The operator said it had been selling UK and Ireland holidays to its inbound travellers “for decades”, but has now curated a selection of trips across the British Isles tailored for the home market, “on the back of an increase in enquiries”.
In a survey of its clients, the operator said Europe and the UK came out on top of the most desired destinations to travel to post-lockdown.
“A&K’s holidays to the UK and Ireland aren’t ordinary trips that can be booked independently,” said managing director Kerry Golds. “With the best guides and exclusive access, booking with a tour operator for a holiday at home brings the added security and peace of mind; should the situation change, A&K will alter arrangements, bookings and more to ensure a holiday is stress free.”
In its customer survey, flexible booking terms also came out as an important factor, resulting in the introduction of what the operator said are “the most flexible booking conditions ever seen”.
These can also be applied to the newest programme range, which means new bookings made by 30 September 2020 can be rearranged without charge to a new destination, and dates can be moved any time up to 35 days prior to departure and rebooked to travel any time before 31 December 2021.
The range of UK and Ireland itineraries include a trip following the homes and castles of the Royal family, a private island tour of the Highlands and Islands of Scotland and itineraries for golfers in Scotland, Ireland or a mix of both.
“We’ve been keen to develop a suite of UK and Ireland itineraries tailored to our UK clientele for quite a while, and decided now was the right time,” added Golds. “The breadth and depth of these islands is truly remarkable and right on our doorstep. Many people might think that they can simply do these trips themselves, but can they do them the A&K way?”
Itineraries include the seven-night Northern Discovery including Yorkshire, the Lake District and Snowdonia National Park; and the seven-night Gardens of Southern England tour.
The nine-night Best of British trip starts with a stay at Beaverbrook in Surrey, following on with a five-course lunch at the Belmond Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons, two nights at Holbeck Ghyll between Ambleside and Lake Windermere, and then up to Gleneagles in Scotland and back down through Yorkshire and a stay at Grantley Hall, near Ripon; hire of a super car for the journey can be arranged.
From the Golden Age to Today is an eight-night journey following the history of British motoring in England, including visiting the Land Rover Experience Centre, the Jaguar factory, Morgan Motor Company and National Motor Museum at Beaulieu.
The eight-night Royal Journey itinerary includes visiting royal homes and places of historical importance such as Windsor Castle, Eton College, Edinburgh Castle, Holyrood Palace, Royal Yacht Britannia, Scone Palace, Stirling Castle and Linlithgow Palace.
A seven-night, self-drive golf tour of Ireland includes playing on the likes of Old Head Golf Links, Killarney Golf and Fishing Club, Royal Dublin Golf Club, Ballybunion Golf Club and the K Club.
Also highlighted in the new collection is Belmond Grand Hibernian, Ireland’s only luxury sleeper train.
