Cumbrian tour operator Mountain Goat is expanding across the North for the 2018 season, with new pick-ups from Manchester, Edinburgh, North Wales and Yorkshire.
It is also marketing its private multi-day tours to start from anywhere in the UK, which is aimed at international visitors.
It has bought 10 new 16-seat Mercedes-Benz Sprinters, bringing the fleet up to 30 minibuses, and is currently on a recruitment drive.
The Windermere-based operator runs tours for small groups, originally around Cumbria, and in Yorkshire from 2016.
This year it will rebrand its Yorkshire day tours as Mountain Goat York, with both private tours and daily scheduled services available, while its Cumbria tour pick-ups will expand to Keswick.
The company says the changes have been driven by increasing demand from international visitors, including both travel agents and individuals travelling independently.
A snapshot of Mountain Goat passengers over the past year reveals that behind domestic visitors, American visitors are the most frequent, closely followed by Japanese, Australian, Chinese and Indian travellers.
Liz Chegwin, Marketing Manager at Mountain Goat, says: “Although Mountain Goat has been around for 46 years, we need to keep innovating and moving with the times.
“With new staff and new vehicles, we are able to radically expand the range of services we offer across a much larger geographical area. We are focusing on the North of England, but essentially multi-day private tours can start from anywhere in the UK, which gives us greater flexibility and allows us to create a more personalised service.
“This is a major benefit for international visitors in particular.”
