone coverage is generally very good in most parts of the UK, except perhaps in remote areas. Ensure global roaming is activated before you arrive.

What are the toilets like in the United Kingdom?

Modern, flushable toilets are the standard in the UK.

What will it cost for a...?

Pint of beer = £4 Simple cafe lunch = £10  Nice meal in a restaurant = £30

Can I drink the water in the United Kingdom?

Tap water is considered safe to drink unless otherwise marked.

Are credit cards accepted widely in the United Kingdom?

Major credit cards are widely accepted by stores and hotels in the UK. Smaller cafes and shops may not accept credit cards, so ensure you carry enough cash to cover small purchases.

What is ATM access like in the United Kingdom?

ATMs are very common in the UK, so finding one won't be a problem in most towns and cities.

Do I need to purchase travel insurance before traveling?

Absolutely. All passengers traveling with Intrepid are required to purchase travel insurance before the start of their trip. Your travel insurance details will be recorded by your leader on the first day of the trip. Due to the varying nature, availability and cost of health care around the world, travel insurance is very much an essential and necessary part of every journey.

For more information on insurance, please go to: Travel Insurance

What public holidays are celebrated in the United Kingdom?

• 1 Jan - New Year's Day
• 17 Mar - St Patrick's Day (Northern Ireland only)
• Good Friday 
• Easter Monday (except Scotland)
• Early May Bank Holiday 
• Spring Bank Holiday 
• 12 Jul - Battle of the Boyne (Scotland only)
• Summer Bank Holiday (except Scotland)
• 30 Nov - St. Andrew's Day (Scotland only)
• 25 Dec - Christmas Day
• 26 Dec - Boxing Day

Please note some of the above public holidays don’t have dates as they change every year. For a current list of public holidays in the United Kingdom go to World Travel Guides . 

How do I stay safe and healthy while traveling?

From Australia?

Go to: Smart Traveller

From Canada?

Go to:  Canada Travel Information

From the UK?

Go to:  UK Foreign Travel Advice

From New Zealand?

Go to:  Safe Travel

From the US?

Go to:  US Department of State

The World Health Organisation also provides useful health information.

Does my trip support The Intrepid Foundation?

Yes, all Intrepid trips support the Intrepid Foundation. Trips to this country directly support our global Intrepid Foundation partners, Eden Reforestation Projects and World Bicycle Relief. Intrepid will double the impact by dollar-matching all post-trip donations made to The Intrepid Foundation.

Eden Reforestation Projects

Eden Reforestation Projects are helping to mitigate climate change by restoring forests worldwide; they also hire locally and create job opportunities within vulnerable communities. Donations from our trips support restoration across planting sites in 10 countries around the globe. Find out more or make a donation World Bicycle Relief

World Bicycle Relief provides people in low-income communities with bicycles to mobilize school kids, health workers, and farmers in far-out areas – giving them access to vital education, healthcare, and income. Donations help provide Buffalo Bicycles – specifically designed to withstand the rugged terrain and harsh environment of rural regions – to those who need them most. Find out more or make a donation

• London Walks
• Museums and Galleries
• Day Tours From London
• Overnight Tours
• Stonehenge Tours
• Military Tours
• Rambling Tours
• Virtual Tours of Britain
• Paris Day Tours
• Day Tours from Paris
• Overnight Tours of France
• Normandy Tours
• Airport Transfers
• Rome Day Tours
• Day Tours from Rome
• Overnight Tours of Italy
• Special Interest Tours

British Tours Ltd is Britain's longest-established and leading private tour operator founded in 1958 - the year in which The Microship was invented, The Soviet Union launched Sputnik 3, and Elvis Presley was inducted into the Army!

About British Tours

In 1958 two University graduates - one from Oxford and one from Cambridge - founded a London tour operator specialising in privately guided tours of England's two ancient University Cities, Oxford and Cambridge.

By 1969 the company had significantly expanded and were offering private tours around the whole of England, Scotland & Wales. Looking for a new name to reflect their new services they acquired British Tours Ltd, a company founded in 1931 .

Today, office in London's West End still specialises in personal and flexible touring with the best tour guides around London and Britain. We provide tours for all size groups - by car with driver-guides, by minibus and coach. We also have many Walking Tours and Rambling Tours.

In Europe, we offer private day tours from London to Paris, tours in Paris and the whole of France. We also offer private tours in and around Rome and Italy. Our tours are available in all languages.

As well as covering the most famous sights, we pride ourselves on also showing our clients authentic, less "touristy" sights with excellent local guides away from the large bus groups. Some of our special interest tours include Stonehenge at Dawn, Jane Austen, Legal London, England's Gardens, Tours for Kids, Ancestry Tours, Film & TV Locations, Museums & Galleries, Military Tours , WW2 Airbases , Overnight Castles , the Normandy D-Day Beaches by Private Plane and many more. Our Tour Planners are happy to customise any of our tours to suit your requirements, or to research an entirely new itinerary for you.

Our expert London tour guides are personable, knowledgeable men and women with interesting academic and professional backgrounds. They include a former Detective in the CID at New Scotland Yard, a senior Foreign Office Civil Servant in charge of Protocol for visiting Heads of State, an Archaeologist with many published works on Archaeology, a former Military Attache at the British Embassy in Paris, BBC reporters, a former Pilot in the RAF to name a few. See some of our illustrious former guides too!

British Tours works with hundreds of Travel Agents worldwide as well as many UK companies for sightseeing, ground handling, interpreting and corporate entertainment in the UK and is a member of the Visit London, Visit Bath, the Society of the Golden Keys and the American Society of Travel Agents.

How to Book

British Tours is situated on Regent Street in the West End of London and our offices are open 7 days a week. You are welcome to visit us for a personal consultation, or contact us toll free, by fax or email. Contact us

If you are a Travel Agent or an established Travel Writer and would like to join our affiliate program please do get in contact

Call us or email in London - we look forward to hearing from you! Contact Us

YOU MAY LIKE

Leeds castle, canterbury & dover, harry potter locations, london & oxford, jack the ripper tour, london shopping, british tours blog.

Read our blog for news and special interest touring ideas!

A truly terrific tour ... we appreciated your spirit, sense of humour, driving ability and tremendous knowledge ...we were delighted with the two days

J.W. Marriott, Jr

President and Chairman, Marriott Hotels

Why choose us?

Because you insist on the longest-established and most experienced service available in Britain. Founded in 1958, British Tours is still under the same management. About Us

Who is your Guide?

Our guides are personable educated men and women, chosen for their knowledge, special interests, backgrounds and personality. They will collect you by car from any central London location and guide you inside places of historic importance

Follow us on our journey

England tours & travel ideas

• Stonehenge & Windsor Castle Tour
• Stonehenge, Windsor Castle & Bath Tour
• The Cotswolds with a Pub Lunch
• Downton Abbey Tours
• Warner Bros. Studio Tour London - Harry Potter

Tours in London

• Hop on Hop off Bus London
• Musicals in London
• 5 Days in London
• Hotels near Warner Bros. Studio Tour
• Harry Potter London
• Where to Stay in London

Windsor Castle & Stonehenge

Tours From London

Theatre in London

Attractions in London

Southampton Cruise Terminal Transfers to and from London & Heathrow

Warner Bros. Studio Tour - Harry Potter

Where are you traveling.

Stonehenge Tours from London

The Cotswolds and its Ancient Villages

Liverpool and The Beatles from London

Paris from london by Fast Train

Get the Hottest Deals First!

United kingdom.

Regal. Charming. Scenic.

Comprised of England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales, the United Kingdom definitely has dozens of reasons worth leaving home for. Mountains, valleys, hills and dales, forests and gardens, oh and no less than 25 UNESCO World Heritage sites scattered throughout, are but a few. You will find a slew of cathedrals, castles, palaces and country houses spanning history. Centuries of inspiring the world, influencing the arts, and forming natural beauty have developed this land into one great nation.

Destination Must-See's

A world in a city is a common way to describe the metropolis of London, the capital of England. A cultural melting pot of over 230 nationalities, London is the financial, political and cultural capital of the UK. It is booming with activity and bursting with sightseeing treasures. You’ll find historic highlights from the haunting Tower of London to the ornate Buckingham Palace and more modern attractions such as the world-famous Harrods department store and the towering London Eye.

The capital city and second most populous in Scotland, Edinburgh has been recognized for its historic and cultural attractions. It is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the UK after London. Great shopping, historic architecture and great Scottish whisky are just part of its allure. Its greatest draw is Edinburgh Castle. This sprawling medieval castle and fortress sits atop Castle Rock in the city center, dominating Edinburgh’s skyline.

Giant’s Causeway:

At the foot of the basalt cliffs on the coast of Northern Ireland’s County of Antrim lies the stunning Giant’s Causeway. Travelers flock to this UNESCO World Heritage site to experience the 40,000 massive dark columns rising from the sea. The natural phenomena has sparked legends of giants and magic, but its unique geology points to volcanic activity from over 50 million years ago. The Giant’s Causeway is a beautiful sight and the experience of a lifetime.

Cornwall, a region located on a peninsula in southwest England, is comprised of many different towns and villages that feature beautiful beaches and picturesque coastlines. Bordered by the Celtic Sea and the English Channel, one of its most popular towns is St. Ives. This seaside port town just north of Penzance on the coast of the Celtic Sea is known as the art center of West Cornwall and has a sub-tropical feel and beautiful beaches.

Destination Must-Do's

England’s Lake District:

Lose yourself in the natural beauty of this mountainous region in northwest England dotted with tranquil lakes. One of the picturesque villages in the region is Grasmere, once home of and inspiration to the romantic poet William Wordsworth. Perhaps you will take a sail on one of the lakes and take in the peaceful backdrop of lush green mountains, serene shorelines and pristine calm waters dotted with tiny islands.

Stonehenge:

Walk in the footsteps of so many before you when visiting prehistoric Stonehenge. This mysterious rock formation dates back to the Stone Age and remains one of the world’s most famous sites. Standing in the middle of the most dense complex of Neolithic and Bronze Age monuments in England, Stonehenge is perhaps the most important prehistoric monument in England. The experience of seeing this timeless monument is not to be missed – it will surely be a highlight of your visit.

This large, deep freshwater loch in the Scottish Highlands extends approximately 23 miles southwest of the city of Inverness. Loch Ness is best known for the alleged sightings of the Loch Ness monster. While Loch Ness is not the largest Scottish loch by surface area, it is the largest by volume, with its deepest point at 755 feet. Along the shore, you will find the ruins of Urquhart Castle. This once mighty site rests on the headwaters of Loch Ness and dates back as far as the 13th century.

Prepare to step back in time in the English countryside. The Cotswolds are roughly 25 miles across and 90 miles long, stretching from Stratford-upon-Avon to Bath. The region is known for its small towns and villages with homes made from golden colored Cotswold stone and grass roofs that sit among lush greenery and rolling hills. Stratford-upon-Avon is perhaps its most famous town. Lying along the River Avon, it’s famed for being the birthplace of William Shakespeare, one of the world’s great playwrights. Be sure to make a trip to see the Royal Shakespeare Company and the Royal Shakespeare Theatre.

Expert Advice

Think “go to the right.” It is their natural flow of traffic even when it comes to walking. It is important to not only look both ways when crossing the street, but also when on an escalator, stand to the right. When walking down the street, stay alert and follow the flow – to the right.

Expect to be offered tea, a lot. The British love their tea and not only during afternoon tea, any time for any reason. But you should know there is a “proper” way to drink it. The rules are – sit up straight, do not blow on it, take small sips with your pinky down, and put the cup on the saucer between sips. Now you are prepared to sip away.

Bring a raincoat and umbrella, as it rains one out of three days in the UK. It does vary from region to region, but generally speaking, they are important items to have on hand at all times.

Featured Tours to United Kingdom

Shades of The English Countryside

Scotland: Land of Lore & Legend

Scotland: Land of Lore & Legend featuring the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo

Discover Scotland

Discover Scotland featuring the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo

British Landscapes featuring England, Scotland and Wales

British Landscapes featuring the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo

Coasts & Countryside’s of England with Edinburgh, Liverpool & London with Edinburgh, Liverpool & London

Brochures that Feature Our United Kingdom Tours

Find a travel agency.

Once you've found the perfect Collette tour, your local travel agent can assist you in making reservations. To find a preferred travel agent in your area, please enter your 5-digit zip code, then click Search.

Enter a Whole or Partial Zip Code

Please tell us everything, we want it all.

We really value your feedback, please be open an honest. Tell us where we can improve, how we can get better. This feedback is anonymous, but if you would like us to get in touch with you regarding an issue provide your email address as part of your feedback and we will get right back to you.

Talk to an Expert

Please fill out the form below, and a Collette Expert will contact you shortly.

• Yes, I'm a Travel Professional
• Yes, I am working with a Travel Professional
• I am traveling with 8 or more travelers

View or Download

Deals of the Week   Green Hikes & Treks   Up to 50% OFF

UK Adventure Tours & Holiday Packages

Travel on a UK adventure tour full of bucket list experiences and outdoor activities. With 71 adventure tours to England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, you're sure to find an unforgettable UK adventure holiday for you!

Filters applied

71 adventure trips in the uk / great britain with 834 reviews.

7 Day Ultimate Atlantic Adventure – Small Group Tour

I would recommend this tour without a doubt ! Our guide Sean was amazing. He recommended tons of amazing places to see and eat. This tour gives you a balance of exploring time on your own , and being part of a group and experiencing the Irish culture. I really enjoyed being able to get a feel for the countrys culture and not just doing “ touristy” things.

• €99 deposit on some dates Some departure dates offer you the chance to book this tour with a lower deposit.

• Sightseeing

Scottish Outland Adventure

Everything worked out fine!

• In-depth Cultural
• Coach / Bus

Best of Ireland and Scotland (15 Days)

Andrew was a very informative and thoughtful guide. It was a fascinating trip

• €100 deposit on some dates Some departure dates offer you the chance to book this tour with a lower deposit.

Incredible Ireland Group Tours

What a fabulous way to see Ireland! Steve selected wonderful hotels, found interesting "off the beaten path" things to see, as well as the standards (Guinnes Tour, Trinity College, etc.) Our driver, Patrick, was so accommodating. He bent over backwards to make sure we experienced his Ireland! This was a great trip and I highly recommend it!

Enchanting Emerald Isle (8 Days)

Majestic Scotland (7 Days)

Exploring the United Kingdom and Dublin

7-Day Great Atlantic Adventure Small Group Tour

Pat was an excellent and funny tour guide. Would highly recommend him as a tour guide.

A Life en Rose (16 destinations)

Good planning and personnel. Managed unforeseen events well.

8 Day Explorer Tour on Ireland's Wild Atlantic Way

James is the perfect tour guide .. though he has no power over the weather (haha) he has vast knowledge about the Atlantic coast, an area he is passionate about. He takes you on an adventure you would never experience on your own. Thank you James for a memorable journey

10 Day Wild Irish Experience - Small Group Tour

I had an unforgettable, exceptionally fun and enriching experience, thanks also to the best driver/guide possible, a certain Lee ???? !, and the loveliest, friendliest bunch of fellow travellers possible.

The Celtic Voyage - Multi-Day - Small Group Tour of Ireland

The tour was amazing, the guides were very kind and friendly. And the different sites were incredible. Thank you very much Wild N' Happy!!!

Wild South - Multi-Day - Small Group Tour of Ireland

I enjoyed this small group tour so much that I signed up for their trip to Scotland too! Well informed guide, great choices of what we saw and did.

6-Day Outer Hebrides & Skye Adventure Small-Group Tour from Edinburgh

What a wonderful experience with the most unexpected beauiful weather!! This 6 day trip, packed full of beautiful places, was so relaxing. Our tourbus was brand new and very comfortable. Our tourguide Mark knew all the good places to go and his (funny) stories, accompanied with fitting music, were fascinating. Our accomodations were all great, but places like Stornoway and Portree were very busy so getting dinner without a reservation was a challenge. We absolutely recommend traveling with Rabbie's!

6 Day Adventurer Tour

Five stars for James and Beyond the Glass. Truly an exceptional tour of Northern Ireland. James went beyond to ensure the trip was well paced and explored areas outside of the usual tourist trail. We enjoyed the special touch of a unique music play list for each day that related to our destination and also the local stories. Cycling and hiking mix was good amount for us, we are keen walkers. Best part, this was a mother and daughter (teenager) trip and we both really enjoyed the small group and active style of this trip.

UK Adventure Holiday Reviews

We had a terrific time on our tour. Our guide / driver Leah was great with excellent stories and information. (Another group following a similar itinerary was equally complimentary of their guide) The company delivers what they promise and more.

Our guide Michelle was excellent. The city sightseeing tours on the bus were a waste of time. Our local tour guide in Edinburgh was awful. Why the laughing through most of her talking? Very irritating. The Fish & Chips dinner in the local dumpy restaurant was the worst meal of the trip. Otherwise just what we expected.

What a fabulous way to see Ireland! Steve selected wonderful hotels, found interesting "off the beaten path" things to see, as well as the standards (Guinnes Tour, Trinity College, etc.) Our driver, Patrick, was so accommodating. He bent over backwards to make sure we experienced his Ireland! This was a great trip and I highly recommend it!

Travel Styles

• 10 Best Adventure Tour and Travel Companies
• 10 Best Budget Adventure Tours 2024/2025
• One week in England and Scotland (for Seniors) 2024/2025

International Versions

• Deutsch: Großbritannien Aktivreise Rundreisen
• Français: Royaume-Uni et Grande-Bretagne : Circuits aventure active 2024/2025
• Español: Aventura Activa Circuitos en Reino Unido y Gran Bretaña
• Nederlands: Actief avontuur Rondreizen in Verenigd Koninkrijk en Groot-Brittannië

• Information for...

What are you looking for?

VisitBritain/Rod Edwards

News, insights and resources for tourism and business events professionals

Welcome to visit britain industry site.

Welcome to the website for VisitBritain/VisitEngland - the national tourism agency. Here you’ll find support for industry professionals through the latest news and information, data and resources, and business development opportunities.

We’re passionate about raising Britain’s profile, increasing the volume and value of tourism exports, and developing England’s visitor economy by working with organisations of all sizes and specialities.

From expert guidance to market intelligence, read on to find out how we can work with you.

Explore our curated information for...

Everything you need to inspire your clients. Discover new products, experiences and itinerary ideas – plus useful resources and the latest market insights.

Access resources for business events to support your business development and event strategy. Discover England, Scotland and Wales' business event offering for your next conference, incentive, exhibition or event.

Build sustainable and valuable growth. Learn about England’s new destination management structure, find expert advice, and boost your proposition with our training and toolkits.

Reach new customers and increase your profitability. Drive sales with our tools, events and training, find out about quality assessment and get expert guidance from the England Business Advice Hub.

Discover our media centres, image and video library and latest press releases, plus contacts for our corporate and consumer press teams.

Studying tourism at school, college or university? We’ve gathered essential resources and data for students of tourism, plus information about our internships.

Latest news and press releases

Choosing a filter below will update the results to show content matching your chosen option.

Pete Chambers from Coventry Music Museum is VisitEngland’s 2024 Tourism Superstar

VisitEngland has today, 25 March, announced Pete Chambers from the Coventry Music Museum is the winner of its Tourism Superstar 2024 competition.

VisitBritain/Matthew Miles Video

Coventry Music Museum

11 million Brits plan a UK holiday trip for the Easter weekend, bringing a £3.2 billion economic boost

Getty Images/E+/SolStock

Week-long celebration of England’s tourism industry fast approaching

VisitEngland

Rum Warehouse at The Titanic Hotel Liverpool to host VisitEngland Awards for Excellence 2024 on 5 June

VisitEngland has today, Tuesday 5 March, announced that this year’s VisitEngland Awards for Excellence will be held at Rum Warehouse at The Titanic Hotel Liverpool on 5 June.

VisitBritain/Daniela Luquini

Download the English Tourism Week 2024 toolkit

Get involved in English Tourism Week with the new toolkit

Public voting now open to find VisitEngland’s Tourism Superstar 2024

VisitEngland’s Tourism Superstar 2024 competition has launched today, Monday 19 February, with the public urged to get involved and cast their vote.

VisitBritain explores ‘impact beyond the plenary’ at its first Association Conference in Edinburgh

VisitBritain, in partnership with MeetEngland, Meet in Wales, VisitScotland Business Events, and ABPCO (Association of British Professional Congress Organisers) explored the importance of ‘impact beyond the plenary’ at its first Association Conference at the Edinburgh International Conference Centre (EICC).

VisitBritain/Jonathan Spaull

Gift Card launched on the VisitBritain Shop

The VisitBritain Gift Card is now available to purchase on the VisitBritain Shop.

VisitBritain CEO Patricia Yates speech at 'Showcase Britain'

Speech by our CEO Patricia Yates at our flagship 'Showcase Britain' event, held at the Old Royal Naval College, Greenwich, welcoming 120 travel buyers and media from 18 countries to promote Britain's outstanding tourism offer.

VisitBritain/Kevin Moran Photography

VisitEngland announces Tourism Superstar 2024 finalists

VisitEngland has today 18 January revealed the 10 superstars to make the shortlist of its annual search to find the unsung hero of England’s tourism industry.

VisitBritain set to host more than 120 international travel trade on educational visits across Britain

National tourism agency VisitBritain is gearing up to welcome more than 120 international travel buyers for a series of educational visits across Britain, as part of its flagship ‘Showcase Britain 2024’ trade event.

VisitBritain/Hand Luggage Only

VisitBritain publishes inbound tourism forecast for 2024

VisitBritain

Leisure Trade Events 2024/25

These events offer a valuable opportunity to connect with targeted international buyers relevant to the UK industry. The event formats are tailored to each specific market, offering you the opportunity to meet and discuss business opportunities in this market for your business or region.

Save the date for English Tourism Week 2024

English Tourism Week will return on 15-24 March 2024 to celebrate the sector and highlight its significant contribution to the UK economy.

VisitBritain and British Film Commission sign Memorandum of Understanding to boost screen tourism across the UK

At FOCUS London today (6 December 2023), the British Film Commission and VisitBritain signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the intention of boosting screen tourism throughout the UK’s nations and regions.

VisitBritain to host Business Events Association Conference 2024 in Edinburgh

VisitBritain has today announced its first ever Association Conference will take place at the Edinburgh International Conference Centre on 5 to 7 February 2024.

10'000 Hours / Digital Vision / Getty Images

VisitEngland launches new accessibility toolkit for tourism businesses

VisitEngland has today 30 November launched its new Accessible and Inclusive Toolkit for Tourism Businesses in England.

VisitBritain/Peter Kindersley

Britain wins Silver for Best International Destination for business events

Britain wins Silver for Best International Destination for Meetings and Conventions at the 2023 Prevue Meetings Visionary Awards, plus a round-up of recent awards for VisitBritain

Getty Images/Flashpop

Best of destination Britain on show as VisitBritain hosts trade mission to India

British travel trade and industry suppliers are set to show why Britain is the must-go-now destination to buyers from across India as VisitBritain hosts it first trade mission to the country in more than three years.

VisitBritain/Jon Attenborough

Four new destinations gain Local Visitor Economy Partnerships

Four new destinations announced as Local Visitor Economy Partnerships (LVEPs)

VisitBritain/Sam Barker

VisitBritain gearing up to host its first trade mission to China since 2019, led by Chairman Nick de Bois CBE

Destination Britain China and North East Asia, taking place from 22 to 24 November in Shanghai, is bringing together 44 industry suppliers from across Britain with 69 top buyers from China, Hong Kong, Japan and South Korea to do business.

VisitBritain kicks off next phase of campaign in France, Germany and GCC countries to boost tourism to Britain

National tourism agency VisitBritain is kicking off the next stage of its marketing campaigns in France, Germany and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries to boost tourism access Britain's nations and regions with a focus on off-peak and shoulder season travel.

VisitBritain/Kieran Duncan

Glencoe; Highland; Scotland

Sustainability in Yorkshire

Our England Director Andrew Stokes visited Yorkshire to learn about sustainability initiatives in the region.

We are delighted to welcome William Burton and Beth Knight to the BTA Board

William Burton and Beth Knight have been appointed by the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) to the BTA Board, announced on 17 October 2023.

VisitBritain/VisitEngland

Our CEO Patricia Yates highlights our work to support industry and to rebuild visitor value during UKinbound conference in Belfast

Our CEO Patricia Yates highlights VisitBritain's work at UKinbound conference

UK and Ireland to host UEFA Euro 2028 - Patricia's statement

CEO Patricia Yates' statement on the UEFA Euros Football Championship 2028 announcement.

Winners of VisitEngland’s Visitor Attraction Accolades announced

Winners of VisitEngland’s Visitor Attraction Accolades 2022-23 announced

World Tourism Day 2023 – Statement from our CEO Patricia Yates

Rachel Adams / The Times / News Licensing

VisitBritain expands its 'Future of Events' educational series with launch of its Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Pathway, in partnership with New Intent

VisitBritain has partnered with pro-social organisation New Intent to create and launch its diversity, equity and inclusion DEI Pathway, supporting the understanding and deeper implementation of DEI across workplaces and in event design.

Destination Britain North America is a wrap!

It’s a wrap for our international trade mission Destination Britain North America (DBNA), a great few days of business!

VisitBritain puts importance of business events sector in spotlight, hosting its first ‘Ambassador Reception’

VisitBritain has been putting the importance of the business events sector in the spotlight, hosting its first ‘Ambassador Reception’ to recognise city sector and academic ambassadors who continue to secure new international business events in Britain.

Latest official domestic tourism statistics published for Jan-March 2023 - Great Britain Tourism Survey

The Great Britain Tourism Survey (GBTS) results for Q1 2023 are now available.

VisitBritain/JJF arquitectos

Empowerment through Experience: My Journey as a Boardroom Apprentice with VisitBritain - Rodrigo Voss

Our VisitBritain Boardroom Apprentice 2023, Rodrigo Voss, shares his experience with the programme so far.

Applications open for UK Boardroom Apprentice 2024

We are delighted to return as a Host Board for UK Boardroom Apprentice 2024.

VisitEngland announces winners of 2023 ROSE Award

VisitEngland has today Tuesday 5 September announced the 100 winners of this year’s ROSE Award.

VisitBritain/TAG

We are delighted to welcome Lady Victoria Borwick as the new Chair of the VisitEngland Advisory Board (VEAB)

Lady Borwick has been appointed by the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) as permanent Chair of the VEAB.

Best of Britain on show to buyers across North America as VisitBritain Chairman Nick de Bois CBE leads flagship trade event to San Francisco

About 70 industry suppliers are set to show why Britain is the must-go-now destination to more than 50 top buyers from North America at VisitBritain’s Destination Britain North America trade event, led by VisitBritain Chairman Nick de Bois CBE.

A record 9.7 million Brits planning a holiday at home this August Bank Holiday, bringing a £2.7 billion economic boost

VisitEngland’s August Bank Holiday Trip Tracker survey shows that 9.7 million Brits are definitely planning an overnight holiday trip in the UK this Bank Holiday weekend, bringing an estimated £2.7 billion boost to the economy.

VisitBritain/Jess Barfield

VisitBritain wins India Travel Award 2023

VisitBritain wins India Travel Award 2023.

Seven new LVEPs announced

VisitEngland has today announced seven new destinations that have gained Local Visitor Economy Partnership (LVEP) status.

VisitBritain/Aurélie Four

Showcasing tourism in parliament

In July 2023, we highlighted our international marketing campaigns to MPs and peers at an event sponsored by Tourism Minister, Sir John Whittingdale.

VisitBritain/VisitEngland announces it is opening a new hub office in Birmingham, from April 2024

“Basing our hub office in Birmingham also brings us closer to our regional stakeholders across England”, said VisitBritain/VisitEngland CEO Patricia Yates.

West Midlands Growth Company

VisitBritain upgrades 2023 inbound tourism forecast on back of stronger recovery, driven by USA

We’ve upgraded our 2023 inbound tourism forecast, read more about it here.

VisitBritain/Adam Jason

VisitEngland survey shows visits overall to attractions in 2022 still down more than a third on 2019

VisitBritain/Getty Images/Roy James Shakespeare

VisitBritain kicks off football tourism campaign for FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023

VisitBritain harnesses the opportunity to promote Britain as the home of football, during the FIFA Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand 2023.

VisitBritain/VisitEngland attend The Meetings Show

The VisitBritain Business Events team attended The Meetings Show in June 2023, joining domestic and international event buyers at the UK’s largest business-to-business trade gathering.

VisitBritain partners with The National Lottery in campaign to boost domestic tourism

VisitBritain and The National Lottery have teamed up to launch a new promotion to encourage Brits to visit an attraction this summer, offering £25 toward trips to hundreds of top attractions across the UK.

VisitBritain/Thames Rockets

VisitEngland Director Andrew Stokes receives OBE for services to tourism

VisitEngland extends its congratulations to VisitEngland Director Andrew Stokes, following today’s announcement that he has been honoured with an OBE for services to tourism in The King’s Birthday Honours List.

VisitEngland reveals Awards for Excellence 2023 winners

VisitEngland has announced the winners of its annual Awards for Excellence 2023, celebrating the tourism industry’s brightest stars.

The UK’s new Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) scheme is now open

The UK’s new electronic travel authorisation scheme launches for Qatari nationals.

Explore ways to work with us

Brazil roadshow 2024.

Brazil Roadshow 2024 offers an invaluable opportunity for trade-ready businesses to meet face-to-face hand-picked buyers and agents from this market. With the guidance of our in-market experts you will get a facilitated environment to create and enhance business relationships and learn all about the market demand.

Australia Roadshow 2024

Australia Roadshow 2024 offers UK international trade-ready businesses the unique opportunity to meet hand-picked buyers from this market, provide agents training and join numerous networking sessions. This event enables delegates to strengthen their existing relationships, learn about the market directly from our in-market team and trade, and gain valuable direct contacts to unlock new opportunities.

European Sales Mission 2024

Promote your destination during a 3-day sales mission to Dusseldorf, Frankfurt and Munich, including 3 networking events with German based business event agencies and corporates responsible for booking international events in Europe.

In July 2024, the MeetEngland team will host a trade mission to Germany to engage with meeting, incentive, conference, and event organisers from the corporate market.

International Markets Updates Webinars

Get the latest inbound data and insights from our research teams. Learn about trends and product demand from our in-market specialists.

Shutterstock / Foxy burrow

IBTM World 2024

Promote your destination and partners at IBTM World, a leading trade show for the meetings, incentive, conferences and events sector.

Our proposed 2024/25 trade events programme

We are currently gathering expressions of interest for our proposed leisure trade events programme.

USA Co-operative Partnership Marketing Campaign 2024

An opportunity to be part of our 2024 multi-million pound international campaign.

VisitEngland Webinar - Cut energy, save money and

Prepare for winter, save on energy, and embrace a low carbon future with VisitEngland's webinar for the tourism and hospitality sector. Learn from energy experts about cost-effective solutions to lower your bills and reduce emissions.

Getty Images/Image Source

Register for commercial partnership opportunities with us

Partner with us to reach international consumers and trade.

VisitBritain/John Finney

Information for destination partners

Getty Images/Solstock

Step up your sustainability

Save money, reduce your environmental impact, support your local community and win more customers with our sustainability guide and inspirational case studies.

VisitBritain/The Green House Hotel, Bournemouth, Grounded Enterprises

Make your business inclusive

Make your business accessible to all and widen your market and tap into a £15 billion plus market.

VisitEngland Awards for Excellence

The VisitEngland Awards for Excellence recognise the best of England's tourism industry.

VisitBritain/DanielaLuquini

Get quality assessed

Elevate your business, attract new customers and enjoy exclusive benefits with our star ratings, accreditations or awards.

Resources for the travel trade

Use our tools and resources to find destination knowledge, new products, images and more.

National Geographic

Looking to actively reach the Australian travel trade? The Australia Roadshow is the perfect opportunity to gain exposure in this market.

Destination Britain India 2023

Looking to actively reach the Indian travel trade? Destination Britain India is the perfect opportunity to gain exposure in this market.

Showcase Britain 2024

Showcase Britain 2024 is VisitBritain’s international B2B hosted buyer programme. The programme brings a fantastic chance for UK suppliers to connect with a target of 120 hosted international leisure travel buyers.

VisitBritain/Rama Knight

Destination Britain China 2023

Looking to actively reach the Chinese and Hong Kong travel trade? Destination Britain China is the perfect opportunity to gain exposure in this market.

World Travel Market 2023

Looking to engage with VisitBritain to discover latest activities and opportunities? Come and meet with us and UKinbound exhibitors.

London, Excel

In November 2024, the MeetEngland team will be on stand at this leading events trade show in Barcelona, taking part in scheduled appointments and networking opportunities with global event planners and associations.

IMEX America 2024

The MeetEngland team will be joined by English stand partners on the official MeetEngland stand, taking part in scheduled appointments and networking opportunities with global event planners and associations at this leading business events trade show in Las Vegas.

Meet us at Destinations Exchange Europe 2024 by ETOA

The exhibition format of Destinations Exchange Europe will allow buyers to recognise and meet the various supplier categories in well-defined sections organised geographically. With extended networking opportunities outside of the B2B meetings, attendees will get the chance to continue their conversations in a more relaxed ambiance. The event will gather over 300 representatives from the European and global tourism industry, an exceptional opportunity to meet, learn, and thrive.

National Trust/James Osmond

IMEX Frankfurt 2024

In May 2024, the MeetEngland team will be attending leading business events trade show, IMEX Frankfurt on the official MeetEngland stand, taking part in scheduled appointments and networking opportunities with global event planners and associations. 

International markets updates - webinar programme

Visitengland webinar - cut energy, save money and reduce carbon emissions.

Save money on energy this winter and ready your business for a low carbon future

VisitBritain/Getty Images

VisitBritain Shop

Expand the distribution and sales of your tourism product, or earn commission via the affiliate scheme and travel trade discounts on over 500 British experiences available to book online.

Red Bike Tours

VisitEngland Academy - business support webinars

Discover industry insights, useful advice in our live webinars, recordings and FAQs.

Getty Images/10'000 Hours

Be part of our international campaigns and activity

Grow the profile of your business – for free – by sharing your consumer and trade news.

Louise Morris/ All Points East

TXGB is a digital platform that brings together tourism businesses to drive sales and boost productivity by connecting the market in a new and unique way.

Resources for business events partners

Find advice, training and support for Britain business event stakeholders and partners.

Shutterstock / Nattapoom V

Image Edinburgh

English Tourism Week

Join our high-profile campaign to celebrate England’s vibrant visitor economy.

VisitBritain/Eureka!

VisitEngland’s Tourism Superstar award

VisitEngland’s annual Tourism Superstar award celebrates the dedication and passion of our industry’s employees and volunteers.

VisitEngland/Matthew Miles Video

Resources for event planners

Find out what Britain can offer your international business event across each nation.

Blenheim Palace

Taking England to the World – trade education programme

Designed for tourism businesses in England, our free training equips you with the skills and knowledge to reach new international customers.

VisitBritain/Mark Gilligan

Looking to actively reach the Brazilian travel trade? The Brazil Roadshow 2024 is the perfect opportunity to gain exposure in this market.

Business Events Association Conference 2024

Bringing together association meeting planners, professional conference organisers and decision-makers from nations and city convention bureaus.

EICC, Edinburgh

Nordics Workshop 2024

Looking to engage with Nordic trade? This workshop will be a high-impact opportunity to showcase your product, get exposure and develop your business relationships with buyers from Norway, Sweden and Denmark.

Spain Roadshow 2023 - in cooperation with Tourism Ireland

Spain Roadshow 2023 – in cooperation with Tourism Ireland.

Business Events Growth Programme

Grants to support bid for new events, grow existing events, secure Government advocacy in key priority sectors.

Bookingline Ltd

Promote your destination and partners at IMEX America, one of the leading trade shows or the meetings, incentive programs, conferences and the events sector.

Promote your destination and partners at IMEX Frankfurt, one of the leading trade shows or the meetings, incentive programs, conferences and the events sector.

News and media

Read the latest press releases, updates and announcements – covering both destination and corporate news.

Tim Grist Photography / Moment Open / Getty Images

England Business Advice Hub

Essential information, advice and resources for tourism businesses in England – plus useful contacts, training and guidance on your legal obligations.

Taking England to the World - inbound tourism toolkit

Free resources to help your business reach new international customers.

Destination Britain North America 2023

Looking to actively reach the North American travel trade? Destination Britain North America 2023 is the perfect opportunity to gain exposure in the USA and Canada.

Research and insights

Getty Images

Find the latest consumer and industry data and insights on domestic and inbound tourism in the UK, Britain and England. Learn about key previous trends, and explore those that are set to influence the industry in years to come.

The latest news, straight to your inbox

Register for newsletters compiled by our specialist teams – for UK businesses, the international travel trade and media professionals. Packed with news, resources, events and market intelligence.

10 Best England Tour Operators 2023 [Unbiased & With Reviews]

10 best england tour operators 2023.

Are you planning to visit England, but unsure which tour provider to select? Now, you no longer have to waste time searching the internet and filling out dozens of contact forms. Simply fill out ONE form, we’ll send it off to multiple tour providers and they’ll contact YOU! You’ll be able to compare rates and find the lowest cost tour for the most affordable trip abroad.

Are you planning on taking a vacation in England? Do you know how to find the best England tour? Would you like to know the highest rated and most professional England tour operator to plan your journey?

England is enchanting and fascinating, offering various natural marvels, lush National Parks, and countryside scenic landscapes. With over 600 miles of coastline, the country is divided into nine regions, with unique cultures, history, traditions, and personalities. As one of the most popular vacation destinations globally, England offers hundreds of historical sites, medieval castles, and prehistoric megaliths. Besides, the country is easy to get around since it has well connected automated transport infrastructure.

While vacationing in England is an extraordinary experience, it often gets problematic when you start looking for a reliable agency to design an all-inclusive vacation for you. When you search online for tour operators in England, thousands of results will show on your screen from different tour providers, all claiming to have the best offers. Many, however, cannot be trusted. So how do you know which one to select? Picking the wrong tour company in England could have terrible results.

But TravellersQuest is here to help. We would hate for you to choose the wrong tour operator in England and possibly ruin your vacation experience. To save you time and money, we spent thousands of hours finding and analyzing and found the most affordable and best tour companies England.

In this article, you’ll find an unbiased selection of the 10 best tour companies for England.

Keep reading to see the best travel packages with 10 of the most highly-rated tour companies England.

Table update Oct 22, 2021

Silent Disco Walking Tours

Company’s location and type: London, Local Tour Operator Awards, Certification: Ranked #1 Trip Advisor Certificate of Excellence 2020 Reviews: 682 Reviews on Trip Advisor 99% rated great and exceptional

About Company

Silent Disco Walking Tours is on our top list as a highly rated and trusted best tour company in England. Based in London, the company specialized in customized, bespoke, and themed music tours on special silent disco headsets. Founded by music fanatics, Silent Disco Walking Tours is internationally recognized for its funky dancing tours, experienced tour guides, and outstanding disco experiences.

Silent Disco Walking Tours primarily focuses on providing immersive and fun tours, and they have various England tour packages you can get involved in and enjoy.

Take the fully customized Private Party Booking and select your music and recorded messages to be played throughout the tour and shared with your loved ones who cannot attend. Take on an experience with Silent Disco Drag Brunch for a three-hour music medley, then hop off the tube into an unforgettable brunch experience fully dressed up. Experience the Magic of London’s Theatreland in the West End while singing and dancing to the best tunes having lots of fun.

Silent Disco Walking Tours is one of the most highly rated tour companies in England. With nearly 700 positive reviews on Trip Advisor , music enthusiasts have praised its customer service and unique fun experiences. Besides, the company is ranked #1 out of 1,596 tours in London with a 5-star rating. You can read a lovely review below.

“Fabulous funny afternoon singing & dancing around soho. Hannah Mantana & the staff were excellent. We all thoroughly enjoyed it.” – KJS: Aug 2021

Look Up London Tours

Company’s location and type: London, Local Tour Operator Awards, Certification: Ranked #4 Trip Advisor Travelers Choice 2021 Reviews: 745 Reviews on Trip Advisor

Founded in 2016 by Katie, a blogger and art graduate, Look Up London Tours is an award-winning England tour operator specializing in walking tours around London. With a team of professional guides, the company is passionate about unearthing the city’s layers of incredible monuments and history while enjoying safe and fun excursions. Based in London, Look Up London Tours’ core values, and objectives are to be passionate, authentic, and professional with every tourist.

Look Up London has exciting England vacation tour packages that can be personalized or customized to fit your needs.

No trip is complete in London without the Museum and Gallery Tours . On this tour, you will visit multiple museums, including the British Museum, National Gallery, and Tate Modern. The Look Up London Walks is designed with local Londoners in mind to help you discover every part of the city and seeing fantastic details, including historical sites. Join in on the Private London Tour for stunning sights and learn all about their attractive and grand history with a small group.

Look Up London is one of the best tour companies in England with many raving and glowing reviews. The feedback shows that the client satisfaction rate is outstanding. Of the total of 756 reviews made on Trip Advisor , 99% of the customers rated the operator as outstanding and excellent. See the positive review below:

“Quirky Bloomsbury walking tour with Katie was exactly what it said on the label! How can I, as a nearly local, go by this area so many times and not “see” what Katie pointed out to us! Insightful and so well presented. Thanks, Katie.” – Hilary P: Aug 2021

BrakeAway Bike Tours

Company’s location and type: London, Local Tour Operator Awards, Certification: Ranked #2 Trip Advisor Certificate of Excellence 2013-2020 Reviews: 2,917 Reviews on Trip Advisor

BrakeAway Bike Tours is a London-based leading and one of the top tour companies in England. The company was founded by a professional team of young local guides passionate about biking and sharing the city’s hidden gems. As a fully licensed and registered tour agency with the England Tourism Board, BrakeAway Bike Tours offers top-notch biking tours. In addition, they received the Certificate of Excellence Award by TripAdvisor for more than five years in a row.

BrakeAway Bike Tours offers safe and highly rated new England bicycle tour options to choose from that will leave you with fulfilling memories.

If you want to hear quirky tales of London, join the Grand London Tour , designed to show you all the City’s great monuments and hidden nooks just like a local. London is a safe city for riding. The Private Family Bike Tours accommodate families with young children as it is designed with accessible routes to follow along with the parks and cobbled streets. If you are going to London as a group, the Private Group Bike Tour offers the ideal opportunity to ride around the city with a professional guide whilst stopping to learn about the stunning sights.

BrakeAway Bike Tours is one of the top tour companies in England with an excellent track record of delivering safe and highly rated bike tours in England. The company has a five-star rating on Trip Advisor with nearly 3,000 reviews and ranked #2 out of 446 outdoor companies. You can read a positive review below:

“Wonderful day on a tour of London, enjoyed learning and our guide was v keen to educate with humour.” – Martina: Aug 2021

Strawberry Tours

Company’s location and type: London, Local Tour Operator Awards, Certification: Ranked #2 Trip Advisor Certificate of Excellence 2015-2019 Reviews: 22,638 Reviews on Trip Advisor

Strawberry Tours is a highly rated and multiple award-winning tour company in England based in London. The company is passionate about quality tourism, integrity, and outstanding customer service. With years of experience, they have curated carefully designed tours covering the most exciting areas of the city, to give you the best possible understanding as well as the entertainment. Strawberry Tour is on our top list with over 22,000 reviews and over seven awards for excellence from Trip advisor.

Strawberry Tours offers many different new England tour packages for all types of travelers. They will design a tour that fits your needs and budget.

Private Walking Tours are the best option if you are touring as a family or a group.  Discover the Royal family by taking the Free London Landmarks Tour , which allows you to learn about Henry the VIII or Guy Fawkes while exploring the Palaces, including the Buckingham Palace. Join the Free James Bond & The History of Espionage , the world’s most famous spy, while discovering the Westminster for the iconic locations of the James Bond films.

Strawberry Tours has garnered over 22,000 excellent and raving positive reviews on Trip Advisor from both international and local tourists who took their England tour for their excellent customer service. In addition, over 98% of past tourists have attested to the company’s professionalism and affordable packages.  Read this positive review below:

“Tour guide Mark very enthusiastic and easy to listen to. Made the walk interesting by giving an insight into life in the East End.” – Sharon Parsons: Aug 2021

Free Tours By Foot

Company’s location and type: London, Local Tour Operator Awards, Certification: Ranked #2 Trip Advisor Reviews: 4,791 Reviews on Trip Advisor

Founded over 15 years ago, Free Tours by Foot is a leading, fully accredited, and government-licensed tour operator new England. The company is proud of its well-trained, highly experienced, and passionate guides committed to delivering the best escapades in a hassle-free manner. For your convenience, the trips cover neighborhoods such as Westminster, London, and Greenwich. Free Tours by Foot does not require an upfront cost. You will decide the worth of your tour upon completion.

Free Tours by Foot specializes in offering the best tours packages, and you can join in on any fun new England tour.              

If you’re looking for a fun and exciting boat cruise, Hop-On-Hop-Off Thames River Cruises . This tour allows you the freedom to explore at your own pace. Whether you are a group of friends, a family, or a couple, the Private London Tours are customized depending on your requirements or budget. The East London Food Tours are very popular because the district is home to several immigrants, so there is a wide variety of cuisines and drinks that you can sample.

As one of our top tour companies in England, Free Tours by Foot is an excellent choice for fun, safe and affordable walking tours. The company has earned the rank of #2 of 420 food tours in London with a 5-star rating and 4,700 raving reviews on Trip Advisor . You can read this review left by a traveler recently:

“A very enjoyable and informative way to spend a couple of hours getting fit and learning stuff. Canice is extremely knowledgeable and delivers the information in a very entertaining way.” – Simon P: Aug 2021

Go Cotswolds

Company’s location and type: Cotswold, Local Tour Operator Year of establishment: 2014 Awards, Certification: Ranked #2 Trip Advisor Reviews: 843 Reviews on Trip Advisor 99% rated great and exceptional

Founded by Tom and Lisa Benjamin, Go Cotswolds is an independent, award-winning family-run business delivering fun and safe tours in North Cotswolds. Since its inception in 2014, this tour company in England focuses on guided tours that ensure that tourists have time for self-exploration between each location for a memorable and life-changing trip. Join Go Cotswolds Tours for adventurous day tours in the Cotswolds countryside and villages with one of the best new England tour companies.

Go Cotswolds offers many attractive new England tour packages to choose from.

On the company’s award-winning Cotswolds in a Day Tour , you’ll visit popular and gorgeous Cotswold villages for incredible scenery and hidden gems such as Dover Hill and Bibury.  The Private Tours of the Cotswolds are enjoyable and an affordable way for small groups to explore the Cotswolds and beyond. If you are looking for walking opportunities in the countryside, you can sign up for the Cotswolds Trails and Villages Tour to see amazing scenic landscapes and explore the picturesque rivers and stone bridges.

Go Cotswolds is ranked #2 out of 29 tours in Stratford-upon-Avon for its unique packages and excellent customer service. With over 843 reviews on Trip Advisor , the company is also rated with a 5-star ranking. When you book a New England tour with them, be confident that they will execute it competently. See what past tourists had to say:

“We managed to visit the beautiful parts of the Cotswold, and Tom was very kind and helpful. The minibus was very clean. We truly enjoyed this lovely trip! Thank you so much 😊 .” – Uyeng Ng: Aug 2021

Cambridge Tour Guides

Company’s location and type: Cambridge, Local Tour Operator Year of establishment: 2011 Awards, Certification: Ranked #2 Trip Advisor Certificate of Excellence 2020 Reviews: 801 Reviews on Trip Advisor 99% rated great and exceptional

Cambridge Tour Guides is an award-winning and one of the best tour companies England operated by Chris Skilton and Tony Rodgers. Established in 2011, the company is a registered Cambridge Green Badge Guides, passionate about curating fun and informative new England tour itinerary. All the Green Badge Guides have intensive training and are accredited to take tourists inside the Cambridge colleges. Besides, Cambridge Tour Guides are multilingual and can deliver tours in many languages, including Spanish, German, French, and Italian.

Cambridge Tour Guides has a long list of unique new England tour packages that are fun and enjoyable to join.

Cambridge is a city with many medieval buildings, it is no surprise to the many ghost stories floating around. On the Cambridge Ghost Tour , the guides will show you places where unexplained and mysterious occurrences are known to have taken place. The Cambridge Places and People Tour includes famous colleges, such as King’s, Trinity, the Old Cavendish Laboratory, and Eagle Pub. No one believes in ghosts.  However,  A Shared Ghost Tour will make you change your mind with medieval artwork and mysterious occurrences.

This tour operator’s New England reviews show that Cambridge Tour Guides’ client satisfaction rate is outstanding and excellent. With nearly 801 reviews made on Trip Advisor , 99% of the company’s past guests rated the operator as very good and exceptional. See the positive review below:

“Tony gave us an excellent tour and was happy to answer any questions. He is very knowledgeable. Would highly recommend.” – Bennett S: Aug 29

The London Bicycle Tour Company

Company’s location and type: London, Local Tour Operator Year of establishment: 1991 Awards, Certification: Ranked #6 Trip Advisor Certificate of Excellence 2020 Reviews: 2,347 Reviews on Trip Advisor 99% rated great and exceptional

The London Bicycle Tour Company is the original bike tour England established in 1991. With over 20 years of experience, the company’s tours are safe and suitable for all travelers, including families, couples, and individuals. They specialize in London’s historically rich quarter bike tours, night tours, and day trips in multiple languages, including English, German, and Spanish. For the best experience in England, book a vacation with the London Bicycle Tour Company and find all the hidden gems while learning centuries of history.

With years of experience, the London Bicycle Tour Company offers multiple New England biking tours that are fun and diverse.

The Classic Gold Tour is the company’s premium ride to central London through to Buckingham Palace in the morning to see the Changing of the Guard. After a busy day, wind down with a Private Sunset Tour , perfect for London newcomers and the ultimate sightseeing experience. You can also join the London City Walking Tour covering iconic and historical sites such as Gherkin and the Tower Bridge.

London Bicycle Tour Company is ranked #7 of 446 tour companies in England and with 2,348 amazing reviews on Trip Advisor . This award-winning company has also been given a 5-star rating for its exemplary service.

“Jordi gave my family a 4-hour extensive bike tour of London. He even did it all in French. Very entertaining. We highly recommend The London Bicycle Tour Company.” – Muriel: Aug 2021

Cambridge Alumni Tours

Company’s location and type: Cambridge, Local Tour Operator Awards, Certification: Ranked #5 Trip Advisor Reviews: 1,463 Reviews on Trip Advisor

Cambridge Alumni Tours is a student-guided independent England tour company based in King’s Parade and Oxford. The company offers private or shared walking tours around the Cambridge University Colleges suitable for prospective students, school groups, corporate groups, and tourists. The trips are conducted by Cambridge alumnus, local professional guides, or current students who will help you explore the authentic insights of the student community at the University of Cambridge.

By joining Cambridge Alumni Tours, you will experience the best England vacation tour packages that are affordable and fun.

If you are a group of prospective students, join in the Bespoke Group Tours to Oxbridge for application workshops and inspirational talks. The exclusive Private Cambridge Punting Tour is perfect for family, prospective students, or even hen parties. On this tour, you will cruise the eight most famous colleges and the nine iconic bridges. This Private Walking Tour of Oxford is great for prospective students looking to understand the application process and with questions about student life.

Cambridge Alumni Tours has many outstanding great reviews from past tourists because of their unique England tour.  The company is ranked #5 of 38 outdoor activities in Cambridge, with almost 1,500 positive Trip Advisor feedback. Below read what a past tourist had to say about the services of this tour company in England:

Very good. Well organized. The guide (joseph) was nice and responded to any questions. Highly recommended. Best way to spend your day at Cambridge. – Rania Z: Aug 2021

The English Bus

Company’s location and type: Cambridge, Local Tour Operator Awards, Certification: Ranked #13 Trip Advisor Certificate of Excellence 2019 Reviews: 2,678 Reviews on Trip Advisor

The English Bus is a highly rated and professional small family-run business based in London specializing in transportation services on the off-beaten track following scenic routes that the big buses can’s access. With years of experience, this award-winning and one of the top tour companies in England has raving reviews as a travel expert with unique adventures.  The company’s tour guides are incredibly passionate, articulate, and knowledgeable, with expertise to craft excellent tailor-made excursions.  

In England, The English Bus offers a healthy mix of tours of New England.

The Oxford Tour takes you to the home of the world’s most famous university dating back over 900 years. If you want to see the quintessential English countryside, join the Cotswold Tour and enjoy stone cottages and the babbling brooks with green landscapes. Make learning exciting by enrolling in a School Group Tour with a professional guide who will also be your motivational speaker.

The English Bus offers professionally guided private and group tours around England. For this, they have been highly rated by past clients for excellent customer service and outstanding tour packages. On Trip Advisor , this tour operator New England, is ranked #13 out of 1,597 tours in London with nearly 2,678 reviews. Read this a lovely review by a former tourist:

“Andrew is a very engaging, entertaining, and knowledgeable tour guide. There was never a dull moment while on the tour. He even gave us great tips and advice on where to go and what to do on our UK holiday! We even had a treat on the bus!” – Ellenbmd: Mar 2020

This article has clearly analyzed the top 10 tour operators in England. If you are planning on taking a trip to England, then you should think about using this exemplary and contact the companies that you feel best like will suit all your interest and budget.

We would love to hear about your tour to England, or if you have already been to England with one of these tour providers, please get in touch and tell us about your experience!

Honorable Mentions

• Liquid History Tours , Trip Advisor – 2775 Reviews
• London Walks , Trip Advisor – 2490 Reviews
• Shoreditch Street Art Tours , Trip Advisor – 2129 reviews
•   Tigers Thames , Trip Advisor – 425 Reviews
• Tour for Muggles , Trip advisor – 3700 Reviews
• Fun London Tours , Trip Advisor – 2129 reviews
• Brit Movie Tours , Trip Advisor – 1575 Reviews
• Evan Evans Tours , Trip Advisor – 9078 reviews
• Premium Tours – London Tours , Trip Advisor – 6456 Reviews
• Expat Explore Travel , Trip Advisor – 315 Reviews

Related Links

• 10 Best Germany Tour Operators
• 10 Best Italy Tour Operators
• 10 Best Russia Tour Operators
• 10 Best Ukraine Tour Operators
• 10 Best Poland Tour Operators
• 10 Best Romania Tour Operators
• 10 Best Netherlands Tour Operators
• 10 Best Belgium Tour Operators
• 10 Best Greece Tour Operators
• 10 Best Czech Republic Tour Operators
• 10 Best Portugal Tour Operators
• 10 Best Sweden Tour Operators
• 10 Best Finland Tour Operators
• 10 Best Denmark Tour Operators
• 10 Best Austria Tour Operators
• 10 Best Hungary Tour Operators
• 10 Best Norway Tour Operators
• 10 Best Ireland Tour Operators
• 10 Best Croatia Tour Operators
• 10 Best Iceland Tour Operators
• 10 Best Montenegro Tour Operators
• 10 Best Azerbaijan Tour Operators
• 10 Best England Tour Operators
• 10 Best France Tour Operators

Your holiday, your way

Our range of holidays includes honeymoons, family breaks and solo travel, as well as specialist trips focused on wellness, wildlife-watching, sports, relaxing and lots more.

Book Now for Summer 2024

It's the right time to get the best deals for this year's getaways.

• Balearic Islands
• • Ibiza Holidays

Invisa La Cala Hotel

Includes a saving of £40

£724 pp

• • Majorca Holidays

Tent Palmanova

includes a saving of £145

£649 pp

• Canary Islands
• • Fuerteventura

Hesperia Bristol Playa

Includes a saving of £120

£499 pp

• • Rhodes Holidays

Belair Beach Resort

£699 pp

• • Marmaris Holidays

Grand Ideal Premium Hotel

Includes a saving of £79

£669 pp

• • Lanzarote

Barcelo Lanzarote Active Resort

£599 pp

• • Alanya Holidays

Eftalia Ocean Resort & Spa

£589 pp

• • Tenerife

INCLUDES A SAVING OF £120

£679 pp

• • Benidorm Holidays

Sol Pelicanos Ocas Hotel

Our Latest Deals and Offers

• See The Deals

Book with confidence

We're with you every step of the way

Interest Free Monthly Payments Available

Travel with confidence

Always ATOL Protected

UK's largest selection of worldwide holidays

4.9/5 Customer Rating

Which? recommended

Peace of Mind Guarantee

All Abroad for All-Inclusive

Go all-in at these fabulous resorts and hotels

• • Spain

Hotel Coral Beach by Llum

Includes a saving of £365 + Free child places available

£569 pp

• • Zante Holidays

Zante Plaza Hotel & Apartments

Includes a saving of £540

BlueBay Lanzarote

£60PP DEPOSIT

£654 pp

• • Cape Verde

Riu Touareg

Includes a saving of £710

£869 pp

Sol Palmanova

Includes a saving of £80 + Free child places available

£659 pp

We're Hiring!

Opportunities for travel consultants with a year's experience and much more

• See all our jobs and opportunities

Discover hand-picked exclusive adventures

The Best of Touring Winter 2023, bursting with unbelievable tours to inspire - from the wilds of Africa and Alaska to the concrete jungles of Tokyo and Sydney, and the historical hubs of Asia and Europe.

• Find your Nearest Branch
• Open our stunning latest edition

COME AND VISIT US

With over 470 branches and  3000 travel advisors, we'd love to see you in person to help you get the best deals.

• CALL 0800 408 4048
• FIND YOUR NEAREST BRANCH

Change location

• Call us tomorrow from 10am 01993 838 925 01993 838 450 or
• REQUEST A QUOTE

Tailor-made holidays and safaris, crafted by experts

Where to go in 2024

Here are ten destinations that are calling out to us, from the wild spaces and intimate camps of Botswana, to the art cities and Roman ruins of Italy.

Arrange a video appointment

Our specialists can help bring your trip to life, sharing maps, images and first-hand experience.

Our accreditations

We’re honoured to have been awarded Harper’s Bazaar's Reader Accreditation as well as being recognised by Which? as a Recommended Provider.

Inspire your travels

Browse our latest inspiration pages to start planning your next adventure. We arrange trips to more than 80 destinations throughout the world and across each continent.

Rediscover South Africa

Southeast Asia

Escape to Tasmania

South Africa

Suggested tours

The tours featured throughout our website are intended to give you ideas for what's possible when you travel with us. Treat them simply as inspiration, because your trip will be created individually by one of our specialists to match your tastes and budget.

Ultimate luxury tour of Australia

20 days from £29,275pp

Luxury New Zealand self-drive tour

17 days from £27,120pp

Into Canada's Northwest Passage

20 days from £21,535pp

Deluxe grand tour of Japan

23 days from £20,850pp

Ultimate Alaska wildlife safari

13 days from £19,455pp

Antarctica, South Georgia & the Falklands

24 days from £16,170pp

Luxury Botswana safari

12 days from £16,070pp

Antarctic Peninsula fly & cruise

14 days from £15,995pp

Eco-friendly South Island itinerary

20 days from £15,955pp

Holiday ideas to match your interests

Whether you want to stay in simple or luxurious accommodation, have a particular passion for wildlife, art or experiencing the great outdoors, or you're planning a trip for a special occasion, we can create an itinerary to match your interests and tastes.

Safari holidays

Family holidays

Beach holidays

Honeymoon ideas

Luxury holidays

Self-drive holidays

Rail holidays

Cultural holidays

Off-the-beaten-track holidays

Wildlife holidays

Outdoor activity holidays

What our clients say about us.

TrustScore 4.8 | 3612 of reviews

A supper service - again

We used Audley for a rearranged 20th wedding anniversary trip. Arrangements were made last year for...

Singapore, Malaysia and Bali trip

We have just returned from the holiday of a lifetime planned to perfection by Mat Hall, one of...

Vietnam newlywed gift upgrade 2024

I had the most incredible experience booking a special wedding gift for my sister and new brother...

Magical holiday in Rajasthan organised…

Magical holiday in Rajasthan organised by Chris Moore from Audley. Tailored perfectly to our...

Audley Great in Exotic Locations

We just got back from a trip to India and Bhutan. This is our 2nd trip with Audley and we would...

Cape Town, Garden route and Safari

Booked a Cape Town, Garden route and safari holiday with Audley Travel Started by finding out what...

My trip was exactly what I requested with a few extras thrown in thanks to Audley’s expert country...

South Africa boutique style

We decided to book a trip to South Africa but didn’t know where to start. After engaging with a...

Trip of a lifetime

This being the first time I have used Audley travel, I was really impressed by the attention to...

South Africa March 2024

Our first experience with Audley travel, from a short conversation on what our travel likes and...

A wonderful holiday with Audley Travel

From our first contact with Audley Travel to our return home, every aspect of our holiday was...

Superb in every way

We used Audley for our trip to New Zealand and Malaysia and we are so pleased with our decision....

An excellent travel company to trust with your holiday plans

Keshia, at Audley, created a truly memorable holiday for us to New Zealand. The whole experience...

Laura Coughlin at Audley Travel is…

Laura Coughlin at Audley Travel is absolutely the best! If you have a desire to go to South Africa...

Liz planned an outstanding tour through all of Egypt for us! The historic temples, tombs, and...

Trust Heritage Logistics

...the best logistics archive in the UK

List of Top Tourism Companies in the UK (2024)

Tourism has continued to be a major source of income for many countries.

This fact is a result of humans’ desire to feed their eyes and experience nature’s goodness.

While these tourism sites are managed mainly by the government or by private companies for the government, touring the sites is a business that many private companies have taken up.

Tourism companies perform both the roles of tour operators and travel agencies. A straightforward way of defining their functions is the scheduling of flights and subsequent means of transportation to tourism sites.

BRAND NEW CASE STUDY OF AN ECOMMERCE MILLIONAIRE REVEALS...

Ten Step Blueprint To Scaling Your Ecommerce Business... Without Investors!

They equally provide accommodation and meals during the period of stay; provide recreational equipment; render consultancy services, among other services that may be peculiar to the tourism company.

Table of Contents

1. the ultimate travel company, 2. back-roads touring company limited.

• 3. Inspiring Travel Company    

4. Trafalgar

5. the different travel company, 6. sona tours, 7. world expedition, best tourism companies in the uk.

UK residents are usually dependent on companies to experience tourist attractions worldwide.

Even though some of these companies fall short of expectations in their services, there are also companies with excellent customer services you should experience when planning your holidays.

The Ultimate Travel Company is an expert tourism company whose decades of experience have earned it great recognition among residents in the UK. In its years of service, it has established relationships with reputable hospitality companies across the globe to enable tourists to get the best of their tourism expenditure.

The Ultimate Travel Company provides tailor-made tourism services, just the way its customer(s) desire. Customers are sure to have a good taste of luxury in any destination they choose for their tour.

For tours consisting of a small group of people, it provides the group with a tour guide knowledgeable about the tourism site. The tour guide helps make the tour more exciting by providing interesting information about the tourism site and engaging the group in discussions.

Destinations available to customers include countries in Europe, Africa, South America, North America, and the Middle East.

• Website: https://www.theultimatetravelcompany.com
• Phone:   +1 (855) 660-8525
• Address: 10 London Mews, LONDON, W2 1HY

Related: Best Travel Companies in the UK

Back-Road is an award-winning tour company that has provided residents of the UK with excellent services to make their touring adventure a memorable one. In fact, for the past four editions of the British Travel Awards , it has won the Best Small Coach Holiday Company category.

Black-Roads boasts of an excellent touring team. Its tour guides are usually locals in the various tourism destinations and, as such, are in the best position to make customers appreciate the beauty of the tourism site.

Its booking policies are favourable and pocket-friendly. At least 60 days before the departure date for a tour, customers are at liberty to make changes regarding the type of tour and date for departure for their tour. Customers can also choose to pay in instalments provided they complete the payment before 60 days to the departure date.

• Website: https://www.backroadstouring.com
• Email:   [email protected]
• Phone: 08452575212
• Address: 109 Power Road, Chiswick, London W4 5PY

3. Inspiring Travel Company

Inspiring Travel services are tailored to meet the needs of customers. Its services include providing consultancy services regarding the different destinations available for tourism, transportation from airports to hotels or accommodation, and tips from travel experts on how to make a tour memorable.

With Inspiring Travel, tourists are assured of full-time assistance, from making the travel plans to providing care and assistance while on the tourism site.

• Website: https://www.inspiringtravelcompany.co.uk
• Email: [email protected]
• Phone: 01244432938
• Address: Bridgetown House, 80 Lower Bridge Street, Chester, CH1 1RU, United Kingdom

The reason over 5 million people have trusted Trafalgar as a tourism company is not farfetched. Trafalgar renders tourism services in a manner not common among other tourism companies. Its tourism services cut across various destinations in Latin America, Europe, Asia, Africa, the USA, Canada, Australia, and the Middle East.

Customers can embark on sightseeing tours, cultural trips, art tours, safari tours, and a host of others displayed on its website.

With only £100, customers can make a booking on any level-one trip. Trafalgar gives customers the opportunity of adjusting their desired destination and date of departure up until 30 days before a planned trip.

Their 100 years of experience in the business of planning tours is undoubtedly an added advantage to customers.

• Website: https://www.trafalgar.com
• Phone: 0800 533 5619
• Address: 15 Grosvenor Pl, London SW1X 7HH, United Kingdom

The Different Travel Company began its operation in 2005 out of a humanitarian gesture to help communities struggling to earn decent livings. It would build homes, business centres, and clean up beaches to attract tourists into these communities.

Destinations for tour trips offered by The Different Travel Company include Europe, Asia, North America, South America, and Africa. Customers may choose to embark on project trips, that is, while they tour around their destinations, they have the opportunity of giving back to the community.

They may also opt for adventurous trips, one that involves mountain climbing, visiting waterfalls, trekking, and sightseeing historical structures, such as the Great Wall of China.

• Website: https://www.different-travel.com
• Email: [email protected]
• Phone: +447881698623
• Address: 4 Down’s Park Cres, Totton, Southampton SO40 9GH, United Kingdom

Sona Tours is a tourism company that partners with airlines, hotels, and transport companies to provide the needed logistics for tourists to have the best of their tours. It provides tourists with an escorted tour that will help guide and engage them in informal talks about the site they are visiting.

Sona Tours accommodates both young and old persons wishing to experience its services; though, special fares will be included for children below two years of age. Customers with bulky luggage (maximum of 20kg) can also book their holidays with Sona Tours.

Its prices are affordable, with infants below 23 months tagging along for free (excluding transportation cost).

• Website: https://www.sonatours.co.uk
• Email: [email protected]
• Phone: +44 (0) 2089510111
• Address: 718 Kenton Rd, Harrow HA3 9QX, United Kingdom

World expedition is poised at providing travellers with great experiences in their adventurous travels. Its destinations extend to the seven continents of the world. In an industry where safety and comfort are required, World Expedition assures its customers of the best.

Fun activities available to travellers include mountaineering, rock climbing, mountain biking, cycling, trekking, cruising, and sailing. Tour guides are also provided to guide tourists and as will make their adventure more fun.

• Website: https://worldexpeditions.com
• Email: [email protected]
• Phone: 08000744135
• Address: 1B Osiers Road, Wandsworth, London, SW18 1NL

Compare Travel Companies in the UK

• Top 10 Travel Agencies in the UK
• Best Travel Agencies in London
• List of Best Outbound Tour Operators in the UK
• Best Travel Consortium in the UK
• How to Start a Successful Travel Agency in the UK
• How to Become a Successful Travel Agent in the UK
• Top 10 Medical Tourism Companies in the UK
• Top 10 UK Tour Operators to Patronise
• Top 10 Luxury Travel Companies in the UK
• Top 10 Luxury Tour Operators in the UK
• Top 10 Luxury Travel Agents in London
• 6 Best UK Inbound Tour Operators
• Best Travel Agencies in Manchester (UK)

Remz is a professional who has been writing content for almost 10 years. He's a shipping and logistics enthusiast and the head of the Trust Heritage Logistics content team. He bagged an MSc degree shortly after graduating from the university with flying colours. When it comes to creating content, Remz loves to do in-depth research and provide amazing pieces of information that every reader will find helpful.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

• Travel, Tourism & Hospitality ›

Leisure Travel

Industry-specific and extensively researched technical data (partially from exclusive partnerships). A paid subscription is required for full access.

Market cap of leading tour operators worldwide 2023

As of September 2023, German-based multinational group TUI AG was the tour operator company with the highest market cap worldwide. As of that month, TUI's market cap exceeded three billion U.S. dollars. UK-based tour operator Jet2 plc and Australian company Flight Centre Travel Group Limited followed in the ranking, with a market cap of 2.96 billion and 2.8 billion U.S. dollars, respectively. Meanwhile, Booking Holdings recorded the highest market cap of leading online travel companies worldwide as of September 2023.

Market cap of leading travel agency and tour operator companies worldwide as of September 2023 (in million U.S. dollars)

• Immediate access to 1m+ statistics
• Incl. source references
• Download as PNG, PDF, XLS, PPT

Additional Information

Show sources information Show publisher information Use Ask Statista Research Service

September 2023

as of September 18, 2023

Other statistics on the topic

• Skyscanner annual revenue 2011-2021
• Number of retail travel agents in the UK 2019-2023
• Number of TUI AG employees worldwide 2011-2023, by region

Revenue of Skyscanner 2014-2021, by business segment

To download this statistic in XLS format you need a Statista Account

To download this statistic in PNG format you need a Statista Account

To download this statistic in PDF format you need a Statista Account

To download this statistic in PPT format you need a Statista Account

As a Premium user you get access to the detailed source references and background information about this statistic.

As a Premium user you get access to background information and details about the release of this statistic.

As soon as this statistic is updated, you will immediately be notified via e-mail.

… to incorporate the statistic into your presentation at any time.

You need at least a Starter Account to use this feature.

• Immediate access to statistics, forecasts & reports
• Usage and publication rights
• Download in various formats

You only have access to basic statistics. This statistic is not included in your account.

• Instant access  to 1m statistics
• Download  in XLS, PDF & PNG format
• Detailed  references

Business Solutions including all features.

Statistics on " Travel agencies in the United Kingdom (UK) "

• Annual output of travel agencies and tour operators in the UK 2010-2022
• Monthly output growth of travel agencies and tour operators in the UK 2019-2023
• Market size of the travel agency industry in the UK 2013-2023
• Revenue of travel agencies in the UK 2008-2021
• Gross value added (GVA): travel agencies in the UK 2008-2021
• Travel agency, tour operator, and reservation services employment in the UK 2015-2021
• Number of businesses in the travel agency industry in the UK 2023, by employment size
• Number of businesses in the travel agency industry in the UK 2013-2023
• Number of retail travel agents in the UK 2023, by retailer
• Leading travel agents ranked by number of outlets in the UK 2024
• Most popular amusement, cruise, and travel brands in the UK Q4 2023
• TUI UK Limited revenue 2015-2022
• TUI UK Limited net income 2015-2022
• Turnover of Hays Travel Limited in the UK 2008-2023
• Market cap of leading online travel companies worldwide 2023
• Leading online travel companies worldwide 2022-2023, by EV/EBITDA
• Key information on the online travel agency industry in the UK January 2023
• Revenue of On the Beach Group plc in the UK 2012-2022, by segment
• Net income of On the Beach in the UK 2014-2022
• Revenue of Tripadvisor worldwide 2012-2023, by region
• Lastminute.com Group revenue worldwide 2019-2022, by country
• Preferred methods to book the next overseas holiday in the UK October 2022
• Preferred methods to book the next overseas holiday in the UK October 2022, by age
• Leading holiday travel provider websites in the UK Q4 2023, by share of voice
• Hotel / private accommodation online bookings by brand in the UK 2023
• Package holiday bookings by brand in the UK 2023

Other statistics that may interest you Travel agencies in the United Kingdom (UK)

• Premium Statistic Annual output of travel agencies and tour operators in the UK 2010-2022
• Premium Statistic Monthly output growth of travel agencies and tour operators in the UK 2019-2023
• Premium Statistic Market size of the travel agency industry in the UK 2013-2023
• Premium Statistic Revenue of travel agencies in the UK 2008-2021
• Premium Statistic Gross value added (GVA): travel agencies in the UK 2008-2021
• Premium Statistic Travel agency, tour operator, and reservation services employment in the UK 2015-2021
• Basic Statistic Number of businesses in the travel agency industry in the UK 2023, by employment size
• Premium Statistic Number of businesses in the travel agency industry in the UK 2013-2023

Travel agents

• Premium Statistic Number of retail travel agents in the UK 2019-2023
• Premium Statistic Number of retail travel agents in the UK 2023, by retailer
• Premium Statistic Leading travel agents ranked by number of outlets in the UK 2024
• Basic Statistic Most popular amusement, cruise, and travel brands in the UK Q4 2023
• Premium Statistic TUI UK Limited revenue 2015-2022
• Premium Statistic TUI UK Limited net income 2015-2022
• Basic Statistic Number of TUI AG employees worldwide 2011-2023, by region
• Premium Statistic Turnover of Hays Travel Limited in the UK 2008-2023

Online travel agencies

• Basic Statistic Market cap of leading online travel companies worldwide 2023
• Premium Statistic Leading online travel companies worldwide 2022-2023, by EV/EBITDA
• Premium Statistic Key information on the online travel agency industry in the UK January 2023
• Premium Statistic Revenue of On the Beach Group plc in the UK 2012-2022, by segment
• Premium Statistic Net income of On the Beach in the UK 2014-2022
• Premium Statistic Revenue of Tripadvisor worldwide 2012-2023, by region
• Premium Statistic Lastminute.com Group revenue worldwide 2019-2022, by country
• Premium Statistic Skyscanner annual revenue 2011-2021

Booking behavior

• Premium Statistic Preferred methods to book the next overseas holiday in the UK October 2022
• Premium Statistic Preferred methods to book the next overseas holiday in the UK October 2022, by age
• Premium Statistic Leading holiday travel provider websites in the UK Q4 2023, by share of voice
• Premium Statistic Hotel / private accommodation online bookings by brand in the UK 2023
• Premium Statistic Package holiday bookings by brand in the UK 2023

Further Content: You might find this interesting as well

Travel startups: Disruption from within?

Startups play an essential role in spearheading innovation that benefits consumers, businesses, and industries. But travel startups have been underfunded when compared to startups in other sectors. Looking back over the past 15 years, the travel and tourism industry received around 1 percent of funding for startups across all industries. 1 McKinsey analysis based on PitchBook Data, Inc.. This relatively low level of investment stands out in contrast to the industry’s size: Travel and tourism contributed to over 10 percent of global GDP in 2019. 2 “Travel & Tourism: Economic impact 2022,” World Travel & Tourism Council, June 14, 2022. These factors suggest that it’s a tough industry in which to raise money.

Despite these funding challenges, and unprecedented industry uncertainties, over $27 billion worth of investments were poured into travel companies from 2020 to 2022. In fact, in 2021, investment set a new record of just under $11 billion—indicating that investor appetite has not only returned to pre-COVID-19 levels, but even surpassed it.

About this research

Analysis is based on information obtained from the Phocuswright startup database. Funding was analyzed from 2005 to 2022 YTD (including November 2022), based on a sample of 3,865 startups. This included 6,395 funding rounds, accounting for $76 billion in funding (exhibit).

Given this context, a new report Travel startups: Disruption from within–or not? presents an overview of the travel startup environment, and how the funding landscape has evolved across geographies, and across the different types of travel startups. Analysis is based on information obtained from the Phocuswright startup database and draws on insights from industry executives (see sidebar, “About this research”).

The report examines the kinds of investors that are funding these startups—and the types of businesses they choose for investment. It also puts forward possible future scenarios that would have implications for travel companies and stakeholders in the startup space. This article presents some of the key findings.

Fewer travel startups are attracting funding, but when they do, they secure a substantial amount

Even though funding may be hard to come by, compared to other sectors, investors are interested in travel and tourism. Investment in travel startups has returned to pre-pandemic levels and has even surpassed record-breaking years in the past, such as 2015 and 2019. These peaks were achieved through significant acquisitions that may have consolidated the market. For instance the online travel agency Expedia acquired HomeAway for $3.9 billion in 2015. 3 “Expedia to acquire HomeAway, Inc.,” Expedia media statement, PR Newswire, November 4, 2015.

Furthermore, funding per round has increased over the past decade from an average of around $4 million in 2010 to $20 million in 2022, with the steepest increase seen during the pandemic (Exhibit 1). This indicates that fewer travel startups could be attracting funding, but when they do, they secure a substantial amount. In essence, the relatively small amount of funding that exists is shifting toward fewer startups.

Funding has shifted toward more mature startups

Q&a with johannes reck, ceo of getyourguide.

Johannes Reck is CEO of GetYourGuide, a Berlin-based online travel agency and online marketplace for tours, attractions, and excursions. The company’s website and app connects travelers with activity providers around the world, offering thousands of products in more than 20 languages, and 40 currencies. He shares his views on the investment landscape for travel startups:

What patterns have you noticed regarding investment in travel startups?

At a high level I would say that too little VC money flows into travel altogether, probably due to the market cap that has been realized, and that startups in the scaling phase still have to demonstrate profitability to attract funding. It’s also important not to generalize the way we think about startups—they range in size and maturity from two employees to major disruptors. Essentially, if innovation is not yet proven, then there is little or no money coming in, and this is especially true in Europe.

Are certain types of startups attracting more investor interest than others?

There are category leaders emerging in many areas, such as flights, accommodation, and experiences. I think investors have no appetite to pour money into a number three or four in any given category. And because of the global network effect in travel, it’s really difficult to design a new category. For instance, the chance that a new company could fundamentally disrupt an established concept such as Airbnb, or Booking.com, is limited because of the network effect that locks in global supply and demand—and that’s what makes category leaders so defensible.

Furthermore, there is a perception that as large firms are so big, they can do everything, and that may scare away a lot of investors from betting on a smaller innovative company. The presence of large incumbents may stifle innovation—but startups have a central role to play in this regard and can benefit the entire industry.

What role do you think travel companies could play in the startup landscape?

I think travel companies have to invest in innovation now, otherwise they could be worse positioned in a future crisis. Essentially, travel companies could look at how investing in startups could strengthen all areas of their value chain. They could also focus on the value that innovation will bring to the industry, instead of investing only with profit in mind.

That said, there may be room for travel companies to look at M&A. There is much less competition, compared to pre-COVID-19, and acquisition is now much more efficient. This means that companies could be in a position to grow—much faster and with less effort.

Across industries, later-stage funding (i.e., Series B, C, D) has made up the majority of startup investment (Exhibit 2). Between 2020 and 2022, more acquisitions (e.g., Getaroom.com and On Location Experiences) and public financing rounds (e.g., Sonder and Vacasa) took place than in previous years. This could be symptomatic of a trend: Investors may want to back category leaders that have reached scale (See sidebar, “Q&A with Johannes Reck, CEO of GetYourGuide”).

Hospitality startups remain the leading category for investment

Most recent funding has been channeled to hospitality startups, making up 49 percent of investment between 2015 and 2019, and 41 percent between 2020 and 2022. This is likely due to the rising popularity of short-term rentals. Startups providing services for short-term rentals, such as Airbnb or AvantStay, accounted for 55 percent of hospitality startup funding in 2021.

Business travel startups doubled their share of investment during the pandemic, and within this category, startups in the corporate segment, such as the expense-management software provider Divvy, secured 98 percent of funding between 2020 and 2022. The MICE segment received the remaining 2 percent, likely due to the decrease in events during the pandemic.

Would you like to learn more about our Travel, Logistics & Infrastrucure Practice ?

In the same period, booking and transport startups lost some share of funding as investor priorities may have shifted during the crisis. In the booking category, online travel agency businesses secured 90 percent of funding.

Overall, the pre-trip category remains the least funded, having attracted 1 percent of total funding in the past seven years. Within this category, startups in insurance attracted 84 percent of funding in 2021 (Exhibit 3).

Travel companies account for a relatively small percentage of travel startup funding

Since 2015, five categories of investors have funded travel startups:

• Angel and private investors: These investors oversaw 138 rounds of capital raising totaling $3.6 billion between 2015 and 2021.
• Banks and the public sector: These institutions oversaw 125 funding rounds, totaling $6.4 billion. Much of this funding took place in 2021, likely due to pandemic-related bailouts and large rounds of debt funding.
• Venture capital (VC) and VC-orientated private equity (PE) firms: This group raised 2,090 rounds of funding, totaling $72 billion.
• Travel companies: These are frequently in-house incubators or joint ventures that provide potential businesses with direct support. Travel companies raised $7.8 billion in investment through 389 rounds.
• Non-travel companies: Despite not being in the tourism sector, these companies raised more money ($12.5 billion) in 264 rounds than their travel-industry counterparts.

Overall, VCs have been the leading investor category, and spent nine times more than travel companies in 2021. Since 2015, travel companies accounted for a relatively small percentage of startup funding, and this has decreased in recent years, dropping from 18 percent in 2020 to 5 percent in 2021.

Between 2015 and 2019, VCs and PEs invested at least twice as much per funding round compared to travel companies. Average funding size was roughly $37 million for VCs and PEs, compared to $17 million for travel companies. This leveled out between 2020 and 2022 where both groups invested approximately $30 million on average per funding round.

In 2021, banks greatly increased their investment share and matched VC investments, likely driven by increases in debt funding (Exhibit 4).

The travel industry could benefit from supporting startups

To date, travel companies have played a very small role in investing in the industry. As startups generally spearhead innovation, travel companies could take up opportunities to support startups—and reap the benefits. Furthermore, by not supporting, or finding ways to engage other players in the industry, travel companies may be missing an opportunity to shape the next generation of travel businesses. And as the investment landscape becomes tougher, travel companies are well placed to ensure that the innovation pipeline continues to flourish, even if VCs and larger players withdraw.

Travel companies could become more involved in investing in the industry and bring their expertise to bear on innovation and the sorts of capabilities and technologies that may be needed. And they stand to gain from leveraging startup capabilities in-house. Research into collaboration between corporates and startups in other industries shows that both parties stand to benefit. Startups can benefit from corporate funding, resources, and customer access, while corporates may need the innovation that startups offer to stay ahead of competitors and disruption, and also to access new technology. 4 “Collaborations between corporates and startups,” McKinsey, May 2020.

Three possible future scenarios could materialize in light of the trends in travel startup funding.

• Incumbent-driven consolidation: In this scenario, sustained emphasis on short-term profitability due to inflation and increasing cost of capital would make it difficult for travel startups to attract funding and gain ground in the industry. Funding rounds would be smaller due to early exits, closures, bankruptcies, or consolidation by established and scaled technology-driven firms. Established players would focus more on developing products and services that can be scaled globally and less on optimizing backend processes where rapid scale-up is potentially more challenging, such as manual check-in processes in hotels. This situation would lead to less innovation across the industry. In the long run, reduced innovation due to less startup diversity may require more in-house innovation for optimizing backend processes and technology.
• Emergence of multiple niche startups: Early-stage startups would see sustained and potentially increased funding, while funding for startups in the later stages would plummet. This could lead to an exit wave across later-stage startups due to bankruptcies. At the same time, a wave of new, more diversified, startups could emerge that aim to tackle a variety of niche problems in the industry, such as core technology elements. The result could be an even broader but more fragmented ecosystem of new industry players, leading to higher levels of innovation throughout the industry. Travel companies could acquire distressed startups, at lower valuations, which would boost in-house innovation and allow incumbents to provide new offerings.
• Travel startups golden 20s: In this scenario, travel startups across all growth stages and categories would see continuous increases in funding and growth. There would also be an increase in larger investments aimed at developing technology and core industry processes such as AI-enabled fulfillment, and disruption management. Innovation could flourish across the industry. In this fast-growing landscape, competition for funding would intensify and investors’ expectations around performance could increase. At the same time, collaboration would become more complex due to the diversified landscape of partners and suppliers. Established businesses would need to build in-house innovation capabilities organically or acquire them. Differentiation would become more difficult and several leading incumbents may be replaced by new challengers in the market.

However the future pans out, support for startups can boost innovation and strengthen the travel and tourism value chain, for all participants.

Giuseppe Genovese is a consultant in McKinsey’s Dallas office, Evgeni Kochman is an associate partner in the Frankfurt office, Vik Krishnan is a partner in the San Francisco office, and Nina Wittkamp is a partner in the Munich office.

The authors wish to thank Karel Dörner, Markus Berger-de León, Patrick Naef, and Christian Dominka, for their contributions to this report.

The authors also wish to thank Hollis Thomases, a senior research analyst at Phocuswright, Chetan Kapoor, a research analyst Asia Pacific at Phocuswright, and Johannes Reck, CEO of GetYourGuide.

Explore a career with us

Related articles.

Accelerating the transition to net-zero travel

Tourism in the metaverse: Can travel go virtual?

Train strikes in April and May 2024: Full list of dates and lines affected

Overtime bans, an action short of a strike, also mean some services may not be running or may be reduced as drivers refuse to work their rest days.

Friday 5 April 2024 14:46, UK

Drivers at 16 rail companies have started a fresh wave of strikes, plus overtime bans, causing disruption to the rail network.

The strikes are part of a long-running dispute over pay and will take place across April and May.

Tube strikes planned for April and May have been called off.

In an "entirely separate dispute", ASLEF members will also strike and refuse to do overtime at LNER on specific dates in April "because of the company's failure to adhere to the agreed bargaining machinery", the union said.

LNER's alleged failure to adhere to bargaining machinery refers to it using managers to drive trains on strike days.

People are advised to check before they travel.

Here's what's happening when:

Rail strike dates

Friday 5 April

Strikes will affect Avanti West Coast, East Midlands Railway, West Midlands Trains, and CrossCountry.

Saturday 6 April

Strikes will affect Chiltern, GWR, LNER, Northern, and TransPennine Trains.

Monday 8 April

Strikes will affect Greater Anglia, c2c, GTR Great Northern Thameslink, Southeastern, Southern/Gatwick Express, South Western Railway main line and depot drivers, and SWR Island Line.

Overtime ban dates

Thursday 4 April

Tuesday 9 April

People are advised to check before they travel, as some areas may have no service.

LNER action dates

Members will strike on Saturday 20 April and refuse to work non-contractual overtime from Friday 19 to Sunday 21 April .

Why are the strikes happening?

ASLEF says the LNER strikes are because of "the company's persistent failure to comply with existing agreements".

Nigel Roebuck, an ASLEF organiser in the northeast, said the operator had been trying to get "every driver manager and driver instructor to work on strike days".

A spokesperson said: "LNER has used managers - paid £500 a shift - to drive trains on strike days and, after the expiry of the last non-contractual overtime agreement, on most days of the week now.

"There is no agreement in place for management to drive services on mainline infrastructure.

"It results in branch line services - such as Lincoln, Skipton, and Harrogate - being cancelled because of a lack of route knowledge and means virtually no driver training is being done."

Keep up with all the latest news from the UK and around the world by following Sky News

Mick Whelan, ASLEF general secretary, said of the rail strikes : "Last month, when we announced renewed mandates for industrial action, because under the Tories' draconian anti-union laws we have to ballot our members every six months, we called on the train companies, and the government, to come to the table for meaningful talks to negotiate a new pay deal for train drivers who have not had an increase in salary since 2019.

"Our members voted overwhelmingly - yet again - for strike action."

Be the first to get Breaking News

Install the Sky News app for free

A Rail Delivery Group spokesperson said: "Nobody wins when industrial action impacts people's lives and livelihoods, and we will work hard to minimise any disruption to our passengers.

"We want to resolve this dispute, but the ASLEF leadership need to recognise that hard-pressed taxpayers are continuing to contribute an extra £54m a week just to keep services running post-COVID.

"We continue to seek an agreement with the ASLEF leadership and remain open to talks to find a solution to this dispute."

When the strikes on the London Underground were announced, Finn Brennan, ASLEF's full-time organiser on the network, said in a statement: "ASLEF Tube train drivers will strike in April and May in a long-running dispute over London Underground's failure to give assurances that changes to our members' terms and conditions will not be imposed without agreement and that all existing agreements will be honoured.

"Despite a previous commitment to withdraw plans for massive changes to drivers' working conditions, London Underground management has established a full-time team of managers preparing to impose their plans.

Sadiq Khan said they had been called off after "talking and engaging with transport staff and trade unions rather than working against them".

Related Topics

• London Underground
• Rail strikes

site categories

International insider: drama in uk drama; cannes plan underway; studiocanal charts tv path, ‘destination x’ greenlit at nbc; u.s. version of travel adventure competition to be produced by twofour for 2025 launch.

By Peter White

Peter White

Executive Editor, Television

More Stories By Peter

• ‘Avatar: The Last Airbender’: Exec Producers Christine Boylan & Jabbar Raisani To Lead Show As Albert Kim Moves On
• Universal Studio Group Taps Former eOne Exec Blossom Lefcourt As Global Head of Business Affairs
• ‘Dolly Parton’s America’ Co-Creator Shima Oliaee To Lead Girlhood Podcast ‘The Competition’

Adventure travel series Destination X has been officially picked up to series by NBC .

The show is expected to air on the network in 2025 and the U.S. version of the Belgian format will be produced by production company Twofour , which is also making a separate British version for the BBC.

Related Stories

'Reluctant Traveler' Producer Twofour Staffs Up; Cineflix Readies Kurt Cobain Doc; APC Studios Names Sales Chief; ITV '99 To Beat' -- Global Briefs

'Chicago Fire' Adds Michael Bradway To Season 12

The BBC greenlit its own version last year with Twofour producing.

It is a similar model employed on breakout mystery format The Traitors.

Destination X sees a group of contestants go on the road trip of a lifetime but they have no idea of their location. In order to win, they must figure out their mystery locations. Once they’re on the blacked-out Destination X bus, the journey turns into a real-life game board, with challenges designed to offer clues as to their location, along with a few misdirects to keep them guessing.  

At the end of each episode, the contestant who places an X on a map furthest from the actual location packs their bags. The first participant to reach Destination X will be crowned the winner.

Twofour, which is owned by British broadcaster ITV, is behind series such as Apple TV+’s The Reluctant Traveller . It will co-produce the NBC version with Universal Television Alternative Studio. Production will begin later this year.

Caroline Davies, Andy Cadman, Dan Adamson and David Clews will exec produce the NBC version.

“ Destination X is one of the most unique and innovative formats we’ve seen in a long time, and it’s so big we partnered with the BBC again to shoot two shows at once,” said Corie Henson, EVP, Unscripted Programming, NBCUniversal Television and Streaming. “This show is an epic international travel adventure combined with the ultimate guessing game. Even if you’ve never been on a plane, you can play along.”

“The entire Twofour team couldn’t be more proud to have won the tender to produce this incredible adventure format, particularly given the pedigree of the other companies in the process,” said Dan Adamson, Twofour MD. “Our editorial ambition for this project is fortunately matched by our best-in-class production team, who constantly make the impossible possible. We are excited to be on this journey with our talented producing partners at UTAS and grateful to the brilliant commissioning teams at both NBCU and the BBC for the hard work and creativity they have already put into the process.”

Must Read Stories

Magnitude 4.8 earthquake hits nj, nyc; shaking felt in philadelphia and boston.

Luc Besson’s Dracula Finds His Princess As More Cast Join ‘A Love Tale’

‘legally blonde’ spinoff from witherspoon, schwartz & savage in works at amazon, electionline / pod guest karine jean-pierre on potus, mcconaughey, more.

Subscribe to Deadline Breaking News Alerts and keep your inbox happy.

Read More About:

No comments.

Deadline is a part of Penske Media Corporation. © 2024 Deadline Hollywood, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

UK Edition Change

• UK Politics
• News Videos
• Paris 2024 Olympics
• Rugby Union
• Sport Videos
• John Rentoul
• Mary Dejevsky
• Andrew Grice
• Sean O’Grady
• Photography
• Theatre & Dance
• Culture Videos
• Food & Drink
• Health & Families
• Royal Family
• Electric Vehicles
• Lifestyle Videos
• UK Hotel Reviews
• News & Advice
• Simon Calder
• Australia & New Zealand
• South America
• C. America & Caribbean
• Middle East
• Politics Explained
• News Analysis
• Today’s Edition
• Home & Garden
• Fashion & Beauty
• Travel & Outdoors
• Sports & Fitness
• Sustainable Living
• Climate Videos
• Behind The Headlines
• On The Ground
• Decomplicated
• You Ask The Questions
• Binge Watch
• Travel Smart
• Watch on your TV
• Crosswords & Puzzles
• Most Commented
• Newsletters
• Ask Me Anything
• Virtual Events
• Betting Sites
• Online Casinos
• Wine Offers

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in Please refresh your browser to be logged in

April rail strikes 2024: How will Friday’s train drivers’ walk-out hit passengers?

In three days of ‘rolling’ walk-outs, most of the train operators involved will cancel all services, article bookmarked.

Find your bookmarks in your Independent Premium section, under my profile

Sign up to Simon Calder’s free travel email for expert advice and money-saving discounts

Get simon calder’s travel email, thanks for signing up to the simon calder’s travel email.

National rail strikes by train drivers have entered their 22nd month with a series of “rolling” walk-outs, one region at a time, planned for early April.

Members of the Aslef union plan to halt thousands of trains on 5, 6 and 8 April. The aim is to disrupt services on the 14 rail firms in England that are controlled by the UK government and represented by the Rail Delivery Group (RDG). Rolling strikes cause maximum disruption for minimum loss of pay.

In addition, five days of overtime bans will cause further cancellations.

The previous national industrial action by train drivers, comprising an overtime ban and rolling regional walk-outs, hit for nine days from 29 January to 6 February .

Industrial action by Aslef in a dispute over pay and working arrangements began in July 2022. The union is demanding a no-strings pay award, but rail firms – directed by ministers – say any increase is contingent on radical reforms to working practices in order to reduce public subsidies.

During the dispute, hundreds of millions of journeys have been cancelled. Billions of pounds have been lost to the UK economy – particularly hospitality businesses – and taxpayers are pumping cash into an increasingly decrepit and unreliable railway to the tune of £90 per second on top of the normal subsidy.

The quarrel has become increasingly bitter, with no sign of any progress towards a settlement.

Caught in the middle of a seemingly intractable dispute: the passenger. In a snap social media poll for The Independent that garnered 2,142 responses, one in three passengers say they will permanently travel less after the industrial action finally ends.

In addition to the latest walk-outs by rail workers, commuters in the capital were fearing two days of strikes by Aslef members who drive trains for the London Underground . But days before the first planned walk-out, the action was called off .

However, Aslef has called an additional strike and overtime ban at the UK’s flagship train operator, LNER, for later in April.

For passengers, these are the key questions and answers.

Which rail firms are involved?

Aslef is in dispute with the 14 train operators that are contracted by the UK government to provide rail services. They are:

Intercity operators:

Avanti West Coast

CrossCountry

East Midlands Railway

Great Western Railway ( GWR )

TransPennine Express

Southeast England commuter operators:

Greater Anglia

GTR (Gatwick Express, Great Northern, Southern, Thameslink)

Southeastern

South Western Railway (including the Island Line on the Isle of Wight)

Operators focusing on the Midlands and north of England:

Chiltern Railways

Northern Trains

West Midlands Railway (including London Northwestern Railway)

When are the train drivers walking out?

Drivers belonging to the Aslef union will strike in the following pattern:

Friday 5 April

Avanti West Coast, East Midlands Railway, West Midlands Railway and CrossCountry. The aim is to cause maximum disruption on key intercity lines as well as Midland commuter services.

To further complicate matters, commuters on the Great Western line have faced rush hour travel disruption after a freight train derailed between Reading and London Paddington , with some services cancelled and the remainder delayed.

Saturday 6 April

Chiltern, GWR, LNER, Northern and TransPennine Trains. This strike is designed to hit rail passengers in the north and west of England, as well as the day’s football programme. In the Premier League, it will hit Newcastle fans travelling to Fulham in London.

Monday 8 April

C2C, Greater Anglia, Great Northern, Thameslink, Southeastern, Southern, Gatwick Express, South Western Railway. This will hit London particularly hard, with almost all Tube services brought to a halt by the London Underground walkout by Aslef members.

What are the predicted effects at each operator?

The Night Riviera sleeper train and the Gatwick Express will be cancelled throughout the industrial action period.

For other operators, these are the likely service patterns .

The four train operators – Avanti West Coast, East Midlands Railway, West Midlands Railway and CrossCountry – have cancelled all services on the day.

“Avanti West Coast services on the days either side of the strike will also be affected,” the West Coast main line operator says.

Chiltern Railways warns people who are thinking of switching to its London-Birmingham service: “Essential travel only, due to strike action on other operators.”

Chiltern, Northern and TransPennine Trains have cancelled all services.

LNER will run a skeleton service on core lines between around 7am and 7pm. Its main Edinburgh-Newcastle-York-London line will have at least one train an hour, with some additional trains on the southern part of the network.

GWR will run no long-distance trains, but will connect Reading with Oxford and Basingstoke, as well as a link from Bristol to Cardiff and some branch routes in Devon and Cornwall.

CrossCountry is not on strike but warns its services are expected to be extremely busy, and urges prospective passengers: “Please only travel if essential.”

Sunday 7 April

Although no industrial action is taking place, planned Network Rail engineering projects will hamper many passengers hoping to travel on the Sunday to dodge the strikes.

Avanti West Coast says: “No trains will serve Penrith, Carlisle, Lockerbie, Motherwell, Glasgow Central, Haymarket or Edinburgh, and only a limited number of services will serve Lancaster and Oxenholme. All remaining trains will start / terminate at Preston.”

Northern will run rail replacement buses between Halifax and Huddersfield.

The CrossCountry line between Derby and Burton-on-Trent is closed all weekend, with rail replacement buses and train diversions.

Greater Anglia will run to and from London Liverpool Street to Stansted airport, Southend, Colchester, Ipswich and Norwich.

Southern will run a shuttle service between London Victoria and Gatwick airport.

Thameslink will run a shuttle service between London St Pancras and Luton (town and airport stations).

Great Northern will run a shuttle service between London King’s Cross and Cambridge.

South Western Railway will run between London Waterloo, Woking and Guildford, with some other suburban services likely.

Southeastern is urging passengers not to travel, but will run services between London St Pancras and Ashford on the high-speed line; Charing Cross and Orpington; and London Bridge and Dartford.

C2C has cancelled all services.

What about the overtime ban?

Members are also refusing to work their rest days from Thursday 4 to Saturday 6 April and from Monday 8 to Tuesday 9 April. As many rail firms depend on drivers working overtime, hundreds – possibly thousands – of trains will be cancelled.

Avanti West Coast and West Midlands Railway have already said a reduced timetable will run on each day of the strike ban.

GWR says the overtime ban “is likely to cause some short-notice alterations and cancellations, especially at weekends or late at night”.

Which rail firms are not involved?

Some publicly funded train operators will run normally: ScotRail, Transport for Wales, Transport for London (including the Elizabeth line) and Merseyrail.

“Open-access” operators on the East Coast main line – Grand Central, Hull Trains and Lumo – are unaffected. But many of their services will be crowded on days of industrial action. They duplicate journeys of strike-hit companies, including LNER, TransPennine Express, CrossCountry and Northern.

What is at stake in the dispute?

The train drivers demand a pay rise to reflect high levels of inflation since they last won a pay award; Aslef says some members have not had an increase for five years.

But the government insists that even a modest pay increase is contingent on radical changes to long-standing working arrangements in order to reduce costs – and the huge subsidies the railway is currently receiving from the taxpayer.

Since the pandemic, travel patterns have changed. Ticket revenue is about one-fifth down on pre-Covid levels. As taxpayers will foot the eventual bill for the train drivers’ pay rise, the Treasury as well as the Department for Transport will sign off any deal.

Ministers believe train drivers’ terms and conditions are part of the problem. To keep costs down, they must accept changes to how they work, such as making Sunday part of the working week everywhere.

On 27 April 2023 the Rail Delivery Group offered a pay increase of 4 plus 4 per cent over two years covering the 2022 and 2023 pay awards – subject to a host of changes on terms and conditions, covering a wide range of issues including driver training, Sunday working, sick pay and new technology.

The union say this is completely unacceptable. The train drivers will negotiate on changes, but only after they get a decent no-strings pay offer on top of their current pay.

They believe the money will be found to meet their demands, as it always has been in the past. Aslef has also always “sold” reforms to working arrangements for an extra few per cent on their pay and does intend to change that process.

Meanwhile, the corrosion in confidence among travellers continues, with no rail passenger able to plan journeys more than two weeks ahead – that being the minimum notice the union must give for industrial action.

What does the union say?

The general secretary of Aslef, Mick Whelan, said: “Our members voted overwhelmingly – yet again – for strike action. Those votes show – yet again – a clear rejection by train drivers of the ridiculous offer put to us in April last year by the Rail Delivery Group which knew that offer would be rejected because a land grab for all the terms and conditions we have negotiated over the years would never be accepted by our members.

“Since then train drivers have voted, time and again, to take action in pursuit of a pay rise. That’s why Mark Harper, the transport secretary, is being disingenuous when he says that offer should have been put to members. Drivers wouldn’t vote for industrial action, again and again and again, if they thought that was a good offer. They don’t. That offer was dead in the water in April last year – and Mr Harper knows that.

“We asked Mr Harper, or his deputy, the rail minister Huw Merriman, to come and meet us. We asked the RDG and the TOCs to come and talk to us. We said, ‘Let’s sit around the table and negotiate.’ Because you say you don’t want any more industrial action, and we don’t want to disrupt the rail network. But the Tories and the TOCs [train operating companies] have given us no choice.

“We have given the government every opportunity to come to the table but it is now clear they do not want to resolve this dispute. They are happy for it go on and on. Because we are not going to give up.

“Many members have now not had a single penny increase in pay for half a decade.”

What do the employers and government say?

A Department for Transport spokesperson said: “Aslef is the only rail union continuing to strike, targeting passengers and preventing their own members from voting on the pay offer that remains on the table.

“Having resolved disputes with all other rail unions, the Transport Secretary and Rail Minister have ensured that a pay offer is on the table – taking train drivers’ average salaries from £60,000 up to £65,000.”

A spokesperson for Rail Delivery Group, representing the train operators, said: “Nobody wins when industrial action impacts people’s lives and livelihoods, and we will work hard to minimise any disruption to our passengers.

“We want to resolve this dispute, but the Aslef leadership need to recognise that hard-pressed taxpayers are continuing to contribute an extra £54 million a week just to keep services running post-Covid.

“We continue to seek an agreement with the Aslef leadership and remain open to talks to find a solution to this dispute.”

What does the Labour Party say?

Louise Haigh, Labour’s shadow transport secretary, said: “It is a staggering dereliction of duty that the transport secretary hasn’t got around the table with the unions to try to resolve it since the Christmas before last.

“Labour will take an unashamedly different approach to the Tories, and will work with both sides to reach a deal in the interests of passengers and workers. If the transport secretary took this sensible approach then perhaps we wouldn’t still be having strikes on our railways.”

How much has all the disruption cost?

According to the RDG, industrial action from June 2022 up until mid-January 2024 cost the rail sector around £775m in lost revenue. That does not include the impact of the most recent strikes and overtime bans, which probably add a further £100m to the losses.

UKHospitality estimates the lost business for places to eat, drink and stay amounts to almost £5 billion. Kate Nicholls, the organisation’s chief executive, says: “Ongoing strike action hurts businesses, prevents people from getting to work and significantly erodes confidence in the rail network.”

In addition, there is an unknowable loss of revenue from passengers who have adjusted their lifestyles or found alternative forms of transport; businesses that have stopped making trips and are using online communication instead; and people trimming back on travel because of the lack of certainty.

What about the new minimum service levels law?

Legislation now allows the transport secretary to stipulate minimum service levels (MSLs) on strike days amounting to 40 per cent of the normal service. The government says the Strikes (Minimum Service Levels) Act 2023 aims “to ensure that the public can continue to access services that they rely on, during strike action”.

No train operator is seeking to impose the new law on the train drivers’ union. LNER said it might do so earlier this year, and opened consultations. Aslef immediately called a separate five-day strike on LNER alone. Then the train operator said it would not require drivers to work, and the strike was called off.

The Transport Select Committee has previously warned of potential unintended consequences of the legislation. The Conservative chair, Iain Stewart, said: “There is a risk of MSLs worsening worker-employer relations and that, as a result, MSLs could end up making services less reliable.”

The minimum service level rules do not apply to union bans on non-contractual rest-day working – so there would be no benefit in imposing the law when an overtime ban is in force.

What is the LNER-specific dispute about?

On Friday 19 and Sunday 21 April, Aslef members working for Aslef will refuse overtime. On Saturday 20 April, they will strike. The union has accused the rail firm of acting in bad faith. Nigel Roebuck, full-time organiser in the northeast of England, accused ministers of “leaning on the company to persuade every driver manager and driver instructor to work on strike days; effectively to provide a minimum service level without invoking the legislation”.

The Department for Transport for a response.

An LNER spokesperson said: “Our priority focus remains on minimising disruption to customers. We continue to encourage Aslef to work with us to find a way to end this long running dispute.”

Some cancellations are likely on 19 April, and many more on 20 and 21 April.

Anything else on the strike agenda?

Members of the main rail union, the RMT, who work for CrossCountry are striking on Saturday 13 April in a dispute over recognition.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article

Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.

New to The Independent?

Or if you would prefer:

Want an ad-free experience?

Hi {{indy.fullName}}

• My Independent Premium
• Account details
• Help centre

• International edition
• Australia edition
• Europe edition

Why is the UK facing water shortages despite record rainfall?

Climate breakdown, an increasing population and a lack of new infrastructure are factors contributing to water scarcity

• UK at risk of summer water shortages and hosepipe bans

After months of deluge it seems incomprehensible that the UK could face water shortages in the event of a hot and dry spring and summer.

With an increasing population, a trend of “all or nothing” rain caused by climate breakdown and a lack of investment in infrastructure, we do not keep the water that falls on our island, but let it wash out to sea.

Drier countries must look on in disbelief as this rainy isle lets the ever more precious resource flow down rivers and out of the country, leading to hosepipe bans and potentially more dire consequences in the summer. Here are some major reasons:

Before the impacts of climate breakdown became painfully apparent, the UK was a country that could rely on rainfall year-round. Why bother investing in water storage in a perpetually soggy country? In recent decades, this excuse has held less water as the trends have become clearer.

Jamie Hannaford, a hydrologist at the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, says water shortages are frequently coming after floods: “Summer 2022 was an exceptional drought event, which closely followed another major drought in summer 2018. It is worth noting that the intervening period saw exceptional flooding in 2019-2020 and further flooding in early 2021.

“Moreover, while relatively dry conditions continued in some areas into early 2023 following the 2022 drought, the period since mid-2023 to present has been very wet across most areas of the UK and the last autumn and winter has seen exceptional flooding. Recent years have therefore seen a pattern of hydrological ‘volatility’.

“In fact, much of the post-2000 period has been marked by such volatility, with episodes of sustained flooding and droughts, some of which have extended the range of hydrological variability we see in the UK.”

Before the ascent of the railway, the UK used canals for goods and transport. The golden age of the canal was between the 1770s and the 1830s. This meant that the naturally wiggly rivers, through which water flowed slowly, were straightened and deepened for ease of transport. Meandering streams were turned into major channels, and water flows more quickly through a deep, straight river than a wiggly one spreading out over the landscape. This has implications for flooding, as water rushes from the uplands quickly to towns and villages below, and also for water capacity, as rather than being retained in rivers and wetlands it goes quickly out to sea.

We have drained our wetlands, such as the Somerset Levels, for housing and agriculture, and these used to hold a large amount of water. Over the centuries, the land has been parched to make it easier to farm and build. Agricultural land is mainly designed so any water that falls runs off into the surrounding aforementioned straightened rivers, where it is removed from the land and sluiced out to sea. The way we farm is preventing soil from holding water, too, as intensive farming of the soil strips it of its organisms and nutrients. This means instead of acting like a sponge, it is more sandy, so water falls through it and sluices off the drained land into the rivers. It also means that farmers need to abstract more water when it is dry, as they have not held it on their farms, whether that is in streams, wetlands or in the soil.

Why not dig some massive reservoirs to catch all of the water that falls in autumn and winter? Good question. It has been 30 years since the last major reservoir was built in the UK – which means there has not been one since privatisation.

Some argue that there is little incentive to invest in infrastructure such as reservoirs when a private company is trying to give as much money to shareholders as possible . England is one of the few countries in the world where water is fully owned by private companies.

Water companies point to the Kafkaesque planning system and MPs who campaign ferociously about any planned infrastructure in their constituencies. Reservoir plans have been delayed or scrapped due to the political difficulties of building infrastructure in this country.

In the Environment Agency’s plans, the companies commit to build seven major reservoirs between now and 2050 but many think that is not adequate.

It is common during the baking summer months to see a geyser spouting from the road, sending gallons of water gushing down the drain due to a burst pipe. It sticks in the craw when one has been told to cut down on water use or banned from watering the garden.

Pipes leak about a trillion litres of water a year ; once again this problem is the result of a lack of investment. Many pipes are Victorian and the rate of replacing them is so slow it would take 2,000 years to get them up to scratch at the current rate of repairs.

While it is imperative the government and water companies secure water supply for the future by tackling the above problems, the public has a part to play, too. The average person in the UK uses 150 litres a day. This is more than many European countries, including France, where the average is 128, Spain (130), and Germany (122). Using water butts and having toilet systems that do not use fresh tap water are ways that homes could use water more sustainably. Water UK, the body representing the water industry, says most British people shower for seven or eight minutes a day, and has called for people to shorten their showers by a couple of minutes.

• Water industry
• Climate crisis

Most viewed

We've detected unusual activity from your computer network

To continue, please click the box below to let us know you're not a robot.

Why did this happen?

Please make sure your browser supports JavaScript and cookies and that you are not blocking them from loading. For more information you can review our Terms of Service and Cookie Policy .

For inquiries related to this message please contact our support team and provide the reference ID below.