Luxury travel firm starts offering staycations

From the unspoiled beaches of the Western Isles to iconic road trips including the North Coast 500 and the glories of Skye, Scotland offers a host of opportunities for the staycationers who will be looking to the UK for their holidays this year

A luxury travel brand has started selling holidays to destinations within the UK and Ireland to capitalise on the anticipated growth in staycations.

Kuoni, which is known for offering long-haul breaks to locations such as the Maldives, Mauritius and Thailand, entered the domestic travel market for the first time today.

There is expected to be huge demand for staycations once the coronavirus lockdown is eased, with some people concerned about movement restrictions and the risk of being infected by the virus if they travel abroad.

Among the new locations being offered by Kuoni are the Isles of Scilly off the Cornish coast, the Gower Peninsula in South Wales and Ireland’s Wild Atlantic Way.

Activities include visiting locations from James Bond films in Scotland while driving an Aston Martin, and stargazing in rural Northumberland.

Kuoni said it is “ready for travel once the lockdown is eased”.

Kuoni has partnered with Glasgow-based tour operator Mckinlay Kidd to create staycations which it claims will be personalised to suit each customer.

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has advised against all but essential international travel since 17 March.