ACCELERATING demand for unusual excursions and luxury travel has driven a Henley-based coach business to a record year of sales.
Johnsons Coaches has achieved sales of over £17million in 2023 – a 25 per cent year-on-year increase.
More than 650 holiday departures carrying over 23,000 passengers have contributed to this growth – which is a 22 per cent year-on-year increase in passengers.
Visits to see the Flying Scotsman, a VIP hovercraft experience from Portsmouth to the Isle of Wight and facilitating a record-breaking 66 ski tours around France, Austria and Italy have contributed to the seismic annual growth.
In 2023, their Luxury Traveller brand grew from strength to strength with latest records indicating over 30 per cent of Johnsons’ clientele have travelled on Luxury Traveller tours, with more people choosing a home-from-home experience with Wi-Fi, large screen TVs and extra legroom.
And for 2024, the business has invested in ten brand-new low emission executive vehicles as part of the organisation’s fleet renewal programme.
Johnsons Coaches spokesperson Lauren Davies said: “Keeping up with travel trends while retaining seasonal favourites has been fundamental to our consistent growth since the pandemic.
“While traditional tours are selling well, with the average spend now at £862 per person for brochure tours, new and quirky excursions are seeing significant growth – particularly among a younger demographic – which is a new market that we are tapping into.
“We are also seeing an increase in later bookings, as well as single bookers with more people keen to pursue an adventure and make new friends.
“We’re really proud to be celebrating our 115th anniversary in 2024 – much of which has been built upon our reputable customer service – and we are looking forward to continuing our journey and totting up the next 115 years.”
Darren Tosh from Shakespeare’s England added: “We are anticipating further growth in overseas visitors to key locations such as Stratford and The Cotswolds in 2024, and Johnsons Coaches has a valuable role to play in ensuring that these visitors make the most of their time in the region – and in style – so it’s fantastic to see them going from strength-to-strength.”
For more information about Johnsons Coaches visit www.johnsonscoaches.co.uk
