ScotSpirit journey so far

It’s just relaxing, you’re away from your routine, normally you have to do this, you have to do that. But whilst we were away, I forgot about everything. About cooking, about washing, about all other things.

At home, I wasn't able to have any time for myself, to think about anything else. So when I went there, I felt I could find myself a little bit and remember ‘Oh, yeah, this is life’. You can enjoy this space, and not all the time be thinking about house things.

We’ve spent the past three years just focusing on building over. Trying to get equivalent qualifications, studying, focusing on the kids and we didn't have that good quality time where we are just relaxed, just about having fun and that's all.

I realised during the break that I should spend more quality time with the kids because it really makes a difference. Now we have one day a week which is a family day where we all get together and have fun, outdoors or indoors.

ScotSpirit is an inspiring and innovative project which Macdonald Aviemore Resort is delighted to be part of. We’ve already provided a significant number of overnight stays to help unpaid carers and low-income families feel the benefit of a much-needed break as we begin to emerge from the pandemic.

In return, we are pleased to be able to tap into the government-backed support the project offers to our sector and equally delighted to receive fantastic feedback from guests who might not otherwise have been able to stay with us.

We now look forward to continuing our links with VisitScotland and ScotSpirit throughout 2022 and aim to give as many deserving visitors as we can a big thank you and the warmest Highland welcome.

Tourism businesses and operators have been enabling unpaid carers and low-income families to enjoy some much-needed time to unwind and get a few precious days break from an immensely challenging period and we thank them for taking part.

It's heart-warming to hear the many stories and feedback from those who have been on a break already about the benefits to their health and well-being. It is also incredibly positive businesses were able to benefit from additional bookings through the uncertainty created by the Omicron variant in the winter. We have introduced greater flexibility to the scheme as operating conditions improve, to help businesses get the most out of this opportunity.