News

The number of applications for higher education in the UK has steadily increased for domestic and international students. Experts predict that the PBSA sector will continue to grow in popularity, surpassing previous years. This projection has resulted in a greater demand for student accommodation, and we’re delighted to announce that AXO Seven Sisters has been added to our list of student accommodations.

LILA* is thrilled to announce its prestigious selection as their Cambridge English Qualifications Digital Exam Centre in the Northwest of England.

Business Barometer Report The latest British Educational Travel Association Business Barometer report is available to members To kickstart the year members of the British Educational Travel Association (BETA) were asked to complete the Business Barometer survey and the results were collated into the Business Barometer report. The report provides members’ insights into the current state of the market with the fieldwork taking place in January 2024. Taking a snapshot of the current state of the market, aspects covered include; Current and forecast customer numbers, Customer origin and comparison, Business confidence monitor, Benchmarking analysis. Some top-level headlines from the report are: Members estimate that the volume of international youth and student travel to the UK in 2023 was equivalent to 95% of that achieved in 2019 Compared with a year ago customer numbers and enquiries from international markets outside Europe have seen the strongest growth The source markets where forward bookings are above normal for the time of year are North America and Central / South America Short-term business confidence has fallen back fractionally since the previous BBB wave whereas longer-term confidence has edged up Emma English, Executive Director, BETA commented: “2023 was a positive year for the youth student and […]

Following the opening of the ETA scheme for the nationals of Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Oman, Bahrain, Kuwait and Jordan these nationals will be able to benefit from the use of an ETA to travel to the UK

The expansion takes effect on separate dates this year, with an increased annual quota for both nationalities, and the removal of the ballot process for Japanese nationals

Purpose-built student accommodation provider Unite Students is expanding its range of properties in the UK with new developments, including in London and Bristol

LILA* College, a renowned institution in the field of international education, is delighted to introduce its BRAND-NEW Junior Campus, set to provide a fun, immersive educational experience for international students this summer

The expansion takes effect later this month, with increased annual quota, increased age range and the removal of the ballot process. More young Brits and South Korean nationals will be eligible to experience life-changing opportunities in each other’s countries thanks to the expansion of shared visa schemes between the UK and South Korea.

At FOCUS London, 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

The Travel Trade team is excited to announce brand new themed tours for private groups.

Bayswater launches new Skills Programmes for 2024 to help bridge the skills gap

Group Line: Operation Mincemeat and Educational Workshop Explore how you can enhance your visit with the official Operation Mincemeat workshops 1. Welcome to Operation Mincemeat: Comic Performance, Devising and Book Writing 2. So You Want To Write A Musical? A Workshop for Aspiring Composers and Lyricists Led by West End practitioners, join those who were Born To Lead in our practical pre-show workshops, where participants will use key moments from the show to unlock students’ potential and give them a taste of how SpitLip, the creatives behind Operation Mincemeat shaped this piece. Our pre-show workshops will help your students unpick the show ahead of their visit whilst putting their performance skills front and centre. The workshops are tailored to varying levels of experience, from aspiring West End performers, writers and composers to those dipping their toes in the Musical Theatre space for the very first time. After a professional warm-up, students will learn about shaping comic characters on paper and in performance, exploring slapstick routines, devising techniques, and a collaborative approach to storytelling. Our workshops are designed to ignite participant’s imaginations using the script and music from the show as a starting point. ABOUT OPERATION MINCEMEAT The year is 1943 […]

Last week the Government published a Statement of Changes (SOC) updating its immigration rules concerning expanding activities permitted on Visitor Visas, relaxing travel document requirements for school groups from France, and expanding the Youth Mobility Scheme

As a brand, we need to make sure we stay digitally relevant, and up-to-date with consumer trends and keep a critical eye on what Competition offers. That said, the opportunity is to shift from survival mode to reinvention mode, to focus on what will be, instead of preserving what we already have.

Chatham Historic Dockyard Trust was delighted to welcome the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport the Rt. Hon. Lucy Frazer KC MP to officially open The Fitted Rigging House (South), the latest capital development project at The Historic Dockyard Chatham

At the start of 2023 BETA adopted the Family Holiday Charity and following two successful fundraising events we are delighted to say that together we have raised £5,000 to support families facing some of life’s toughest challenges

Tax cuts for working people and British business headlined Chancellor Jeremy Hunt’s ‘Autumn Statement for Growth’

With the younger generation turning to short-form video entertainment, we’ve had to massively consider our social media and online presence. We’ve particularly focussed on creating and growing our TikTok channel where we’re proud to have created a dedicated community of young Beatles fans we all have fun, learn and share our opinions

UKLC mayor UK junior ELT provider has announced the acquisition of Linguastay, a homestay and immersive language company that offers programmes across England.

We are delighted to announce our partnership with the Mountbatten Program.  Mountbatten is renowned for its innovative approach to international postgraduate experiential learning in London and New York combining a year of high-level work experience with the option of integrated study. 

  Whilst there are undoubtedly challenges around rising costs and the use of technology in remote programmes, there are opportunities for the industry to address these challenges. Universities are comprehensive education providers, offering all the necessary resources and services in one convenient location, catering to programme organisers and students’ needs and creating a more seamless and educational experience for them Tell us a bit about your role and how it supports the business: As Business Development Executive for Imperial College London, I identify, scale, and maximise business opportunities across the seasonal rental of accommodation and conferencing spaces. Imperial is a global top ten university and a brilliant destination for academic events and educational groups. I really enjoy finding and developing long-lasting relationships with clients in these sectors, delivering tailored solutions to their unique needs and aspirations. What has been your career highlight to date? My career highlight to date has been witnessing the remarkable resurgence of our team at Imperial after the challenges brought on by the pandemic. Observing the unity and dedication of our team members as they worked together to push the business forward has been immensely rewarding. Surpassing guest expectations by delivering exceptional service, we have received […]

Increases to immigration and nationality fees to pay for vital services are set come into effect on 4 October.

OPERATION MINCEMEAT announces education and outreach offer around West End production to support groups accessing the show.

Theatre Workout is delighted and honoured to be awarded a Greater London Enterprise Award by SME News, as “Leading Facilitators of West End Theatre Workshops 2023”.

Now more than ever family’s want to understand really well the education that we provide to their children, it is understandable they want reassurance 

London, the cultural capital of the world, has once again cemented its position as the world’s best destination for students, as it proudly receives the esteemed title of “Best Student City 2024” by QS World University Rankings. This recognition reflects London’s commitment to providing an exceptional educational experience, vibrant student life, and outstanding opportunities for career growth

In a bid to ease the financial strain faced by students grappling with rising debts and soaring living expenses, World Nomads Travel Insurance is thrilled to announce its partnership with Student Beans, a prominent online student discount program

Manchester City planning application for Entertainment Destination Approved Manchester City is delighted to confirm that the Club’s planning application for the development of a best-in-class fan experience and year-round entertainment and leisure destination at the Etihad Stadium has been approved by Manchester City Council’s planning committee This follows the Club’s fan and community consultation which took place in February and March this year, and the subsequent submission of the Club’s full planning application in April. Approved proposals include several connected all-weather facilities, fully integrated into the stadium, centred around an expanded North Stand with one larger, single upper tier above the existing lower tier, increasing capacity to over 60,000. Above the upper tier there will be a sky bar with views overlooking the pitch as well as a stadium roof walk experience. A covered City Square fan zone, with capacity for 3,000 people and a wide variety of food and drink outlets, a new club shop, museum, workspace and a 400-bed hotel will also be constructed as part of the Club’s development. It is anticipated that main construction works will commence on-site in November 2023 which will mean the North Stand itself will be complete and open during the 2025/26 football […]

National Express Transport Solutions, the private coach hire arm of National Express, has partnered with Liftango to launch Trio – an innovative passenger transport technology that is set to revolutionise the future of shared mobility solutions

Britannia Student Services has added Grand Felda House to its London portfolio; available from September 2023.

The Beatles Story invites you to celebrate International Beatleweek with a whole host of free events in their Fab4 Café and Discovery Zone at the historic Royal Albert Dock. ‘Come Together’ to learn about and enjoy the story of our favourite band with the people who lived alongside them. You will have the opportunity to meet John Lennon’s sister Julia, and friends of The Beatles Mike and Bernie Byrne, who will be signing copies of their books

We’ve upgraded our 2023 inbound tourism forecast. Visits overall to the UK this year are now forecast to be 37.5 million, 92% of 2019 levels and inbound visitor spending £30.9 billion, up 9%.

The expansion of the UK-New Zealand Youth Mobility and Working Holiday visa schemes takes effect this week, with the age limit rising from 30 to 35.

Manchester City have been crowned UEFA Champions League winners after a 1-0 win over Inter in Istanbul. Rodrigo’s goal secured the victory on a glorious night for the football club that saw scenes of jubilation among the City supporters inside the Ataturk Stadium and across the world.

It has been the home of the Crown Jewels for nearly 400 years, protecting these priceless objects, steeped in history. Now, in May 2023, the Tower of London is set to transform its Jewel House, with a new display exploring more stories than ever before about the history and significance of the Crown Jewels. The display will open just weeks after the world has witnessed the Coronation of His Majesty The King and Her Majesty The Queen Consort.

The Home Office has confirmed the cost of the UK’s new Electronic Travel Authorisation Scheme (ETA) will be £10. The ETA will enable visitors to visit the UK multiple times over a two-year period. The scheme will launch for Qatari nationals in October 2023. Gulf states in February 2024 ahead of a worldwide expansion in 2024

St Christophers Barcelona, Spain has been crowned winner of ‘The Eco Warrior’ award in Hostelworld’s 21 st annual HOSCARs for its outstanding sustainability efforts

The World Travel & Tourism Council’s (WTTC) 2023 Economic Impact Research (EIR) shows the Travel & Tourism sector is closing in on its 2019 peak, recovering by more than 95%.

See technology as a facilitator for a good guest or traveller experience; never think of technology as the mission itself; technology is not the point; the point is an excellent experience for that traveller, and technology is just a great way of getting there

AES (formerly known as Anglo Educational Services) is proud to celebrate its 50th anniversary of offering high-quality education abroad programmes, housing and internships in London. Since its founding in London in 1973 by Peter Lowy, AES has been dedicated to providing students from all over the world with immersive educational experiences

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, is calling on the Government to ease post-Brexit visa issues which are putting off young Europeans from visiting the capital for work, education and tourism

Research from KILROY reveals 26% of 18-to-35-year-olds in England are planning to spend between £2,000 to £4,000 on a big trip abroad this year. KILROY, a leading travel agency serving the youth market, today launched a study revealing the travel spending habits of young travellers. Despite the cost-of-living crisis, more than a quarter of young people said they would spend between £2,000 to £4,000 on travel, with a further 13% budgeting a very healthy £4,000 to £6,000 on a trip this year.

Plans for a new digital creative innovation hub at The Historic Dockyard Chatham have been given a major boost with a multi-million pound grant from the DCMS Cultural Development Fun

            I would say whatever challenges & threats that lie ahead, grasp whatever opportunity you have now with both hands. Studying abroad could be one of the most enriching chapters of a student’s life with the unique experience of learning a new culture, meeting new friends from lots of different cultures, getting better in English as well as obtaining a fantastic education, I’d say go for it as we never really know what’s around the corner and whatever it is we can conquer it together! Tell us a bit about your role and how it supports the business? As college principal I lead the whole school community, including students, teachers and staff and I do my best to make sure everyone is happy. On our first day inductions I always tell students that their feedback is really important as we can’t keep improving and getting better as a school without their input. Same as staff, without them and their ideas and their passion for teaching the school wouldn’t keep evolving as it should. As visitors come through the door, they always mention what a lovely atmosphere there is in the school and this is something […]

Red carpet couture meets historic fashion in major new exhibition at Kensington Palace next spring

The partnership brings yet another popular global sport brand to Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, now uniquely hosting the Premier League, NFL and F1, supporting worldwide fan growth. With music concerts, boxing and rugby now also being staged in London N17, it means an estimated 5.9billion people globally are interested in events held at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium – equating to nearly 80% of the world’s population.

With a Vampire Squid (from hell), tales of a Kraken with tentacles 2 miles long and a model of Boaty McBoatface; we are about to showcase an exhibition that has been described as the most technically sophisticated and lavish sea monster-themed showcase ever produced

Visitors spent £673 million across Britain as a result of activity by national tourism agency VisitBritain/VisitEngland, latest figures show.

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