Tour operator makes £1m investment
West Country coach tour operator Bakers Dolphin has invested £1m in two new luxury gold coaches, enabling them to offer hundreds of extra holidays in 2026.
It means the company now has seven state-of-the-art luxury Irizar coaches taking people from the South West on tours of Europe and the UK.
The new coaches will be piloting a new on-board entertainment system featuring Bakers Dolphin personalised content, including films, TV shows, music and live radio.
Travellers can bring their own tablet device or be supplied with one on board with 48 films and 48 TV episodes available as well as WIFI access. The system will be used on some Christmas tours this year and then rolled out on to other Gold Coaches for next summer.
Amanda Harrington, sales and marketing director, said: “We first launched the Gold Coach Service in 2008, taking less passengers in greater comfort and with more legroom than in a traditional coach.
“Although the Gold Coach tours were slightly more expensive they have proved hugely popular as people love the comfort; the fact they have a little on-board bistro where people can have a coffee or tea and a host serving them.
“The new coaches are even more luxurious with improved coffee machines and wi-fi, even more comfortable seats and charging ports for mobiles and tablets. We will be upgrading the other Gold Coaches for the summer.”
Bakers Dolphin, based in Weston-super-Mare, has been in business since 1889, starting with horses and carriages and progressing through motorised charabancs.
The business has a fleet of 75 coaches.
