To prepare for this, St Andrews Executive Travel is almost doubling its site footprint on the outskirts of town in a move that will boost its operational capacity by 70%. The expansion will include new office and driver accommodation facilities, plus the addition of eight new vehicles to the existing fleet of 42.
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The expansion, supported by a finance package from the Bank of Scotland, will pave the way to other avenues of growth with plans to extend into the south of Ireland and increase in-house repair and bodywork services.
“Golf put us on the map, but it’s our people and our coaches that keep us moving forward,” said Fraser Green, director and accounts manager at St Andrews Executive Travel.
“This investment from Bank of Scotland gives us the space to keep improving – whether that’s expanding our workshop, taking on more staff or just making sure every customer steps off our coaches with a smile. I’m so proud of what we’ve built, from a family business with one coach to looking at international expansion, and I’m looking forward to seeing what lies ahead.”
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The company, founded in 1992 as a one-man operation by Gordon Donaldson, today employs more than 70 members of staff. In addition to golf tours it supports schools, sports teams, weddings and local events during the winter months, but golf tourism has grown sharply in recent years with the number of tours rising from 420 in 2019 to more than 600 this year.
In May 2023 the business was taken over in a management buy-out by Mr Donaldson’s daughter, operations director Abby Fulton, along with Mr Green, workshop director Alex Blaike, and Colin Mason, the company’s director of driver training.
Louise Fraser, relationship manager at the Bank of Scotland, added: “The team at St Andrews Executive Travel have grown the business into a brilliant Scottish success story. They’ve invested in quality, kept a clear focus on customer experience and built a fleet that’s second to none.”