What Alpine Travel does

Alpine Travel is a UK coach tour operator founded in 1972 by Pat & Bryan Owens in Llanrwst, North Wales. It operates the largest coach tour business in North Wales with a fleet of more than 80 vehicles and a workforce of more than 100 employees, with primary operations centered in Llandudno and Rhyl. The company runs the City Sightseeing franchise in those markets and packages leisure coach holidays under the Jones Holidays sub-brand.

The business spans private coach hire, open-top sightseeing tours, school and educational trip transport, conference and event transport, wedding transport, and luxury coach holidays. Operationally, the company uses GreenRoad driver safety telematics, AI-based camera systems onboard vehicles and at depots for safety and security monitoring, and an online booking platform for direct customer reservations. In August 2025 it launched Alpine Adventure & Education to formalize the educational group travel vertical, and in March 2026 it launched the Alice in Llandudno Open Top Bus Tour.

Revenue is generated through a mix of B2C channels (sightseeing ticket sales, leisure holiday bookings under Jones Holidays) and B2B channels (school contracts, corporate and event transport, private group hire, and inbound tour-operator group business). Alpine joined The Coach Travel Group in May 2024, integrating into a UK-wide coach operator partnership network. Customer segments include UK leisure travelers, schools, corporate event organizers, wedding parties, and inbound tour operators targeting North Wales destinations.

Name

Alpine Travel

Legal name

HUGHES BROS. (LLANRWST & TREFRIW) LIMITED

Website

https://alpine-travel.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1972

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Alpine Travel is the largest coach tour operator in North Wales, providing private coach hire, sightseeing tours, school and corporate transport, and luxury holidays across the UK and Europe.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Llandudno

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Private Coach Charter: Hire of coaches with driver for groups traveling to specific destinations. Quotations based on vehicle size, boarding locations, comfort stops, mileage, and destination. Coach and driver only; accommodation, admission costs, meals and parking charged separately.
2. City Sightseeing Tours: Hop-on hop-off open top bus tours in Llandudno and Conwy, including Alice in Llandudno themed tour, Great Orme Explorer, and Vintage Marine Drive Tour. Tickets sold via Palisis platform.
3. School Trip Transport: Specialised educational transport services for schools including curriculum-focused trips, ski trips, sports tours, and theme park visits. Includes itinerary planning support.
4. Wedding Transport: Coach hire for wedding guests including vintage coaches for ceremonies. Flexible fleet from 8-seater minibuses to 73-seater coaches.
5. Conference Transport: Delegates transport for conferences including airport/train station shuttles, hotel pickups, and bespoke transport solutions for association conferences, corporate conferences, and trade exhibitions.
6. Coach Holidays: Luxury coach holidays under Jones Holidays brand including packages with accommodation and itineraries across Wales, UK, and Europe.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Alpine Travel operates a fleet of 80+ vehicles (8-73 seats) providing private coach hire for groups across the UK and Europe, complemented by hop-on hop-off sightseeing tours (City Sightseeing Llandudno & Conwy, Alice in Llandudno, Great Orme Explorer, Vintage Marine Drive), specialised school transport (Alpine Adventure & Education), conference and wedding transport solutions, inbound tour services for international visitors, and packaged luxury coach holidays under the Jones Holidays brand.

Product overview

Alpine Travel operates as a coach tour operator and transport service provider with a multi-product portfolio. The core offering is coach hire with a fleet of 80+ vehicles (8-73 seats), supplemented by tourism products including City Sightseeing tours (hop-on hop-off), the themed Alice in Llandudno experience, Great Orme Explorer, and Vintage Marine Drive tours. A dedicated Alpine Adventure & Education division serves schools with curriculum-aligned trips across 14 subjects plus adventure tours. Additional services cover private group travel, conference transport, and wedding solutions, while Jones Holidays provides luxury coach holiday packages. All services operate from bases in Llandudno and Rhyl, North Wales.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Jones Holidays: Luxury coach holidays brand operated by Alpine Travel, serving North Wales, Wirral, Wrexham & Chester areas.

Products and services

• Coach Hire Private coach and minibus hire for groups across the UK and Europe with a fleet of 80+ vehicles ranging from 8 to 73 seats, providing transport for day trips, extended tours, airport transfers, and bespoke group journeys.
• City Sightseeing Llandudno & Conwy

Quantifiable outcome

• Incident levels, fuel usage, and maintenance costs have dropped since implementing GreenRoad telematics in 2012
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

AI capability2 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• The Coach Travel GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAlpine Travel, including Jones Holidays, joined The Coach Travel Group in May 2024. The group is a UK-based network of established regional coach companies working together under one national group, combining local expertise with nationwide coverage. Alpine remains the largest operator in North Wales while benefiting from group resources and cross-referrals.
• GreenRoadcoreTechnology or IntegrationGreenRoad provides advanced safety and telematics system that continuously monitors driving behaviour, checks driving manoeuvres, improves fuel efficiency, and provides real-time feedback to drivers. Since implementation in 2012, Alpine has seen reduced incidents, fuel usage, and maintenance costs.
• Confederation of Passenger Transport (CPT)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCPT is the trade body representing bus and coach operators in the UK. Alpine participates in CPT campaigns including the 'Thank You Driver' campaign and industry research initiatives.
• CoachMarquecoreOthersCoachMarque is the gold-standard quality assurance accreditation for UK coach companies. Alpine holds this accreditation, meeting rigorous criteria and third-party assessments demonstrating exceptional standards.
• Guild of British Coach OperatorscoreOthersThe Guild represents 20+ of the UK's top coach companies. Membership is only open to coach operators who can demonstrate the highest standards in their operations.
• TransaidminorOthersTransaid is an international development charity that transforms lives through safe, available, and sustainable transport. Alpine supports Transaid's Christmas Appeals and fundraising initiatives, focusing on road safety and access to healthcare in sub-Saharan Africa.
• Action for ChildrenminorOthersAlpine supports Action for Children with fundraising initiatives as part of their CSR programme.
• City Sightseeing (Global Franchise)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAlpine operates City Sightseeing open-top bus tours in Llandudno and Conwy under the global City Sightseeing franchise. The partnership includes participation in City Sightseeing Cares social action initiatives like the Changing Lives project providing clean water to communities in Peru.
• PalisiscoreTechnology or IntegrationPalisis provides the ticketing platform for Alpine's sightseeing tours including City Sightseeing, Alice in Llandudno, Great Orme Explorer, and Vintage Marine Drive. Customers purchase tickets via alpine.palisis.com.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• City Sightseeing Worldwide: Global hop-on hop-off open-top bus tour franchise under which Alpine operates its Llandudno and Conwy sightseeing tours. Directly comparable as sightseeing tour operator with franchise-based business model.
• Big Bus Tours: Global sightseeing bus tour operator running open-top hop-on hop-off services in major cities worldwide. Direct competitor to Alpine's City Sightseeing Llandudno operation in the sightseeing tour category.
• Clarkes of London: London-based Coach Travel Group member providing private coach hire and corporate transport. Direct peer as fellow network operator with similar charter and corporate event services.
• Johnsons Coaches: Midlands-based coach operator and Coach Travel Group member providing private hire, school trips, and corporate transport. Closely comparable business model, fleet scale, and service portfolio to Alpine Travel.
• Whittles Coaches: Midlands-based Coach Travel Group member providing coach hire and tour services. Comparable regional coach operator with overlapping customer segments in charter, education, and private group travel.
• Lucketts Travel: UK regional coach tour operator and Coach Travel Group member offering charter, day trips, and holidays across southern England. Highly comparable as fellow network member with similar coach hire, private group, and tourism product mix.
• Barnes Coaches: Sussex-based Coach Travel Group member offering private coach hire and tour services. Direct peer as fellow network operator with comparable charter, school, and corporate transport offerings.
• Horseman Coaches: Reading-based coach hire operator and Coach Travel Group member serving private groups, schools, and corporate clients. Direct competitor offering identical charter, school, and conference transport services.

Broad incumbents

• Stagecoach Group: Major UK public transport group operating bus and coach services across multiple regions. Larger incumbent with overlapping passenger transport capabilities but focused on scheduled transit versus Alpine's charter/tour model.
• National Express: Largest UK scheduled coach operator providing intercity and airport services. Operates in broader passenger transport with overlapping coach capability but focused on scheduled routes rather than Alpine's charter and tour model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/AlpineTravelNW
• Facebookfacebook.com/AlpineTravelNW
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/alpine-travel

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Alpine Travel