RDA ENGLISH NEWSLETTER 12-2016

RDA English Newsletter

December 2016

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Dear RDA Members,

Dear Readers,

Welcome to the December 2016 issue of our monthly RDA English Newsletter!

This time of the year is a time for reflection on the past year and for anticipation of the

new year to come. Business has been quite good and the outlook is optimistic.

Our core mission is to provide platforms for B2B exchange and forums for members to

share information and business experience. We promulgate best practices and

collaborate on national and international levels on key industry issues. In particular we

advocate the value and significance of coach travel and group tourism.

The RDA and RDA Exposition teams will continue to work hard on your behalf, for all of

our members and for all of our international industry and strategic partners. We look

forward to meeting you in person in 2017, either at the Day of Coach Tourism 2017 in

Bremen (8th – 9th January 2017), 66th RDA Annual General Meeting in Friedrichshafen

(19th April 2017), RDA Exposition in Friedrichshafen (20th and 21st April 2017) and RDA

Exposition in Cologne (4th to 5th July 2017) or at one of the many RDA regional get-

togethers and RDA Academy seminars being organised for your benefit.

On behalf of the RDA family, we wish you a very Merry Christmas and a happy, healthy

and prosperous New Year 2017!

Wishing you an informative and enjoyable read! Richard Eberhardt Dieter Gauf President CEO Editor Contact: Dr. Patrick Patridge E-mail: [email protected] Web: http://www.patrick-patridge.com Phone: +49-69-97840206 Twitter: @DrPatridge Hashtag: #RDAWS17


December 2016

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CONTENTS

Select RDA Dates in 2017

35th Day of Coach Tourism - “Upheaval in the coach tourism market – Challenges &

Opportunities”

9th January 2017 in Bremen and Bremerhaven, with informal B2B networking get-

together on the evening of Sunday, 8th January 2017

66th RDA Annual General Meeting

19th April 2017 in Friedrichshafen, Germany

RDA Expositions

20th - 21st April 2017 in Friedrichshafen, Germany

4th – 5th July 2017 in Cologne, Germany

Federation News

35th Day of Coach Tourism – speaker line-up

Catch-Up with RDA and EACT Strategic Partners CTA, CPT and ETOA in

Limehouse London

RDA Expositions 2017

RDA Expositions 2017 represented at the ETOA GEM 20 16 in London

Industry News

CTA – Coach Holiday Conference 2017 in Bournemouth

Coach Tourism Association (UK) Handbook 2017

Simon Smith succeeds Alf Scrimgour at CPT (UK)

New RDA Members


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Federation News

35th Day of Coach Tourism – speaker line-up

The 35th Day of Coach Tourism start-of-year get-together and conference will take place

on Monday, 9th January 2017 in the GOP Varieté-Theater Bremen, with an informal B2B

networking get-together on the evening of Sunday, 8th January 2017 in the Bremer

Überseestadt (http://www.bremen-tourism.de/virtual-tour-of-ueberseestadt). The theme

of this ever popular and informative event is “Upheaval in the coach tourism market –

Challenges & Opportunities”. Event hosts are Bremen, Bremerhaven and the GOP

Varieté-Theater Bremen. The line-up of expert speakers and contributors is as follows:

Foto: GOP Theater Bremen, © BTZ


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RDA President Richard Eberhardt will open this year’s Day of Coach Tourism,

outlining how the RDA offers apt advice, targeted solutions and effective B2B platforms

for its members in times of crisis, uncertainty and transformation.

Peter Siemering, Managing Director Bremen Tourist O ffice and Vice-President of

the DTV German Tourism Association, will officially welcome participants to Bremen

and Bremerhaven – a city that offers coach tourism operators and guests lots of

attractive offers and many wonderful visitor attractions.

DRV German Travel Association President Norbert Fie big will speak in his key-note

statement about the effects of crises and changed political, legal and fiscal conditions

on the tourism sector as a whole.

Fabian Stenger , Managing Director, Flixbus DACH GmbH will open the sequence of

expert statements. He will portray how Flixbus moved from a start-up to an inter-city

coach transport market leader and their experience in the coach rental business.

Marc Fleischhauer, Managing Director, Deutsche Post Mobility GmbH , explains the

diversification of companies in niche markets with special focus upon differing strategic

approaches.

Klaus Eikmeier, Chairman Reisenetz e.V. German Conf ederation for Youth Travel ,

illustrates how clubs and special tour operators react to changing competition and

framework conditions.

Prof. Dr. Harald Bartl , popular, controversial and humorous Day of Coach Tourism

contributor, will explore the legal implications and costs of the EU Package Travel

Guideline.

RDA Vice-President Benedikt Esser poses a provoking question: Are family-run

coach tourism operations an obsolescent business model? It is time for a wake-up call

and for releasing new energies.

Johannes Hübner , Manager RDA RBI Crisis Management, will moderate a

concluding podium discussion, which is open to comments and questions from the floor.

Participation at the 35th Day of Coach Tourism 2017 is free and open to trade members

only.

Your considered input and own ideas are most appreciated and are very welcome in

advance of the event. So please contact RDA CEO Dieter Gauf if you would like to

make such a contribution ([email protected]).


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Further information, hotel accommodation and regist ration:

http://tag-der-bustouristik.de/35TdB_Flyer.pdf

Information about Bremen and Bremerhaven: www.bremen-tourism.de and

www.bremen.de/schuetting-1507683

Information about the Bremer Überseestadt: www.ueberseestadt-

bremen.de/en/start_ueberseestadt

Conference venue: www.variete.de/spielorte/bremen

YouTube Video Impressions: www.youtube.com/watch?v=H3XUSNYc_LY

Hashtag: #Tagderbustouristik

Catch-Up with RDA and EACT Strategic Partners CTA, CPT and ETOA in

Limehouse London

RDA Strategic Partnerships are a major benefit of RDA membership when they are

actively lived. RDA CEO Dieter Gauf and RDA Market Representative for the UK,

Ireland & the Commonwealth, Dr. Patrick Patridge took advantage of their recent ETOA

GEM 2016 visit to London to catch-up with EACT partner federation leaders including

Chris Wales of the Coach Tourism Association (CTA), Jay Munro-Michell of the

European Tour Operators Association (ETOA) and Stephen Smith of the Confederation

of Passenger Transport (CPT UK). News updates and information about industry,

federation and RDA Exposition developments were exchanged. The subject of more UK

coach operators attending the RDA-Expositions in 2017 was also discussed.

Coach Tourism United - Dieter Gauf, Jay Munro-Michell and Chris Wales


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The venue chosen for the informal meeting is one of the oldest pubic houses in London,

“The Grapes” in Narrow Street in Limehouse – a wonderful, cosy, friendly and

atmospheric pub with great food situated on the banks of the River Thames not far from

Canary Wharf. Charles Dickens was a patron, making reference to the pub in his novel

'Our Mutual Friend'. Oscar Wilde reputedly featured the pub in his Gothic novel,

“Dorian Gray”.

Further information: http://www.thegrapes.co.uk/

RDA Expositions 2017

RDA Expositions 2017 represented at the ETOA GEM 20 16 in London

RDA Strategic Partner ETOA – European Tour Operators Association organises the

annual Global European Marketplace (GEM) Workshop – one of the largest B2B

trade-only events for the UK-European tourism sector. This year’s GEM took place on

Friday, 4th November 2016 in the ‘O2 Intercontinental Hotel’ in Greenwich London.

330 ETOA buyers and 380 ETOA suppliers attended with a total of 14,500

appointments being arranged on the day, an average of 20 appointments per supplier.

The RDA and RDA Expositions in Friedrichshafen and in Cologne were prominently

featured in GEM signage, GEM catalogue, appointment announcements and with a

prominently situated information table which was staffed by RDA CEO Dieter Gauf and

by RDA Market Representative for the UK, Ireland & the Commonwealth Dr. Patrick

Patridge. Many RDA members called by to say hello while enquiries were received by

many ETOA members, buyers and suppliers alike about the RDA Expositions 2017 in

Friedrichshafen and in Cologne and about the Day of Coach Tourism 2017 in Bremen-

Bremerhaven.

GEM participation is exclusive to ETOA members only. RDA members – hoteliers in

particular - who would like to take advantage of our Strategic ETOA-RDA Partnership

are welcome to participate in the Hoteliers European Marketplace (HEM) 2017 on 20th

February 2017 in Florence, Italy. ETOA supplier and buyer members are likewise

encouraged to exhibit and attend the RDA- Expositions 2017 in Friedrichshafen and in

Cologne.


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Dieter Gauf in discussions at GEM 2016 in London

Further information: www.etoa.org, http://www.etoa.org/hem and

http://www.etoa.org/events/event-item/2017/02/20/default-calendar/hoteliers-european-

marketplace-(hem)-2017

Further information:

RDA-Workshop Touristik-Service GmbH

Tel. +49-221-12 04 48

E-Mail: [email protected]

Web: http://www.rda-workshop.de/en

Information about Friedrichshafen: http://en.friedrichshafen.info/ and

https://www.messe-friedrichshafen.de/mfn-en/


December 2016

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Industry News

CTA – Coach Holiday Conference 2017 in Bournemouth

Geoff Ramm, creator and author of ‘Celebrity Service’ and ‘OMG Marketing’, will be the

keynote speaker at the 2017 Coach Holiday Conference & Workshop at the Hilton

Bournemouth on 29th and 30th January 2017. A multi-award winning and inspirational

speaker on customer service and marketing, Geoff has been chosen to appeal to the

cross section of delegates from both sides of the industry who attend this popular

conference.

CTA is also pleased to confirm that delegate rates for 2017 have been held at this

year’s rates. The 24-hour delegate rate, including DBB on Sunday, 29th January 2017,

attendance at the Conference and Workshop and including lunch on Monday, 30th

January, will be £125 per person for operators and £225 per person for suppliers. The

day delegate rate is £60 for operators and £165 for suppliers.

Registration: http://www.coachtourismassociation.co.uk/cta-conference-2017/

Further information: http://www.coachtourismassociation.co.uk/

Coach Tourism Association (UK) Handbook 2017

The Coach Tourism Association (CTA) Handbook is reputed to be one of the UK

industry’s “must read” publications. It is circulated across the CTA membership and the

wider UK coach tourism industry and also provides an invaluable reference for RDA

members the whole year round.

The 2017 edition will be published in January 2017 and will once again be produced by

RDA Member company Plum Publishing on behalf of the CTA. The CTA Handbook

2017 is an excellent means of targeting key buyer and supplier players in the UK coach

tourism sector. A full range of advertisements is still available for any RDA members

interested in targeting the UK outbound coach groups market. Submission deadline is

6th January 2017.


December 2016

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Further information by Ms. Sue Rooney: [email protected]

Simon Smith succeeds Alf Scrimgour at CPT (UK)

Following the retirement of Alf Scrimgour, RDA EACT and strategic partner, CPT UK,

has appointed Simon Smith as its Tourism and Coaching Assistant. Simon will be

responsible for developing and promoting the popular UK Coach Friendly awards for

Towns, Cities, Villages and Tourism Attractions. Liaising with Tourism organisations and

the administration of the popular Coachmarque Accreditation scheme. Simon joins CPT

from the retail sector.

Mail: [email protected]

Tel: +44-20-7240 3131

Simon Smith


December 2016

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New RDA Members

A big and warm welcome to the following new RDA mem bers:

4S BusPort GmbH Hamburg DE 10587 Berlin 0049 .30 .4606130 www.4-service.de [email protected] Genesys International GmbH DE 34128 Kassel 0049 .561 .9886680 www.genesys-international.com [email protected] Hotel Goldener Adler DE 02625 Bautzen 0049 .3591 .48660 www.goldeneradler.de [email protected] busnetworx GmbH DE 04129 Leipzig 0049 .341 .90970327 www.busnetworx.com [email protected] Wonderful Berlin DE 10709 Berlin 0049 .30 .43201105 www.wonderful-berlin.de [email protected]