Category: MSG news

My Time on Tour - Jen Ellis Life on tour: planning tours for schools is one thing, but being away with groups brings its own challenges and rewards. MSG’s Jen Ellis tells us in her own words what life’s like leading a school overseas. Waiting in arrivals for William Allitt School to arrive into Naples Airport filled me with the anticipation for the things to come on this History & Geography tour. A jam-packed itinerary, which had started to become part my very being. The emails that went to and from various people to get this trip up and running. It all started to feel very real. Sitting behind the computer where you feel in control and organised can not necessarily prepare you for the big wide world. I was so excited that my first tour away with a group was to somewhere I had visited previously and loved. It wasn’t difficult to get to students excited when I visited them for a preparation parents evening of things they could expect. I was nervous about wanting the trip to run smoothly and yes, there may have been bumps in the road, but we can’t blame the Romans for the tools that were available to them at the time! The reason study trips are so important is watching the pieces of the jigsaw fit together. We can read, research and write about history & geography and other subjects in school. However, seeing the ground where the people of Pompeii walked, having the dust from Mount Vesuvius cover your shoes and see the light being bought back to the perished bodies of Herculaneum cannot be measured in the classroom. The adventure, the sights, sounds, laughs with friends, Ice cream and sharing stories are the elements that cannot be planned behind the desk in the office. These are the things that grow and personalise the trip with the memories that last forever. Walking the students down the street from their hotel to watch traditional Italian music being played really is delivering the unexpected. Not only do we now have a shared experience with people who were strangers when waving the ‘Let’s Get Touring’ card at. But leaving the group outside Naples Archaeological Museum to the chorus of goodbyes and thank you and seeing the delight, yet slightly tired faces was worth all the hard work. And as Pliny the Elder said on his Pompeii rescue mission – ‘Fortune Favours the brave’.
Ben Anglade, our newest tour operator, made his debut on our final trip of the year, flanked by fellow operator Jen Ellis, as Mill Hill School departed for the Basque region. The duo arrived in Bordeaux late on 11th December to see as much of the local culture as possible. They collected a car and […]
MSG Tours Ltd announce two new apprentices Natalia, ‘The Detective’, joins us as our Accounting Assistant to aid our financial and administration duties. Lucy, ‘The Northerner’, arrives as our Marketing Assistant to aid the growth of our social media and online presence. Both starters will be crucial in the continued expansion and development of MSG, […]
NFL Miami Long Weekender 5-11 January 2022 Miami Dolphins v New England Patriots 6 DAYS | 5-11 January 2022 Looking to tick off the NFL bucket list? If a London getaway doesn’t quite possess that authentic feel, join MSG in Miami this January for the Dolphins v Pats at the hosts’ Hard Rock Stadium. With […]
One Million Rand #10kaday By Sam Brooks Since the turn of the year, the dream of hundreds of MSG Tours patrons partaking in the tour of a lifetime to South Africa in the summer of 2021, has unfortunately faded. As a member of the team that has worked on the Lions 2021 project, I have personally seen the immense quantity and quality of work that the […]
[text_output] Keep the Lions Tour in South Africa – Postpone to 2022 and DO NOT switch to UK and Ireland [/text_output][line id=” class=” style=”][text_output]In just over two days, more than 2,700 rugby fans have signed this petition to postpone the Lions Tour to 2022 and keep it in South Africa. Two of those to have signed are former Lions stars, Graham Price and Tim Stimpson. Other past rugby players adding their name to the list are ex-Springboks, Tonderai Chavanga, Corne Krige and ex-England prop and media star, David Flatman. The supporter who is personally fronting the campaign is our MD and five-time Lions tourist, Mark Gardner. Asked by South African newspaper, The Weekend Argus why he launched the campaign, Mark explained: “I decided to start this Petition to give an official fans’ viewpoint on what the tour means to them. The rugby games are a circular process of making friendships, experiencing a new culture, exploring new lands and investing in the local economy. It’s part of Lions DNA and folklore and should not be tampered with.” [/text_output].vc_btn3-style-gradient-custom.vc_btn-gradient-btn-67b1f3e1268a5:hover{color: #ffffff;background-color: #e820de;border: none;background-position: 100% 0;}.vc_btn3-style-gradient-custom.vc_btn-gradient-btn-67b1f3e1268a5{color: #ffffff;border: none;background-color: #dd3333;background-image: -webkit-linear-gradient(left, #dd3333 0%, #e820de 50%,#dd3333 100%);background-image: linear-gradient(to right, #dd3333 0%, #e820de 50%,#dd3333 100%);-webkit-transition: all .2s ease-in-out;transition: all .2s ease-in-out;background-size: 200% 100%;}SIGN TO KEEP THE LIONS TOUR IN SA [image src=”22356″ alt=”David Flatman supports the Lions Fans’ petition” href=”https://twitter.com/davidflatman/status/1348652629535186946″ title=” info_content=” lightbox_caption=” id=” class=” style=”][text_output]Thanks to HUGE backing from supporters, The Sun, Daily Mail, Irish Examiner, The Scotsman, News24 and an array of other media outlets have all reported the story. Popular social media accounts, including RugbyPass, have also promoted the campaign alongside numerous media outlets across South Africa. Help protect the magic of the Lions and South Africa tourism. Our ONE MILLION RAND charities need this. The game of rugby needs this. But, most of all, the fans need this. Mark Gardner Lions Fan [/text_output][text_output] Show your support by signing the petition via the link below [/text_output][line id=” class=” style=”].vc_btn3-style-gradient-custom.vc_btn-gradient-btn-67b1f3e126f4b:hover{color: #ffffff;background-color: #e820de;border: none;background-position: 100% 0;}.vc_btn3-style-gradient-custom.vc_btn-gradient-btn-67b1f3e126f4b{color: #ffffff;border: none;background-color: #dd3333;background-image: -webkit-linear-gradient(left, #dd3333 0%, #e820de 50%,#dd3333 100%);background-image: linear-gradient(to right, #dd3333 0%, #e820de 50%,#dd3333 100%);-webkit-transition: all .2s ease-in-out;transition: all .2s ease-in-out;background-size: 200% 100%;}SIGN TO POSTPONE TO 2022
[text_output] Save South African Tourism #SAnotUK [/text_output][line id=” class=” style=”][text_output]Covid-19 will almost certainly prevent the 2021 British & Irish Lions tour from taking place in the host country of South Africa. I am petitioning for the home nations of England (RFU), Scotland (SRU), Ireland (IRFU) Wales (WRU) who collectively make up the British & Irish Lions Board, and South Africa (SA Rugby) to do the right thing by agreeing to switch the Lions tour to 2022, placing this before the needs of their own country’s proposed summer tours. As The Sunday Times’ esteemed journalist, Stephen Jones described in his article on 10th January 2021, ‘The Lions bring a marvellous boost for rugby and the economy — a conservative estimate for 2021 indicates that 3.1 billion Rand (about £150 million) will be injected into the faltering economy by about 30,000 fans.’ Ex-Springbok, Tonderai Chavhanga supports this notion. “As a country, we’ve been excitedly preparing for this event for 12 years. Our fantastic fans should not be denied the opportunity to watch this Series, nor should our tourism infrastructure suffer any further financial losses that Covid has already delivered.”[/text_output].vc_btn3-style-gradient-custom.vc_btn-gradient-btn-67b1f3e127e18:hover{color: #ffffff;background-color: #e820de;border: none;background-position: 100% 0;}.vc_btn3-style-gradient-custom.vc_btn-gradient-btn-67b1f3e127e18{color: #ffffff;border: none;background-color: #dd3333;background-image: -webkit-linear-gradient(left, #dd3333 0%, #e820de 50%,#dd3333 100%);background-image: linear-gradient(to right, #dd3333 0%, #e820de 50%,#dd3333 100%);-webkit-transition: all .2s ease-in-out;transition: all .2s ease-in-out;background-size: 200% 100%;}SIGN TO KEEP THE LIONS TOUR IN SA [image src=”20450″ alt=” href=” title=” info_content=” lightbox_caption=” id=” class=” style=”][text_output]What makes the Lions special, what makes the Lions unique is the power it has to tempt 30,000+ passionate rugby fans from across the British and Irish Isles to embark on a sporting pilgrimage to the opposite side of the globe. The recipients and beneficiaries are thousands of South African supporters, businesses and organisations that have dedicated their resources to hosting our travelling army of fans.Mark Gardner Lions Fan [/text_output][text_output] Show your support by signing the petition via the link below [/text_output].vc_btn3-style-gradient-custom.vc_btn-gradient-btn-67b1f3e128480:hover{color: #ffffff;background-color: #e820de;border: none;background-position: 100% 0;}.vc_btn3-style-gradient-custom.vc_btn-gradient-btn-67b1f3e128480{color: #ffffff;border: none;background-color: #dd3333;background-image: -webkit-linear-gradient(left, #dd3333 0%, #e820de 50%,#dd3333 100%);background-image: linear-gradient(to right, #dd3333 0%, #e820de 50%,#dd3333 100%);-webkit-transition: all .2s ease-in-out;transition: all .2s ease-in-out;background-size: 200% 100%;}SIGN TO POSTPONE TO 2022
Kevin Smith joins the board at MSG Tours Ltd Kevin ‘The Guru’ Smith joins MSG in a Non-Executive Director role to oversee events, partnerships and sustainability programmes. With an extensive travel CV, Kevin boasts senior travel industry leadership experience (Mike Burton Group/England Rugby Travel, Lions Rugby Travel and Team GB Live) where he was a […]
[text_output] MSG Tours Ltd announces new directorship with Company expansion during Covid-19. Exponential growth and forward bookings in school educational travel, sporting tours and international sports events / hospitality provide the platform for extending the MSG Tours Ltd leadership team through 2021 and beyond. Following MSG’s recent appointment as an Official Travel Agent (OTA) for Rugby World Cup France 2023, Finance Manager, Lucy Hey steps up to the Board to oversee the Company’s projects and acquisitions following four years of strategic growth management, including a recent return from maternity leave. The invitation and acceptance by Lucy Hey to step up to the Board capacity follows a robust recruitment campaign during the pandemic. Three appointments have been made within the Company’s events and marketing teams that defy the industry trend of head count losses in and around the travel sector.[/text_output][line id=” class=” style=”][text_output] Introducing MSG’s new Finance Director [/text_output][text_output]MSG’s new Finance Director, Lucy Hey said: “Being part of an up-and-coming business that challenges the industry with everything it does has been such an honour. “I’m delighted that I’ve supported the company through its start-up years (including the pandemic of 2020) so to join the Board as Finance Director of what is now an established business makes me very proud.”[/text_output] [text_output]CEO, Mark Gardner commented on the exciting news: “Whilst many travel operators have reduced scale and operations during Covid-19, our growth in all operational sectors has supported the acquisition and promotion of key talent for our organisation’s three international offices. “Both a precocious talent and hugely popular figure in our organisation, Lucy’s trajectory announces one of the Midlands’ success stories in female leadership at just 22 years of age.” Lucy will commence her new directorship with MSG at the beginning of the New Year, in January 2021.[/text_output]
Inspection Visit to South Africa Vaughan Voyage’s Guest Diary Our West Walian partners at Vaughan Voyage will be bringing a strong, passionate and vocal contingent with them as they join us in South Africa next summer. In Scarlets heartland, rugby flows in the blood while Welsh song is embedded deep in the soul. That’s why […]
MSG Tours Ltd is registered in England and Wales under Company Number 9861392. Registered office: Marble Hall, Nightingale Road, Derbyshire, DE24 8BG