Buyers & agents from down under take UK by storm

Buyers & agents from down under take UK by storm

During the wild weather of Britain recently, travel trade from Australia and New Zealand were treated to one heck of an experience.

Following the two-day expo spectacular that was ExploreGB in Newcastle, VisitBritain sent the fun-loving group of Aussies and Kiwis on a little expedition, and they were damned if they were going to let a little snow get in the way.

The group consisted of Jo McGrath from House of Travel, Nicky Ross from Access UK Ireland Holidays, Karen Herne from British Travel, David Franklin-Ross from Eurolynx Travel, Nikos Oikonomou from Excite Holidays, Claudia Stek from Qantas Holidays, Emma O’Brien from Helloworld, Deborah Latham from Holidays on Location, Jeff Clarke from Infinity Holidays, Judy Atha from Mastercard Travel, Mark Banning-Taylor from Odyssey Travel, Ross Ioppolo from Ormina Tours, Martyn Paterson from Outdoor Travel, and Robert Mackay from Venture Far.

Related: EXCLUSIVE: What VisitBritain wants to see from Aussie agents

Heading south from Newcastle, the group visited Oxford and its iconic university grounds, and with the help of a trusty guide, got to know a bit about the historical architecture, educational history, and of course, the local pubs.

From here, they traversed to Bath, home of the Roman Baths and the only place in all of the UK where you can bathe in the thermal water that comes directly from the natural hot springs deep beneath the city.

Bath is the only destination in the UK to have the whole city designated a World Heritage site by UNESCO,  and the crew even got the chance to experience it firsthand, in Thermae Bath Spa’s glorious rooftop pool filled with the thermal water, overlooking the city at sunset.

The multi-level building offers numerous spa experiences, pools, and is located right next door to The Gainsborough Bath Spa, a stunning 5-star hotel well worth a visit.

And with the snow clearing in the southern regions of England, the group even managed to explore a spot of London town, with a trip to the top of The Shard, the 95-storey skyscraper towering over London, as well as Borough Markets, The Shakespeare Globe and Meliá White House hotel.

But enough chitchat – have a squiz at some of the photos of the group below, and the wonderful experience provided by VisitBritain.

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