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David Urquhart Travel name saved
Longstanding Scottish operator David Urquhart Travel has been given a new lease of life after being acquired by Alfa Leisureplex Group.
Chorely-based Alfa Leisureplex, which owns the Alfa Travel and Leisureplex Hotels divisions, has bought the brand and customer database of David Urquhart Travel, which announced in May it was winding up its coach tour business.
Founder David Urquhart is to retire, while Clare McFadden, who has been with the business for 20 years, will lead the team as Operations Manager, based in East Kilbride.
Plans are in place to open a new travel shop in East Kilbride shopping centre.
The business was founded in 1983 and became one of Britain’s biggest privately owned coach tour companies. It had worked with several coach operators around the UK.
Tours in Scotland through the revived David Urquhart Travel brand are being planned to start with ‘turkey and tinsel’ trips later in 2020, Alfa Travel Operations Director Paul Bull said. A full brochure will be launched soon for the 2021 season.
Alfa is looking to speak to Scottish coach operators that want to work with it on providing coaches. At the same time, Alfa Travel will extend its reach in the South of England for 2021.
Alfa Leisureplex’s 2021 programme will focus entirely on coach holidays and self-drive breaks in the UK and Ireland.
A statement on the David Urquhart Travel website said brochures will be going to print shortly with a range of 2020 festive breaks.
Emma Russell, Managing Director of Alfa Leisureplex Group said: "We are delighted to be bringing this iconic name back and to be able to welcome some of the former team back as employee owners.
"David Urquhart Travel fits perfectly into our expansion plan, as the heartlands of David Urquhart Travel are areas where Alfa Travel does not currently pick up.
"We have been welcoming David Urquhart customers to our Leisureplex hotels for many years, so we know that the David Urquhart Travel customers enjoy our Leisureplex Hotels, where our fantastic employee owners go that extra mile to make memories for our guests."
She added: "We want to say a big thank you to Bob Flynn and Martin Super of the former David Urquhart team who have both been magnificent throughout this process."
By Lisa James, Deputy Editor (UK)
Lisa
Lisa joined Travel Weekly nearly 25 years ago as technology reporter and then sailed around the world for a couple of years as cruise correspondent, before becoming deputy editor. Now freelance, Lisa writes for various print and web publications, edits Corporate Traveller’s client magazine, Gateway, and works on the acclaimed Remembering Wildlife series of photography books, which raise awareness of nature’s most at-risk species and helps to fund their protection.
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