The growth of staycations during the pandemic will continue in the new year as people cut back on ‘wanton travel’ and support local businesses, according to a leading hotelier.
Gordon Campbell Gray, founder of The Wee Hotel Company that owns The Pierhouse in Port Appin and The Three Chimneys in Skye, predicts there will be a move away from the “lavish excesses” of some areas of tourism.
Mr Campbell Gray said: “Passport-free holidays became the norm in 2020 and I expect this will continue into next year and beyond as we grow to appreciate the wonders on our doorsteps.
“We have all been inclined to stop and look at what is right in front of us and luckily the UK has plenty of culture, coastline, conservation parks and countryside to discover.
“Over the years, I’ve been lucky enough to travel the world, but, at the end of the day, few places can rival the sheer magnificence of Scotland.
“I am optimistic that we have seen, if not the end, then certainly the cutting back of what I call ‘wanton travel’ – a weekend in Prague followed by a weekend in Barcelona, for example – and that people will see the magic of holidaying and exploring in the UK while at the same time supporting local businesses and all the often unseen support industries which employ so many people and maintain so many crafts.”
Mr Campbell Gray took over the renowned Scottish venues last year after stepping back from the day to day running of Campbell Gray Hotels which operate glamourous international hotels in Beirut, Liberia and Bahrain.
He said: “I have rarely believed that big is beautiful and have tended to be somewhat unexcited by large hotel chains. When I created The Wee Hotel Company I wanted to champion the small, the sustainable and the local as I believe these are the key elements that will receive much more consideration in the future of the hospitality industry.
“Many people are looking for something that is slower, more thoughtful, and much more personal. Both The Pierhouse and The Three Chimneys use ingredients sourced nearby or made in-house, waste is minimised and the environment is considered. They celebrate the finest Scotland has to offer and provide a real sense of place.
“When you live in a country like Scotland where the local produce is so spectacular it seems so pointless and upsetting when food is flown from far-flung parts of the world.”
He said his intention is to return to “good old fashioned Scottish hospitality”. “I feel, and indeed hope, that there is going to be a move away from some of, shall we say, lavish excesses in which certain forms of travel and tourism have indulged.”
Mr Campbell Gray took over The Three Chimneys in April 2019, after 34 years of management by Shirley and Eddie Spear.
It won the award for best dining experience at the Prestige Hotel Awards in 2020 and in October 2018 it was named as one of five restaurants in the world worth travelling for by the Wall Street Journal.
In November, The Pierhouse and The Three Chimneys closed due to travel restrictions making it “impossible” to operate successfully and are due to reopen later this month.
