McIntosh Tours: Growing an International Business Through Bespoke Tours of Scotland
McIntosh Tours is an independent family business based in Pitlochry, specialising in bespoke luxury tours of Perthshire and wider Scotland. Winning Private Tour Operator of the Year in the Prestige Awards 2023 and 2024, they have built an enviable reputation for quality products and exceptional customer service.
Raymond McIntosh founded McIntosh Tours in 2017 when he retired from a long career in teaching: “I wasn’t quite ready for the pipe and slippers, and having spent a lifetime walking, climbing, sailing, canoeing and skiing the length and breadth of Scotland, transitioning to become a tour operator seemed a natural fit.
“My wife, Laura, and daughter, Victoria, have since joined me, and together we work to curate bespoke itineraries for domestic and international visitors. We made a conscious and deliberate decision early on, to pitch McIntosh Tours to the top end of the market. We wanted to create a premium product for people looking to experience Scotland on a truly personal level.”
Like all businesses in the tourism sector, McIntosh Tours ground to a halt over 2020 and into 2021. However, once borders reopened, Raymond found that people from around the world had spent their downtime researching those big bucket list wonder trips – and Scotland polled top for many.
“People wanted something WOW. They wanted the trips that make a lifetime’s worth of memories and that’s exactly what we offer. The majority of our customers come from North America, India, and Australia, which is no surprise really. A huge number of Scots who moved during the Highland Clearances ended up in North America and Vancouver, and this has created a strong pull and heightened interest in Scottish history amongst this market.”
Building on this demand, Raymond made a strategic decision to proactively target the North American market, and last year successfully applied for a Beyond Scotland Market Development Grant to help fund a trade mission to the west coast of the USA and Canada, including Seattle, Portland and Vancouver.
“I set up a series of meetings with selective, high-end travel agents, and explained what we could do. We were already targeting North America with digital advertising but in my opinion, nothing beats a face-to-face – and everyone remembers a Scotsman in a kilt!
“The mission was a huge success. We’ve already had three lots of tours from Vancouver and one from Portland, with more to follow up on for this year. We’ve also had agents recommend us to industry contacts that we didn’t have a chance to meet; for example, we’ve been asked to do an add-on for a cruise as an indirect result of the trip.
“Given the timeframe involved in these large, multi-stop trips, I’m confident we’ll be picking up enquires for the next two or three years. Our turnover is up 23% on last year and the number of clients from North America has increased by 15% since our trade mission. Alongside this, many other local hospitality businesses benefit from our high-spending clients.”
“That pipe and slippers is a long way off yet!”
Beyond Scotland Market Development Grant
Grants of up to £3,000 (covering up to 50% of eligible costs) are now available for businesses wishing to expand into new markets overseas or into other parts of the UK (excluding Scotland).
Eligible costs include:
- transport and accommodation (where these are directly related to a specific business event or initiative)
- exhibition and trade show attendance, stand costs and marketing materials (note: trade shows and exhibitions which take place in Scotland are not eligible)
- new product development for the overseas market
- consultancy services, for example legal costs associated with overseas trading
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