Inverness-Lapland trip sold out in FIVE days - but second service could be added
An Inverness-based travel agency is considering organising a special day trip to meet Santa - with a direct flight from Inverness Airport - two days in a row due to high demand.
With a return day flight connecting the Highland capital to Rovaniemi in Finland - hailed as the official home of Santa Claus - the day trip set up by Murray Travel for December 13 sold out in just five days.
Now the travel firm’s boss Scott Murray is seriously considering running it on December 14 as well.
“It sold out in five days, which by tour operations standards is kind of unheard of,” Mr Murray said.
“It shows that people are willing to support their local airport and what happens locally which is hugely encouraging for us.”
The flight will carry 186 seats for the day trip (priced at £649 per child and £699 per adult) will include a variety of experiences, including husky rides and a visit to Santa Claus Village in the Arctic Circle.
“We are considering putting a second flight on on the Sunday - which we would love to do,” Mr Murray said. “We just need to make sure we can fill another plane because it is expensive to buy a plane for a day. The costs involved are probably the biggest eye-opener I’ve had in my career so we’ve just got to make sure we can fill it.
“We have 125-130 people on the waiting list just now so if that grows in the next few days, we’d like to think we can add a second trip.”
Scott and his wife Sarah, the team behind Murray Travel, were thrilled to bring the opportunity to the Highlands and are looking at possibilities of more trips to Lapland in future from Inverness and other airports.
“This is something we’ve wanted to do for a long time,” Scott said when announcing the service last month.
“Lapland is a bucket-list destination for so many families, and now they can experience it with ease - flying directly from Inverness, making the most of their time in this magical place.”
Sarah said: “We’re so excited to be able to bring a direct Lapland trip to the Highlands, and we hope this is just the start. We have lots of ideas for future routes from Inverness, and we can’t wait to see what’s next!”
