IT started out more than half a century ago with an ex RNLI lifeboat that carried 12 passengers.
Now, Cruise Loch Ness, which has been held in the same family ownership from its inception in May 1968, has been put on the market for the first time, with the capability to take hundreds of tourists at a time on cruises.
Savills, on behalf of private clients, has launched the award-winning visitor attraction with offers invited for a 100 per cent shareholding in Cruise Loch Ness Limited, price on asking.
The area attracts hundreds of thousands of global tourists each year enticed by the legend of Nessie the Loch Ness Monster, and the beauty and history of the area.
The business now provides a fleet of four high specification vessels including the flagship vessel The Spirit of Loch Ness, which can accommodate up to 210 passengers and The Legend of Loch Ness with a maximum capacity of 108 passengers.
Two rigid inflatable boats provide a more exhilarating experience carrying a maximum of 12 passengers each. The business has won multiple awards over the years including being named the national winner of the 2019 Best Visitor Attraction in Scotland in the Scottish Thistle Awards.
Cruise Loch Ness is located to the south of Loch Ness where the loch interconnects with the Caledonian Canal in the village of Fort Augustus.
The village is a tourist hub in its own right and is peppered with a selection of niche tourist boutiques, cafes, restaurants, pubs and accommodation.
Savills said Loch Ness cruises are the main attraction in the area and the bespoke designed pontoons provide accessible boarding to the vessels on the Caledonia Canal.
Residential properties rarely come to the market in the locality and there is an opportunity, by way of first refusal to the purchaser of the business, for a detached five/six bedroom owner’s accommodation.
Savills said that over the years the owners have continually invested into the business to incorporate high specification vessels within the fleet.
In order to keep up with increasing demand, the bespoke designed, 210 passenger vessel Spirit of Loch Ness is the most recent purchase at a cost of £1.55 million in 2018.
Richard Prestwich, director in the leisure and trade related team at Savills, said: “This is an extremely rare opportunity and the first time this business has been taken to the market.
“The highly reputable, award-winning visitor attraction is in a world-renowned location and has strong credentials with a proven track record. It is recognised as one of the leading tourist attractions in Scotland and we expect significant interest.”
Savills added that the business has a proven track record and continues to be one of the leading tourist attractions in Scotland. It is popular with day-trippers, staycationers and overseas visitors with a large proportion of trade derived from organised UK coach tour holidays and Scottish-based day tour operators.
The company has also engaged in other opportunities to include providing film-makers with the use of the boats for documentaries, exclusive chartered private hire for celebrities and also took part in the 2012 Olympics by carrying the Olympic Torch on board one of the RIBs.
In 2015 the business was awarded a five-star tour rating from the Scottish Tourist Board and since then has collected several further accolades, as well as UK Small Business of 2019 and the Family Business of the Year Award at the Federation of Small Businesses’ annual awards.
In 2018, Cruise Loch Ness was awarded Best Visitor attraction at the Highland and Islands Tourism Awards, winner of Best Family Business (small/medium) at The Herald Scottish Family Business Awards and was also winner of Outstanding Performing Small Business at the Highland Business Awards.
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