Category Archives: Janet Redler Travel

Start of an exciting new era for Shrewsbury travel business

Janet Redler Travel

Janet Redler Travel & Tourism, an independent tour operator which specialises in luxury and tailor-made inbound tours, has announced it will begin trading as Janet Redler Travel Limited with immediate effect.

Janet Redler Travel & Tourism was set up as a partnership 11 years ago by travel experts Janet Redler and Nick Bardsley, who have over 40 years’ industry experience between them. During this time, the Shrewsbury business has built up a reputation for premium tours to the UK and Ireland for groups and individuals from all over the world.

Established as a family business, the limited company will continue this tradition, as Janet’s son Neil and daughter-in-law Dawn join Janet and Nick on the board of the new company.

Managing Director Janet Redler said: “We’re delighted to take this important step in becoming a limited company.

“As for all travel businesses, the last two years have been challenging, but as a family-run organisation we were flexible enough to adapt and survive. For example, last year for the first time, we successfully delivered a number of group tours in Wales and Scotland for an online UK travel agent which specialises in single travellers.

“Our business has really taken off again in the last couple of months and we are bringing in two extra staff to help deal with the increase in enquiries. There is huge pent up demand from people desperate to travel to the UK and Ireland once again, and we’re looking forward to welcoming them.

“We have for some time intended to transfer to a limited company, not only because it makes business sense, but because it is a key part of bringing the next generation of Redlers into our family business.

“Becoming a limited company is a significant milestone for us and we’re looking ahead to an exciting future as international travel returns to growth.”

As a limited company, Janet Redler Travel aims to continue to deliver the luxury, tailor-made tours for singles, families, and groups of all sizes – from a handful to a hundred and more – that it is best known for, and the team is determined to maintain the friendly, personal service it prides itself on.

Find out more about Janet Redler Travel at www.janetredlertravel.com.

Shrewsbury travel business shortlisted for presitigious tourism award

Janet Redler Travel & Tourism in Shrewsbury has been shortlisted for this year’s UKInbound Awards for Excellence, the leading awards for the UK inbound tourism industry.

Janet Redler and Nick Bardsley, the Partners at Janet Redler Travel & Tourism

2019 has been a huge year for Janet Redler Travel & Tourism, including seeing their team expand to meet growing worldwide demand and taking on additional offices at their Shrewsbury base.

The shortlist was selected by an independent panel of industry experts, and members of UKInbound will now have the chance to vote for their winners. UKInbound is the trade association that represents the UK’s inbound tourism – the sixth largest export industry and third largest employer in the country.

Janet Redler Travel & Tourism specialises in delivering tailor-made, personal and luxury tours of the UK. With over 30 years’ experience, Janet and her team work with travel agents, organisations and individuals to arrange customised travel for clients all over the world.

The annual awards celebrate the best of inbound tourism and nominations are for those businesses which have made a significant contribution to the UK’s inbound tourism industry over the past 12 months.

Categories include Tour Operator of the Year, Attraction of the Year, Accommodation Provider of the Year and Regional Member of the Year, the category for which Janet Redler Travel & Tourism has been shortlisted.

Janet Redler, Chief Executive of Janet Redler Travel & Tourism, said: “We are delighted to be shortlisted for the leading awards in our industry, demonstrating the strength of the inbound tourism industry across the UK regions and shining a light on our fabulous town of Shrewsbury.

“2019 has been a momentous year for us, as we have welcomed many more clients from different parts of the world. 2020 is set to be even bigger and better, with some incredible specialist tours in the pipeline, including three quilting tours and a large-scale trip from the US which will allow over 200 travellers from North America private access to Stonehenge.

“Two years ago, we were delighted to be chosen for the Tour Operator of the Year category; this time we are hoping to go one better and win Regional Member of the Year.”

The wide range of tours offered by Janet Redler Travel & Tourism has continued to grow, including specialist garden tours, wine and food tours, heritage, academic and music tours. They have also welcomed increasing numbers of independent travellers and small groups from North America, allowing them to showcase the best that Great Britain and Ireland have to offer.

This year, Janet’s son and daughter-in-law have relocated to Shrewsbury to join the team, helping to ensure that the warm family feel that Janet Redler Travel & Tourism is known for continues.

Janet was also delighted to welcome Kat Colling on board, to bring innovative ideas to the business and to assist with future growth. Kat is an experienced UK tourism professional, director of two UK tourism-focused businesses and 2018’s Young Person of the Year at the Wales Tourism Awards.

The winners will be announced at a gala dinner at Aerospace Bristol – the home of the legendary aircraft Concorde – on Thursday 6 February 2020 as part of the UKInbound Annual Convention.

Internationally acclaimed Monaco Boys Choir tours Britain

The world-famous Monaco Boys Choir is touring Britain in July and will be performing at a number of venues to raise funds for charity.

Monaco Boys Choir

Monaco Boys Choir, “Les Petits Chanteurs de Monaco”, is one of the world’s leading youth choirs and is celebrated internationally for its repertoire of classical and traditional works. The choir is embarking on a three-week tour of Britain, organised by Janet Redler Travel & Tourism, and will be performing at venues across England and Scotland.

The choir was established by Prince Albert I of Monaco in 1904 and is comprised of 30 boys, aged between 9 and 18 years of age. Today, under the patronage of H.S.H. Prince Albert II of Monaco, and with the generous support of the Monaco Government, the choir performs charity concerts all around the globe.

Monaco Boys Choir gives an average of 40 concerts each year and has visited more than 40 countries. Its musical repertoire includes sacred works by the likes of Bach, Mozart, Fauré and Mendelssohn, as well as traditional folk songs and French chansons.

The choir has performed at venues such as the Kennedy Centre in Washington, the Opera of Shanghai and the Conservatoire Tchaikovsky in Moscow. It has also performed at the United Nations Headquarters in New York and at the UNESCO General Conference in Paris.

Janet Redler, Chief Executive of Janet Redler Travel & Tourism, said: “Monaco Boys Choir is a world-famous youth choir and we are delighted that they have chosen Janet Redler Travel & Tourism to organise their tour of the UK. The choir’s performances are a wonderful showcase of Monaco’s cultural and artistic heritage, and the concerts are not to be missed!”

Janet Redler Travel & Tourism has a long history of organising group and concert travel in the UK and recently arranged a highly successful 19-day tour of the UK for almost 100 members of the Starfire Singers from California.

Performances will take place at:

Chapel Royal of St Peter ad Vincula, Tower of London (Sunday 7 July)
The Swiss Church in London (Monday 8 July)
Church of Notre Dame de France in London (Thursday 11 July)
St Chad’s Cathedral, Birmingham (Friday 12 July)
All Saints Church Baschurch, Shrewsbury (Sunday 14 July)
Selby Abbey (Monday 15 July)
Paisley Methodist Church (Thursday 18 July)
St Mary’s Roman Catholic Cathedral, Aberdeen (Friday 19 July)
All Saints Church, Maidstone (Tuesday 23 July)

To find out more and for booking details, click here.

Internationally acclaimed Californian choir tours UK

The Starfire Singers, a Methodist youth choir from the United States with an international reputation, are touring the UK this summer and will be performing at a number of venues to raise funds for charity.

Every few years, the Starfire Singers embark on a summer tour of the UK, arranged by our client Janet Redler Travel & Tourism. The Starfire Singers sing in worship at Los Altos United Methodist Church in Northern California and their musical productions tackle social issues from a Christian perspective. In July and August 2017, they will be performing the original musical Borderless at venues across the country to raise money for local charities.

Borderless is about confronting the places where people feel stuck in life, where people feel trapped by all the demands placed on them by internal and external pressures, and finding a path towards living beyond those borders. The performances include music, song, dance and multimedia.

Janet Redler, Chief Executive of Janet Redler Travel & Tourism, which is arranging the tour, said: “We are delighted to welcome the renowned Starfire Singers to the UK once again. Their thrilling musical production Borderless is sure to entertain audiences around the country while also addressing social issues. The tour will help to raise funds for a number of charitable projects and we would like to welcome people along to enjoy a wonderful evening of entertainment.”

Performances will take place at St Mary Redcliffe Church in Bristol on 26 July, Coventry Central Hall on 28 July, St Patrick’s Church of Ireland Cathedral in Armagh on 31 July, Paisley Methodist Church on 3 August, Wesley Memorial Methodist Church in Epworth, Lincolnshire, on 5 August and Wesley Memorial Church in Oxford on 7 August.

Funds raised from the performances will be donated to a number of charities and Methodist Church initiatives including the New Room Bristol Development Fund, the Open Doors Project at Wesley Memorial Church in Oxford and the Southern Area Hospice in Northern Ireland.

To find out more and for booking details, please visit http://www.janetredlertravelandtourism.co.uk/tours1/starfire-tour-2017/.

Shropshire losing out on millions from foreign tourism

A Shropshire based tour operator which brings foreign tourists into the county believes Shropshire is losing out on millions of pounds from foreign tourism.

Janet Redler

According to calculations by Janet Redler Travel & Tourism, if just 10% of the 4.15 million visitors who currently visit the Brecon Beacons National Park came to visit the Shropshire Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, this could result in extra income of £8.23 million to the local economy.

The Brecon Beacons, just over the border in Powys, is one of Britain’s most popular National Parks, with over 4 million visitors a year. If 10% of these visitors made the 25 mile journey up the road to the Shropshire Hills, they would be bringing over £8 million pound a year more into the Shropshire economy. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg, if some of the other tourists passing through the county visited one of Shropshire’s many beautiful, but often overlooked, attractions.

Shrewsbury-based Janet Redler Travel & Tourism specialises in bringing groups from overseas to Britain and is doing its bit to boost tourism in Shropshire.

Chief Executive Janet Redler says: “Our calculations are a very conservative estimate of how much money the Shropshire economy is missing out on from tourism. If a fraction of the visitors to some of the country’s other major tourist destinations chose Shropshire instead, we would see millions of pounds more flowing into the local economy.

“Just next week Janet Redler Travel & Tourism is bringing a group of visitors from France to the Shropshire Hills for a seven day walking tour. This tour in itself will bring in over £10,000 to the local economy, which has to be good in terms of local jobs, but we are also very happy that we are giving more people an opportunity to enjoy the magnificent Shropshire countryside.”

The French walkers will take in many of the gems of the Shropshire Hills, including the town of Clun, made famous by the poet A.E. Housmann, the Stiperstones (Mary Webb country) and Stokesay Castle, considered to be the finest fortified manor house in Britain.

Janet Redler adds: “We know from the feedback we get that foreign visitors to Shropshire are pleasantly surprised by what they find when they get here and are often puzzled as to why they don’t know more about the area. As a tourist destination, Shropshire needs to do much more to shout about itself, not only to boost tourism but to benefit the wider economy of the area.”

Year of Adventure set to boost tourism to Wales

Travel professionals from UKinbound and Germany were amongst those in North Wales this weekend to experience adventure activities that are hoped will attract more overseas tourists to North West Wales and Anglesey in 2016.

The travel professionals took to the Menai Straits in a high speed rib.

The group representing tour operators and travel agencies were in Wales as part of the Discover Wales travel trade event which took place at the Quay Hotel and Spa, Deganwy on 1-2 October. The event is one of a series of initiatives to grow the sales of holidays in Wales through tour operators and travel agents in key international markets and was organised in partnership with UKinbound and VisitBritain.

Familiarisation tours of north and mid Wales took place before and after the event which included a fact finding trip put together by Visit Wales and Janet Redler Travel and Tourism to get a hands-on taste of the best leisure facilities available in North West Wales.

During their weekend in Wales the group spent time at the newly opened Surf Snowdonia, visited Penrhyn and Caernarfon castles, took the Ffestiniog and Welsh Highland Railway, spent time in Portmeirion and took a high speed boat ride down the Menai Straits and through the Swellies.

Deputy Minister for Culture, Sport and Tourism, Ken Skates said: “2016 is the Year of Adventure in Wales and it will see Wales building on a wave of exciting new openings and developments, and more than 10 years of ongoing tourism investment to make Wales the leading adventure destination. Research has shown that familiarisation trips arranged by Visit Wales for operators to experience Wales tourism products are the most influential intervention in increasing an operator’s interest or ability to feature or sell Wales programmes.”

Speaking about the trip Janet Redler said: “As a tour operator bringing tourists from across the world to Wales, we know how much they appreciate the scenery, heritage and sporting activities available to them. Hosting this group has given us the opportunity to work with Visit Wales to show more people what this area has to offer which will hopefully lead to more overseas visitors to the area in the future – and that has to be good for the local economy.”

According to Janet Redler, travel and tourism is a growing sector of the Welsh economy. “Wales is a super destination for both holiday and business trips and we know that nearly a million overseas visitors come each year to enjoy a Welsh welcome. We want to help increase that number during the Year of Adventure in 2016.”

BBC garden expert welcomes Swedish garden enthusiasts to North Wales

Swedish visitors at Plas Brondanw with garden expert Tony Russell (far left) and head gardener John Rippin (far right).

BBC garden writer and broadcaster Tony Russell welcomed a delegation of Swedish visitors to Plas Brondanw in Gwynedd, on their recent tour of the gardens of Wales.

The well known expert was on hand at the Clough Williams-Ellis Estate near Portmeirion to meet and welcome the group of Swedish travellers, who were visiting the gardens of Wales as part of a new tour developed by Janet Redler Travel and Tourism in Montgomery, to help bring more overseas visitors to Wales.

The seven day itinerary took in many of the most spectacular gardens in Wales, from Bodnant in the north to Aberglasny in the south, as well as including a number of intimate private gardens.

Tony Russell said: “I was delighted to welcome the group from Sweden as part of their tour of the gardens of Wales. Wales really does have some of the most wonderful gardens and so I am pleased to able to support Janet Redler Travel and Tourism in their efforts to bring more overseas visitors to our beautiful corner of the world.”

Janet Redler, Chief Executive of Janet Redler Travel and Tourism, said: “We are so pleased that Tony Russell could join us to welcome our inaugural garden tour from Sweden. The tour was extremely well-received and we are already planning a follow up next year. We hope this will be the start of a long and successful relationship between the garden enthusiasts of Sweden and the picture perfect gardens of Wales.”

Esther Roberts, Managing Director of North Wales Tourism, was also happy with the tour and is looking forward to welcoming more visitors from Sweden. “North Wales has many fabulous gardens, from the well-known Bodnant to hidden gems such as Plas Cadnant and Brynbella. We are keen to encourage many more people from around the world to come and see just how beautiful these places are and to experience the warmth and hospitality of a trip to Wales.”

American visitors explore their Welsh roots

David Melding AM welcomes visitors from Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania

David Melding AM, Deputy Presiding Officer at the National Assembly of Wales, welcomed visitors from Bryn Mawr College in Pennsylvania to the Senedd during their recent tour of Wales.

Bryn Mawr College is a women’s arts college in the town of Bryn Mawr near Philadelphia in the United States. The town of Bryn Mawr takes its name from a house near Dolgellau which was owned by Rowland Ellis, a Quaker who emigrated to America in1686 as a result of religious persecution. Bryn Mawr College itself was founded by Quakers in 1885.

The group travelled all over Wales on a 10 day tour organised on behalf of Academic Arrangements Abroad by Janet Redler Travel and Tourism in Montgomery. As well as the National Assembly and Cardiff, the group visited Swansea, Snowdonia, the Conwy Valley, Llangollen and of course the Bryn Mawr Estate near Dolgellau.

Janet Redler, Chief Executive of Janet Redler Travel and Tourism, said: “We are seeing increasing interest from visitors across the world in coming to Wales. In this case, Bryn Mawr has a deep association with Wales and a history going back over 300 years. It was a pleasure to help bring these tourists over from America to find out more about Wales and their Welsh heritage.”

Visit Wales, the body set up to encourage more tourism to Wales, has offices in the US and works closely with tour operators like Janet Redler Travel and Tourism to bring visitors to Wales to experience the culture, language and historic towns that the country has to offer.

David Melding AM said: “I was delighted to welcome this American delegation to the Senedd and to show them the hospitality that Wales is renowned for across the world.”

Our new client is just the ticket

Ethos public relations is proud to announce it will be working with Janet Redler Travel and Tourism to help promote the tour operator’s services across the USA and Europe.

Janet Redler

Janet Redler Travel and Tourism, which has offices in Shrewsbury and Montgomery, specialises in designing tailor-made tours to the UK and Europe, with many of its customers travelling from the United States.

Speaking about the link up, Chief Executive Janet Redler said she was looking forward to working with Ethos public relations to help raise the profile of her business and to promote Wales and the borders to potential overseas visitors.

Janet said: “Europe, and especially the UK and Wales, is a great draw for American visitors due to the fantastic variety of destinations and our rich heritage. At the moment, the very favourable dollar exchange rate is also helping to attract people from the US. Working with Ethos public relations, we are really looking forward to raising our profile further and bringing more visitors to experience all that the UK and Europe has to offer.”

Shaun Fisher, a Director at Ethos public relations, who has first hand experience of American business, said: “We are really looking forward to working with Janet and her team to help promote the services they provide to a wide audience. Janet Redler Travel and Tourism is a great fit for our business as we both share a passion for travel and the international bonds and friendship it can bring.”

Ethos public relations will be helping Janet Redler Travel and Tourism with a wide range of communications support, including public relations, social media and website support.

For more information visit Janet Redler Travel and Tourism.