By
Cherie Rowlands |
Scottish ferry operator Caledonian MacBrayne (CalMac) is trialling an extension to its ‘five-day saver’ ticket to encourage passengers visiting the Island of Mull to stay for longer periods.
Ferry passengers visiting the Hebridean island will be able to extend the five-day saver fare to nine days without paying the extra £11 a car and £1.70 each person, usually charged when they have stayed beyond five days.
CalMac head of operations Brian Fulton said: “Extending the duration of our current five-day savers was one of a number of ideas which came out of discussions with community representatives in Mull about how CalMac could help them further. This is not about getting people to go to Mull at the expense of other island destinations, but rather it is about encouraging those who are already planning to go to stay longer. Although it is a popular destination and our ferry service is one of the busiest in the network, the majority of people who visit tend to be day trippers or are there for short breaks.”
Accommodation providers, restaurants, cafes and tourist attractions, are among local businesses expected to benefit from an increase in longer duration stays, which CalMac may expand to other suitable island destinations should the summer trial be a success.
Fulton said: “We will be setting criteria for measuring success with the Mull community and we know there are other islands who will be interested to see the outcome and whether it may be of value to their visitors.”
CalMac calls at 24 destinations off Scotland’s west coast including Skye, Islay, Lewis, Iona, Bute and Barra.