Summer in Scotland
Like most self-catering summer operators, we are entering the busiest period. But this year’s peak season is set to be busier than ever before, as our Scottish Cottages owners have experienced bumper bookings since January for 2016 breaks.
The first half of the year exceeded expectations, with bookings up across all regions of Scotland, especially in the Highlands and Dumfries and Galloway, which are significantly up by as much as 12% on 2015 levels.
Clearly the sector promotion made by some new entrants helps awareness in general for UK holidaymakers, and attractions such as the Borders Railway have proven incredibly successful in bringing in new visitors. We also saw an increase in Scottish bookings after the Cumbrian floods, as holidaymakers sought new destinations and discovered stunning scenery and outdoor pursuits on offer north of the English border. We are hoping many first time visitors will now be converted!
This year’s holiday hotspots are proving to be the Islands – with Orkney, Outer Hebrides and Isle of Bute up by at least 50 per cent on 2015. Bookings for Aviemore are also up significantly and, as a result, we’re on the lookout for more properties to meet this demand.
We believe this positive progress is set to continue, with the Tour of Britain taking place in September and beyond into next year, with early indications showing that 2017 is already performing ahead of 2016.
So, hopefully by the time the next ASSC event takes place this November operators will all have a strong early 2017 under their belt. Last year’s conference was one of the most successful exhibitions we have attended in recent years and as a result we were able to add additional properties to our ever growing portfolio, especially in Argyll & Bute plus Perthshire which continue to prove popular with our customers.
We look forward to seeing you there,
Simon Law
Scottish Cottages