Scotland’s top five holiday destinations for 2018 were Loch Ness in the Highlands, Loch Lomond, Oban in Argyll, the Isle of Arran and Skye, according to Cottages & Castles, Scotland’s longest established self-catering agency.
Figures revealed by Cottages & Castles also showed a 7% increase in the number of large houses being booked during 2018 compared to the previous year. Three of the most popular large houses for 2018 were Jordanstone House, an exceptional country house in Blairgowrie, Drumblair House, a grade C listed house in Aberdeenshire and Kilfinan House, an elegant Scottish country house with stunning views towards Loch Fyne in Argyll.
The top five performing inspiration pages driving traffic on the Cottages & Castles website during 2018 included ‘pet friendly’ which was up 15% on page views during 2018 compared to 2017; ‘luxury’ which received twice as many page views, ‘last-minute’ up 66%; ‘New Year’ up 34% and ‘North Coast 500’ up 48%.
Scotland remains a top choice for staycationers. Customers booking properties through Cottages & Castles during 2018 were primarily from within Scotland at 55%, with 40% of staycationers coming from the rest of the UK and overseas visitors accounting for 5% of bookings.
Jemima Kirkwood, manager of Cottages & Castles, said: “There’s no doubt about it that the effects of Brexit and the subsequent fall in the value of the pound against the Euro and the US Dollar, has resulted in more holiday makersshunning foreign trips and choosing a staycation. Our large holiday houses proved to be very successful last year as many groups and families chose to holiday at home. Luxury is still high on peoples’ wish list, along with pet friendly.”
A recent study by Trip Advisor Experiences, unveiling the UK’s most popular visitor attractions for 2018, saw three of Scotland’s top landmarks making the cut, with Loch Ness in the Scottish Highlands, home to the mythical Loch Ness Monster, coming in the third position and Edinburgh Castle and Stirling Castle in fifth and ninth position respectively.
Jemima continues: “Scotland has so many outstanding places offering the ideal holiday destination for the whole family and large groups, with an abundance of outdoor attractions on your doorstep. From the magnificent white sandy beaches and turquoise seas of the Isle of Harris, to the hustle and bustle of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, there really is something for everyone in Scotland.
“January is a popular time of the year for those planning their next holiday and proved to be one of the most popular periods in 2018 with bookings being up 9% on January 2017 figures. Notably, 37% of all 2018 bookings were made in the first quarter of the year.”
The way people are searching for and booking holidays has undergone a step change. Cottages & Castles has witnessed an increase in mobile traffic to their website with 66% website views coming via mobile devices and a subsequent increase in 2018 bookings being made through such methods, up 13% on 2017 figures.
