
UK-France Joint Leaders Declaration – school trips
On Friday UK PM met with President Macron to reaffirm the long standing friendship and partnership between France and the UK. One important part of that agreement is set out in the declaration referring to school trips

UK unveils plans for travel scheme to bolster the border
Visitors from the Gulf Cooperation Council states, and Jordan, will be the first to benefit from the UK’s new Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) scheme, ahead of a worldwide expansion of the scheme throughout 2024. Qatari visitors will be the first to be able to apply for an ETA in October 2023

DBT unveils new ‘Help to Grow’ site to support businesses and grow the economy
The Department for Business and Trade has unveiled a new centralised website, targeted at helping the UK’s 5.5 million businesses

Kingswood partner with EtonX
New for 2023! Kingswood’s UK-wide centres are now giving international students ages 13 to 20 the opportunity to study EtonX courses as part of their highly-rated English in Action, Explore and Adventure courses

KILROY youth travel agency launches in the UK
KILROY, a leading youth and student travel agency headquartered in Copenhagen, Denmark, announced its launch in the United Kingdom. KILROY will offer a selection of inspiring once-in-a-lifetime experiences to the UK youth market, focused on backpacking and adventure travel

Imperial College London Summer Accommodation
Imperial College London Summer Accommodation Imperial has a great selection of modern accommodation and flexible event spaces to suit your every need West London Offering more than 1,000 affordable guest bedrooms, Imperial’s newest residential complex located in West London is perfect for summer schools, educational groups or language schools. Boasting a selection of modern, affordable single and twin en-suite bedrooms, as well as flexible teaching and classroom spaces this makes it the ideal choice. What’s more, you can enjoy access to a communal kitchen and living room, games area and a roof terrace. The convenient location, only 2 minutes’ walk from North Acton underground station, means you can be in Central London in just 20 minutes. Central London Nestled in the heart of London, Imperial’s South Kensington accommodation & event spaces are in an ideal location, moments from Hyde Park, the Royal Albert Hall and the museums of Exhibition Road. With a diverse range of spaces including classrooms, lecture theatres and sports facilities. Along with a variety of 4* rated single, twin and double en-suite bedrooms. Imperial Venues is the perfect place for summer schools and educational groups. For more information, contact a member of the Imperial Venue’s team or […]

BUNAC and USIT launch JENZA a new global Work and Travel Brand
GEN Z Create new global work and travel brand that puts youth voices, job security and peer reviews at the heart of its proposition

A Spotlight on Sylwester Sobilo
I see very very positive future for this industry and I believe it will grow from year to year, however there are some challenges created that are going to create obstacles for the industry Brexit is definitely one of the in my opinion as we have less and less students coming the the UK from Europe

VisitBritain launches multi-million pound campaign inspiring visitors to ‘See Things Differently,’ driving bookings to Britain
National tourism agency VisitBritain has this week started rolling out its new multi-million pound international campaign for 2023 to drive tourism to Britain

Camp Beaumont Expands Overseas
Camp Beaumont, an award-winning school holiday camp provider in the UK, part of leading outdoor learning and education specialist, Inspiring Learning, has expanded into Thailand, Malaysia, and Singapore this year

Generator Third Berlin property at AlexanderPlatz
Generator signs its first third-party management contract in Europe to operate its third Berlin property at Alexanderplatz

Immerse Education partners with a number of high profile organisations
After ten years of providing exceptional educational experiences to students, Immerse Education is buildng on its quality and reputation with a number of high profile partnerships to enhance student outcomes

Spotlight on Inspiring Learning
I head up a team that works with international schools and tour operators to bring students to the UK, typically as part of an educational residential trip. A big aspect of the role is building and maintaining strong relationships to encourage no just consistent business but growth. Other parts of the job include keeping up to date with emerging market trends, managing potential risks and creating a robust sales strategy

YHA to deliver brand-new residential experiences for young people
YHA announces a forthcoming partnership with Ingeus & NCS to deliver brand-new residential experiences for young people Following a commissioning process, NCS has announce that a consortium between Youth Hostels Association of England and Wales (YHA) and Ingeus and have successfully won the bid to deliver the NCS 2023-25 residential experience. In November 2022, National Citizen Service Trust (NCS) which has run youth programmes for 16-17 year olds for over ten years, outlined the evolution of their experiences for young people from 2023 onwards. The new experiences will give young people more control over how and when they engage with NCS, and offer more opportunities to get involved closer to home. Ingeus and YHA will deliver the new one week NCS residential experience across England, consisting of a five day stay away from home where young people will take part in project-based learning activities that centre around one of three themes; employability, independent living, or social action. With a mix of adventurous activities and skills for life, young people will have the opportunity to make new friends from different locations and backgrounds, and discover their own potential. Having a selection of thematic experiences, containing different content, and making them available […]

Spotlight on: David Gardner, First Travel Solutions
Sustainability will inevitably become more important to more clients and the use of coach services is a great way of keeping your carbon footprint low, especially if car travel is the alternative Tell us a bit about your role and how it supports the business? My role is to increase First Travel Solution’s business, i.e. handling more group travel business by coach and minibus in the UK market. Alongside our other sales channels, the educational travel market is very important to us and we take great pride in providing our clients with a quality service that won’t let them down. Furthermore, as we run our own schools tour operator – First Education and School Travel – we fully understand the requirements and challenges of the marketplace. What has been your career highlight to date? The boss would say working under his inspirational leadership, but secretly it was travelling with Dave Grohl and the Foo Fighters from London to the Glastonbury Festival when they played the venue a few years ago. Everyone says it, but what a nice bloke that man is. FTS arranged the final leg of the journey from Bath by road, so […]

Tourism Set to Return to Pre-Pandemic Levels in Some Regions in 2023
After stronger than expected recovery in 2022, this year could see international tourist arrivals return to pre-pandemic levels in Europe and the Middle East. Tourists are nonetheless expected to increasingly seek value for money and travel closer to home in response to the challenging economic climate

Coronation weekend celebrations that will bring communities together announced
Millions of people across the country and the Commonwealth are invited to celebrate the Coronation of His Majesty The King and Her Majesty The Queen Consort over a weekend of special events.

The government unveils new “Energy Bills Discount Scheme” for businesses
The government announces the new “Energy Bills Discount Scheme” for UK businesses, charities, and the public sector from April.

Inspiring Learning Summer holiday camp with a difference
Recognising the value of international experiences, Inspiring Learning’s Camp Beaumont team have launched the ultimate summer holiday camp that incorporates the transformative benefits of outdoor adventure

Spotlight On Katie Weller, National Gallery
The knock-on effect from Brexit, travel issues with airlines and trains and the cost of living will have a knock on effect with the international student market. On the flip side, the strength of the dollar will help increase visits making the UK a more attractive destination for US students.

BETA is proud to support the Family Holiday Charity
We are delighted to adopt the Family Holiday Charity as our official charity partner

See the spellbinding original London Production of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child
There’s magic in every moment at Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, the most awarded new play in history (Forbes).

Precautionary and temporary measures introduced to improve COVID surveillance from China
England joins a growing list of countries across the world to announce temporary measures as COVID cases rise in China ahead of borders re-opening next week

VisitBritain forecasts strong recovery in inbound visitor spending in 2023
VisitBritain has published its inbound tourism forecast for 2023 with continued strong recovery predicted in overseas visitor spending. It shows spending by inbound visitors is predicted to grow faster than visitor volume, with higher spending also per trip.

Tourism and the UK’s Economic Recovery
The UK tourism industry is one of the largest sectors of the UK economy. The 303,000 businesses in the sector generate £157bn for the UK economy and provide employment for 3.4m people

Post-Brexit youth, student and educational travel debate
Earlier this week BETA was invited to give evidence at the House of Lords European Affairs Committee on post-Brexit youth, student and educational travel.

BETA members join together to lobby in Parliament
Last week in Parliament BETA hosted a reception to highlight the enormous contribution that youth, student and educational travel delivers to the UK each year and to highlight the barriers to growth for our sector

Intravelr introduces in-house happiness committee
The committee formed by employees from the business, is responsible for running initiatives, creating a fun and inspiring environment, and organising events that help the workforce to be more motivated and productive, while also supporting their mental health and wellbeing going into 2023.

West London English School supporting charity RefuAid
In early 2020, Ealing-based West London English School was approached by the charity RefuAid to ask whether they’d be interested in helping refugees resume careers and education in the UK

Up at The O2 new dazzling light installation
This December, Up at The O2 is offering customers a festive experience like no other, as they bring Christmas to new heights. For one day only on 3 December, those who book a Twilight Climb will be able to enjoy the highest outdoor Christmas carol concert in the capital on the roof of the world’s most popular music, entertainment, and leisure venue.

Spotlight On Josh Behn, Disney Tickets
Post-Covid there has been a real importance on providing flexibility and confidence to group bookers and schools. We have designed a range of options such as Flexi-Tickets and Guest Credit, in order to provide that reassurance and encourage a return to the theatre

International student recruitment from Europe: the road to recovery
European students have historically made up around a third of all the international

Major boost for North East tourism as region is chosen for initiative to increase visitor numbers
North East England will pilot a new £2.25 million scheme to restructure tourism boards

The UK will be a firm friend to the Indo-Pacific
The Prime Minister will emphasise the importance of the Indo-Pacific region to global security and prosperity as he continues to hold talks with his counterparts at the G20 Summit in Indonesia

New research highlights the enormous loss to UK plc due to the removal of ID cards
This dramatic drop is due to the elimination of the ‘List of Travellers’

Anglo Educational Services launch Culture Abroad Grant
The grant is to support students that ordinarily may struggle to afford to have a culture/study abroad experience but are passionate about doing so.

ICEF committed to agent training with launch of ICEF Academy
New e-learning platform puts international student recruitment best practices directly

Spotlight on Beth Scoble, Anglo Educational Services
we have just completed our busiest summer yet. We had more than double the number of interns we have had any previous summer, and this is looking to be the case for the majority of our intakes going forward Tell us a bit about your role and how it supports the business? As Head of Experiential Learning and Placements, I lead our internships team and oversee the pairing of students with employment opportunities across London whilst they are undertaking their semester abroad. On top of this, I’m always looking to grow and develop our experiential based learning programmes by growing our relationship with existing partner universities, onboarding new partners and agencies, as well as looking at how we can help independent students to benefit from our programmes. What has been your career highlight to date? Without a doubt, it has to be overseeing the launch of our virtual internships programme. At a time when we were all spending months on end working from living rooms, bedrooms and spare bedrooms, it was extremely rewarding to not only diversify what we offer as an organisation, but to also still be able to help hundreds of students to gain invaluable work experience for […]

Invasion announces major rebrand, changing its name to Intravelr
Invasion, a company that specialises in providing unforgettable experiences to the

Anglo Educational Services is launching two new student housing buildings
Anglo Educational Services (AES) continues its expansion and launches two new student housing buildings: Anglo Farringdon and Brick Lane. Both are in vibrant areas in central London with easy access to the sights, shopping venues and food markets

Damaging Government action hindering tourism’s post-pandemic recovery, DCMD Committee warns
The removal of tax-free shopping for visitors from abroad was ‘both short-sighted and incredibly damaging’ to UK tourism, MPs say today, with the decision to reinstate it then remove it again illustrative of the lack of thought given to the industry by the Government

Manchester Metropolitan University Conference and Events help Real Change MCR
Over the last few years, Manchester Metropolitan University Conference and Events team have been helping to raise money for Real Change MCR by donating £1 of each delegate rate they receive to the fund.

Spotlight On Suzanne Lawrence, Homestay International
My role within Homestay International has been challenging and rewarding in terms of new host safer recruitment and welcoming group travel and individuals. Providing bespoke programmes to our partners – something that we will continue to do.

UK abolishes visitor visas for Colombian nationals
The UK announces that nationals of Colombia will not need a visitor visa to travel to the United Kingdom for a period of up to six months

GREAT campaign drives growth across the four corners of the UK
GREAT’s ‘Study UK’ campaign is set to generate £407m of investment right across the UK, from international students registered in 2021/22

Spotlight on Gareth Evans, National Express Transport Solutions
I joined NXTS eight months ago as part of the Business Development Team. I brought

NETS ambition to be the world’s greenest mass transit provider
A quarter of the UK’s carbon emissions come from the transport sector. Pre-

HAGGiS Adventures new 6-day Volunteer Adventures to the Isle of Skye
The Isle of Skye has been welcoming HAGGiS Adventures for almost three

Londonist pick up two industry awards
It has been a monumental start to September for Londonist. Adding to our further growth in the PBSA sector, we are proud to inform you that Londonist has won two significant awards in the industry

ICEF acquires PIER, creating the industry’s largest professional development network
ICEF has completed the acquisition of the digital platform PIER from Australia-based International Education Services (IES) for an undisclosed sum.

Wicked Direct London Stage Musical launches global distribution platform for the travel & Tourism Industry
WICKED, “one of the most successful musicals of all time” (BBC News), today announces the official launch of its new global distribution platform for the travel & tourism, corporate and group leisure industries. Available now, Wicked Direct provides access to the award-winning musical’s London ticket inventory, ensuring that booking FIT and group tickets for “London’s #1 show” (LBC) is now faster, easier, and commercially more attractive than ever before.

Government Plans To Cut Energy Bills
Government outlines plans to help cut energy bills for businesses Support for households, businesses and public sector organisations facing rising energy bills has been unveiled New government scheme will see energy prices for non-domestic energy customers such as businesses, charities and public sector organisations cut – protecting them from rising energy costs government work with suppliers will reduce wholesale energy costs – and the significant rises in bills that businesses have seen this support is in addition to the Energy Price Guarantee for households, with further measures today to strengthen support for families across the United Kingdom, including those in rentals or park homes New support for households, businesses and public sector organisations facing rising energy bills in Great Britain and Northern Ireland has been unveiled by Business Secretary Jacob Rees-Mogg today (Wednesday 21 September) – supporting growth, preventing unnecessary insolvencies and protecting jobs. Through a new government Energy Bill Relief Scheme, the government will provide a discount on wholesale gas and electricity prices for all non-domestic customers (including all UK businesses, the voluntary sector like charities and the public sector such as schools and hospitals) whose current gas and electricity prices have been significantly inflated in light of global […]

International Tourism Consolidates Strong Recovery Amidst Growing Challenges
International tourism continues to show signs of a strong and steady recovery from the impact of the pandemic despite significant mounting economic and geopolitical challenges

JAOS Launch Study Abroad Award
November 12 Established as “Study Abroad Day” JAOS Registers Annual Commemoration Day Will Launch JAOS Study Abroad Award

Disney Tickets, book direct for live events and experiences
Disney Tickets is the home of Disney live entertainment across the UK, offering guests the ability to book direct with Disney for live events and experiences

World Nomads survey finds travel confidence remains high
Despite a summer of travel chaos in the United States, an overwhelming majority of Americans now say that nothing would stop them booking a vacation

Spotlight on Astor Hostels
Don’t sweat the small stuff. It’s very easy to get bogged down in the detail without seeing the bigger picture, both in the moment but also over the longer term. Take a step back, be patient and work hard and the rest will follow

UNBOXED: Creativity in the UK is proud to invite you to PoliNations
UNBOXED: Creativity in the UK is proud to invite you to PoliNations, an epic super garden of magical proportions based in Victoria Square, Birmingham 2-18 September

Inspiring Learning partners with UKSA to launch new ‘Woodland and Waves’ residential programme
Inspiring Learning provides unique, educational, and fun-filled adventure programmes and is one of the UK’s largest providers of adventure camps under its Kingswood brand, with residential centres across the country

VisitBritain upgrade 2022 forecast
The annual VisitBritain forecast for the volume and value of inbound tourism to the UK is usually issued towards the end of each year. We are updating this page more regularly at the present time to reflect the impact of COVID-19 on inbound tourism to the UK. Inbound forecast last updated August 11th.

The National Gallery Summer on the Square
A free festival of immersive art, creativity and community

Inspiring Learning offer free places for Ukrainian children this summer
We’re delighted to have teamed up with Mail Force to offer 10,000 funded places for

Spotlight on EngXcel
Some existing trends, such as adults choosing to learn online, have been accelerated by Covid-19, and we are seeing evidence of the pre-Covid trend towards language-focused ‘experiences’ rather than traditional courses re-emerge strongly since travel re-started

Beds & Bars take home Investors in People Platinum for a third time running!
Mark Vaughan, Beds & Bars People Director is extremely proud to announce that they

Bayswater Expands to Vancouver
Following on from the recent acquisition of Stafford House Toronto and Calgary, Bayswater Education are pleased to announce the opening of Bayswater Vancouver on September 5th 2022

Rooms are now available at the Londonist Dublin Student Residence
If you’re looking for student accommodation in Dublin, Londonist Student Residence is the place to be. Our apartments are comfortable, safe, and secure and have been chosen specifically to make travelling from your university as easy as possible, thanks to their prime location

BETA & TIECA SIGN MOU
The British Educational Travel Association (BETA) and Thailand International Education Association (TIECA) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to support, strengthen and increase collaboration between their members in the youth, student and educational travel industry.

£1.5 million to boost recruitment : aviation sector
New funding to develop skills and careers to support the future of the aviation industry

New plan for tourism boards
New accreditation scheme for tourism boards will make it easier for holiday makers and visitors to plan trips to must-see destinations across England

YouGov, Travel & Tourism Report 2022
Read the latest YouGov report on Gen Z’s travel behavior, their overall attitude to travel, where they seek travel inspiration, and what sets them apart as the new generation of travelers, currently shaping the future of the industry

Turing scheme helps more disadvantaged students
The second year of the Turing Scheme will see work or study placements in over 150 destinations across the world for students at school, college or university

More opportunities for young Brits and Kiwis to live and work abroad
The UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson and New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda

YHA announces new travel trade sales manager
We’d like to introduce you to our new travel trade sales manager, James Heading. An experienced traveller, James lived in Spain for a year before joining YHA in 2016 as part of our travel trade team

HAGGiS Adventures releases first Impact Report
The Travel Corporation’s first Impact Report covers the progress our family of brands has made against our 11 sustainability goals since the launch of our 5-year sustainability strategy How We Tread Right, in September 2020

Up at The O2 celebrates its ten-year anniversary
To commemorate this amazing milestone, Alistair Wood, who is the Vice President of Real Estate and Development for AEG Europe shares his thoughts on the early thinking behind the attraction and then some of the challenges and successes we have had over the past decade.

Spotlight on: Toby Harris, Endsleigh
I really like the saying ‘dreams remain dreams until you take action’ – I think this is a wonderful and uplifting way of thinking, that anything can be accomplished if you put your mind to it.

Londonist add North Lodge residence to portfolio
With 260 rooms available, we have now expanded our capacity to cater to the accommodation needs of more students and provide them with the unique opportunity to feel at home away from home

Tracking what motivates young people to travel
New research by the British Educational Travel Association (BETA) in collaboration with Hype Collective and the University of Edinburgh Business School reveals what is motivating young people to travel post covid

Spotlight on: Sophie Chambers, Camp America
You have to forget about the past and look forward. As the saying goes “we’re all in the same boat” which we are personally and professionally. Everyone has just had to pause over the last two years and start fresh in this new world.

YHA fully re-open network with the help of the government culture recovery fund
Nearly £1 million has been awarded to YHA (England & Wales) in the latest round of funding from the Government’s Culture Recovery Fund for Heritage.

The Play that Goes Wrong
Do not miss the multi award-winning international smash hit show The Play That Goes Wrong, the longest running comedy in the West End

Layered Reality open London’s biggest new attraction The Gunpowder plot
1605. The fuse of rebellion is lit. The peace of the nation balances on a knife edge. Who will you trust?

Introduce a Youth Group Travel Scheme for EU under 18’s
We propose that the UK Government introduce a scheme that allows students under 18 to enter the UK on a single travel document in order to boost educational travel from Europe

St Christopher’s Inns open new Vienna property
Beds & Bars is proud to announce acquisition of a new property in Vienna’s 10th district, taking over the lease of a 68-room property and opening what will be St Christopher’s Inns’ 19th hostel in Europe

Spotlight on: Charlotte Sabin, Immerse Education
The support network is everything. Knowing your partners well, be that agencies, school leaders, suppliers, host colleges or summer staff becomes crucial in difficult times. Being able to step up and support each other, with all of our shared knowledge and resources, is a gift that I hope we continue to make the most of

Thousands more global study and work opportunities for UK students
Bids have opened for the second year of the Turing Scheme, as UK students travelled to over 100 countries across the globe since scheme launched last year

Wombat’s City Hostels opening in Munich, Germany
Good things come to those who waitL After delays due to Corona and a water accident on the construction site last autumn (in which, luckily, no one by the schedule was hurt), the time has finally come: Our new flagship house in Munich’s trendy ‘Werksviertel’ set sail on April 28th!

National Gallery announce new & exclusive group and trade tours
Explore over 700 years of wall-to-wall masterpieces and discover the history and stories from our world-renowned collection, all led by our Gallery approved expert guides. These official guided tours are available at preferential rates during the day, as well as exclusive access out of hours

MMU Conferences and Events proud to be part of the UK’s Most Sustainable University
It’s been a great start to the year for Manchester Met with the University coming top of the People and Planet Green League, ahead of every other UK University

The View from The Shard launch Sightseeing Experience from the River
The View from The Shard, the popular visitor attraction that sits at the top of The Shard, has partnered with Uber Boat by Thames Clippers, London’s River Bus, to launch a brand-new sightseeing river experience

BETA AND IALCA SIGN MOU
The British Educational Travel Association (BETA) and Italian Association of Language Consultants & Agents (IALCA) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to support, strengthen and increase collaboration between their members in the youth, student and educational travel industry

Spotlight on: David Bridges, Ardmore Language Schools
COVID has shown that we can adapt to any situation and be able to pivot the business in an ever changing world. Whether that’s launching new global products, delivering a variety of programmes in the UK or creating an educational platform from scratch.

Patricia Yates to step up as CEO of VisitBritain
National tourism agency VisitBritain/VisitEngland has announced that its deputy CEO Patricia Yates is stepping up to be CEO.

The UK Stands with Ukraine
Everyone wants to do their bit to support those who have been forced to flee their homes because of the invasion. Here is how you can help. #StandWithUkraine

Euroventure heads to Ukraine to facilitate to movement of refugees to UK
GOAT Roadtrip is setting up a team of volunteers to assist in the movement of refugees to the UK as part of the ‘Homes for Ukraine’ refugee scheme

All COVID-19 travel restrictions removed in the UK
The government will remove the remaining COVID-19 international travel restrictions for all passengers from 4am Friday 18 March

BETA AND SEA SIGN MOU
The British Educational Travel Association (BETA) and SEA Association of Language Centres of the Argentine Republic have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to support, strengthen and increase collaboration between their members in the youth, student and educational travel industry. The purpose of this MOU is to strengthen cooperation between the two associations, to build trust, align messaging and to offer reciprocal support and industry intelligence. Commenting on the partnership, Emma English, BETA’s Executive Director said We are delighted to sign an MoU with SEA. Our goals align perfectly and Latin America is an important source market for the UK. By aligning with SEA we are able to formulate a series of actions and events that can support the long-term recovery of our members. Through this partnership we will encourage member to member collaboration to create safe, fun and innovative products, programmes and itineraries for young people Fabio Tavares Coordinador General of SEA added The flow of students between Argentina and the United Kingdom has historically had a paramount importance, since it mirrors the relevance of educational travel, the linguistic-cultural immersion, the learning of English and Spanish and the internationalization of education from an intercultural perspective, hence promoting the development and the understanding of the peoples. Therefore, generating […]

VisitBritain launch new three-year partnership & USA campaign with British Airways
VisitBritain and British Airways have this week launched a multi-million pound campaign in the USA, Britain’s largest and most valuable inbound visitor market, titled ‘Meanwhile in Britain’

Cyber security
Following Russia’s further violation of Ukraine’s territorial integrity, the National Cyber Security Centre has called on organisations in the UK to bolster their online defences