One of Britain’s longest established independent tour operators is celebrating its 40th year in business.

Fife-based Best of Scotland Holidays was started in 1983 by the Dewar family. It provides expertise in planning leisure and golfing packages in Scotland, England, Ireland, and Wales.

From its infancy with a small team of part-time staff, the tour operator has grown to become a much-respected Destination Management Company (DMC) with a dedicated team of travel specialists.

To mark this milestone 40th anniversary, the firm has commissioned a unique ‘Best of Scotland Holidays’ tartan incorporating the brand colours.

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Chief Executive Officer and founder, Duncan Dewar, said: “I’m delighted that we are celebrating our 40th Anniversary this year. Prior to starting Best of Scotland Holidays my background was in travel and tourism. I spent five years managing a travel agency in Edinburgh and 11 years as Assistant Tourist Officer and subsequently Tourist Officer promoting Fife as a holiday destination both in the UK and overseas.

The Herald: Best of Scotland Holidays staffBest of Scotland Holidays staff (Image: Best of Scotland Holidays)

“Over the past 40 years, we have navigated multiple industry and global hurdles. More importantly, we have garnered an extensive knowledge of travel in the UK across our team and created a tight resilient business community that allows us to offer our clients a vast range of experiences and packages.”

“In the early years of Best of Scotland Holidays, there was no email or even fax – we had to communicate by telex. For those too young to remember, it’s a post-World War II messaging system, a hybrid between a typewriter and a telegraph. Thankfully, shortly after Best of Scotland Holidays launched, the fax machine arrived, massively streamlining communications with our primary market in the USA. Since then, we have continued to invest in technology to provide the best possible service to our global client base."

Operations Director, Jacqui Curley, said: "It's a pleasure to work for a family-owned business where the human element is extremely important to us. I'm approaching five years with the company, and it's really special to celebrate a milestone like this with Duncan, Marie and the team. We have many special things planned to make it an extra special year, and we can't wait to see how we can keep up the momentum for the next 40!"