To ensure we continue to help GTOs and coach operators discover the best ideas and most appropriate advice, and to share insight with the travel trade, we asked readers and the wider market to complete a new survey.
Getting the latest views and insight enables us to better understand our audience and be able to share valuable information and trends.
Of course, asking where readers find ideas, advice and contacts is also important, as are their opinions on what we do and offer. We also wanted to know where GTOs and coach operators are going for trusted sources of information and how they discover what’s new.
The survey allowed participants to respond over a period between 8th September and 19th October 2025 and we had 387 genuine respondents. The number of respondents who provided information also makes the latest survey statistically significant.
Here’s what we found out…
For starters, we had a good mix of GTOs and coach tour operators respond.
WE ASKED: Who do you organise group trips for?
| Social Club | 16% |
| Retirement Club / Association | 14% |
| Friends | 13% |
| Special Interest Group | 12% |
| U3A | 12% |
| Women’s Institute / Guild | 7% |
| Customers of the business I work for | 6% |
| Sports Club | 6% |
| Family | 5% |
| Other | 5% |
| PROBUS | 4%* |
* answers included: community centres, church, Arts Society, student groups, Retired NHS Staff, Local Over 50s, Village Travel Group, Dance Class and more.
WE ASKED: how many members are there within your group in total?
| 50 or less | 25% |
| 50-100 | 21% |
| 200-300 | 20% |
| 300-400 | 6% |
| 400-500 | 4% |
| 500+ | 11% |
| 1000+ | 10% |
| Other | 3% |
WE ASKED: what age ranges do you have in your group? (select all that apply)
| 18 and under | 12% |
| 18-24 | 17% |
| 25-34 | 33% |
| 35-44 | 36% |
| 45-54 | 39% |
| 55-64 | 73% |
| 65-74 | 65% |
| 75+ | 64% |
WE ASKED: How far ahead do you normally plan group trips and holidays?
| Type | 3 months or less | 3 months+ | 6 months+ | 12 months+ | 18 months+ | n/a |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Day Trips | 14% | 27% | 34% | 20% | 3% | 2% |
| Theatre Trips | 21% | 21% | 23% | 11% | 2% | 22% |
| Short Breaks in Britain | 11% | 15% | 26% | 30% | 3% | 15% |
| Short Breaks Abroad | 7% | 11% | 26% | 29% | 5% | 22% |
| Short Haul Holidays (a week+) | 5% | 9% | 18% | 29% | 16% | 23% |
| Long Haul Holidays | 2% | 4% | 9% | 16% | 15% | 54% |
| Cruise Holidays | 2% | 8% | 12% | 12% | 16% | 50% |
WE ASKED: How far do you / would you travel as a group for…
| Type | Up to 25 miles | Up to 50 miles | Up to 100 miles | Up to 200 miles | 200 miles+ | n/a |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Day Trips | 12% | 17% | 52% | 12% | 5% | 2% |
| UK Short Breaks (2-5 nights) | 2% | 2% | 11% | 21% | 49% | 15% |
| UK Holidays (6 nights or more) | 1% | 1% | 13% | 24% | 46% | 15% |
WE ASKED: How many trips do you organise in a ‘normal’ year?
| Type | 1 - 10 | 11 - 20 | 21 - 30 | 31 - 40 | 50+ | n/a |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Day Trips | 52% | 27% | 11% | 5% | 3% | 2% |
| Theatre Trips | 46% | 19% | 7% | 5% | 2% | 21% |
| UK Short Breaks | 79% | 3% | 2% | 1% | 0% | 15% |
| European Breaks & Holidays | 51% | 19% | 4% | 1% | 0% | 25% |
| Long Haul Holidays | 29% | 11% | 6% | 1% | 0% | 53% |
WE ASKED: What type of trips / excursions do you usually organise? (select all that apply
| Historic Venues | 80% |
| Theatre | 65% |
| Guided Tours | 64% |
| Gardens | 62% |
| Museums / Visitor Centres / Galleries | 60% |
| Vintage / Historic Railways | 58% |
| Christmas / Festive | 57% |
| Seaside / Coastal | 46% |
| Exhibitions & Shows | 44% |
| Concerts & Festivals | 37% |
| River Cruising | 27% |
| Theme Parks | 25% |
| Zoos & Wildlife Attractions | 25% |
| Shopping | 23% |
| Ocean Cruising | 20% |
| Walking | 18% |
| Live Sport Experiences | 8% |
| Other (please specify) | 12%* |
* answers included: dance themed, mystery tours, boat trips, immersive experiences, escape rooms, food experiences, distilleries, breweries.
Magazines and media habits
WE ASKED: What magazines or publications do you read or use on a regular basis to find ideas and advice for group trips and holidays? (select all that apply)
| Group Leisure & Travel | 100% |
| Who’s Who in Group Leisure | 55% |
| Coaching Venues & Excursions Guide | 39% |
| Group Travel World | 22% |
| The Blueprint Guide to Group Travel | 9% |
| Group Travel Today | 6% |
| Coach Tours UK | 5% |
| Coach Touring | 4% |
| Discover Britain for Groups | 3% |
| Other (please specify) | 14%* |
* answers included: tour operator brochures, AGTO Traveller, School Travel Organiser, tourist board publications, newspaper articles, Royal Academy Magazine.
100% of respondents said they read Group Leisure & Travel magazine on a regular basis, and 90% told us it was their most trusted and important source of information.
WE ASKED: Which magazine or publication is your preferred reading choice? (select only one)
| Group Leisure & Travel | 93% |
| Who’s Who in Group Leisure | 3% |
| Coaching Venues & Excursions Guide | 2% |
| Other | 1%* |
| Group Travel Today | 1% |
| The Blueprint Guide to Group Travel | 0% |
| Coach Tours UK | 0% |
| Coach Touring | 0% |
| Discover Britain for Groups | 0% |
| Group Travel World | 0% |
* answers included: tourist board publications, newspaper articles, Royal Academy Magazine.
WE ASKED: When selecting or considering trips, visits, holidays or any form of group travel, which magazine or publication is your most trusted and important source of information? (select only one)
| Group Leisure & Travel | 90% |
| Other | 5%* |
| Coach Tours UK | 2% |
| Coaching Venues & Excursions Guide | 1% |
| Group Travel Today | 1% |
| Who’s Who in Group Leisure | 1% |
| The Blueprint Guide to Group Travel | 0% |
| Coach Touring | 0% |
| Discover Britain for Groups | 0% |
| Group Travel World | 0% |
* answers included: AGTO Traveller, individual tourist board publications, Royal Academy Magazine.
WE ASKED: Do you keep copies of magazines, guides, directories, etc to use for future reference?
You said…
Yes 86%
No 14%
WE ASKED: When reading and looking for ideas, what formats / platforms do you use?
WE ASKED: What websites do you visit or use to find ideas and advice for group trips and holidays? (select all that apply)
| Group Leisure & Travel | 79% |
| Group Travel World | 14% |
| Other | 13%* |
| London for Groups | 11% |
| Discover Britain for Groups | 9% |
| We Want Groups | 9% |
| Coach Tours UK | 8% |
| Group Travel Today | 5% |
| Coach Touring | 3% |
| None of the above | 3% |
| The Blueprint Guide to Group Travel | 1% |
* answers included: TripAdvisor, National Trust, English Heritage, venue websites, tour operators, tourist boards, newspapers.
WE ASKED: Which website is your preferred reading choice? (select only one)
| Group Leisure & Travel | 61% |
| Other | 6%* |
| London for Groups | 4% |
| Discover Britain for Groups | 3% |
| We Want Groups | 2% |
| Group Travel Today | 1% |
| Group Travel World | 1% |
| None of the above | 1% |
| The Blueprint Guide to Group Travel | 0% |
| Coach Tours UK | 0% |
| Coach Touring | 0% |
* answers included: tourist boards, TripAdvisor, English Heritage, National Trust.
The Group Leisure & Travel website was used by 79% of respondents, with the next best at only 14%.
WE ASKED: Is it important to you to know the source of the information / content you are reading?
You said…
Yes 95%
No 5%
WE ASKED: How much do you trust answers and content generated by Artificial Intelligence (AI) compared to that generated by the team at Group Leisure & Travel?
WE ASKED: When reading online and using the web, what do you prefer?
| Using a desktop or laptop computer | 71% |
| Using a mobile phone | 19% |
| Using a tablet | 10% |
WE ASKED: How do you use social media and what social media platforms do you use?
When it comes to the use of social media, nearly a quarter of respondents (22%) confirmed that they do not use social media at all. However 38% told us it was a useful tool to ‘communicate with group members’ but a further 22% said they ‘do not use social media for any group travel purposes’.
| 72% | |
| 17% | |
| 16% | |
| X (formerly Twitter) | 8% |
| 6% | |
| Bluesky | 1% |
| Snapchat | 1% |
| Tik Tok | 1% |
| Threads | 1% |
| Other (please specify) | 9%* |
| None of the above | 20% |
* answers included: WhatsApp, Google, Nextdoor.
Exhibitions
WE ASKED: What exhibitions do you visit to get group travel ideas and meet contacts? (select all that apply)
| Group Leisure & Travel Show | 69% |
| Excursions | 31% |
| British Tourism & Travel Show | 16% |
| London for Groups Live | 11% |
| Other (please specify) | 3%* |
| None of the above | 14% |
* answers included: World Travel Market, local tourist board shows.
WE ASKED: What is your preferred exhibition to visit? (select one)
| Group Leisure & Travel Show | 62% |
| Excursions | 23% |
| British Tourism & Travel Show | 5% |
| London for Groups Live | 5% |
| Other | 5%* |
WE ASKED: If you have any comments about Group Leisure & Travel magazine and its portfolio we’d love to hear your thoughts…
Here are a selection of answers…
- There are so many ideas, suggestions and helpful advice in the magazines. I look forward to reading other GTO adventures as well as the feedback from other sources.
- It is a very good magazine. Interesting to read about featured GTOs and how they operate. I always flick to the ‘Grumpy Group Organiser’ for his topical views on the world of travel.
- Love receiving the magazine, it’s really colourful and full of ideas and useful tips/information, plus honest reviews.
- The arrival of my hard copy of GLT magazine is always looked forward to, also your emails in-between.
- I always look forward to an hour or two pouring over it, and I trust its content. I love the ‘Grumpy Group Organiser’ and am definitely turning into him! I’m always happy to contribute to articles whenever asked as I feel we all need to feed off each other regarding groups events.
- I find Group Leisure & Travel magazine so helpful for every aspect of my needs, including new ideas and helpful advertising.
- I quickly scan the new edition, mark things of interest. The adverts are as interesting as the editorial content.
The 2025 ‘Organising Group Trips & Holidays’ survey ran online between 8th September and 19th October and we had 387 respondents. This was a survey for group travel organisers and coach tour operators. Anyone not meeting that criteria, as well as any ‘spam’ or ‘bots’ were filtered out and not included in the final results.
Thank you to everyone who took the time to contribute.
No comments yet