Popular Moray travel agency Beaver Travel has been taken over by an Inverness firm.
The business, which made 18 staff redundant last summer, has been bought over by Inverness Travel, with all their staff being offered jobs in the Highland capital.
Beaver Travel runs premises in Elgin and Forres, but it is not known what will be done with those sites yet.
They ran a popular cafe in Elgin, which was shut last year.
In addition, Inverness Travel took over operations of Alba Travel, which is also based in the city, with a similar arrangement made with their staff members.
Two jobs have also been created for the company, in two new support roles.
Maintain a presence in Moray
Inverness Travel wants to maintain a presence in both Forres and Elgin and is looking for premises for this.
Scott Murray, managing director of Inverness Travel, said: “Alba Travel and Beaver Travel are trusted names in the Highlands and Moray, and we are committed to delivering the same high quality of service to the communities they have served for over 40 years.
“A big part of that commitment is ensuring that staff are able to continue to work in the communities where they have built lasting relationships with holidaymakers over the years.
“As a business, it is incredibly important to us that we are able to create and retain jobs across the Highlands and Moray – and ensure that travellers receive the continuity of service they require for stress-free travel.
“The last 12 months have been unprecedented in the travel industry, but we are confident that as restrictions are lifted there will be a resurgence of people looking to travel abroad.
“We are already seeing signs of hopeful travellers making plans for the latter half of 2021 and into next year.”
Staff to relocate to Inverness
In Inverness, staff will relocate to their new travel boutique on Strothers Lane, with the business looking at sites for boutiques in Elgin and Forres.
Mr Murray, who grew up in Forres, is looking forward to bringing Inverness Travel’s services to his hometown.
He said: “For the last seven years, we have prided ourselves in providing trustworthy and reliable advice to those looking to travel abroad in Inverness.
“We are grateful for the opportunity to bring our expertise to Elgin and Forres, to help even more holidaymakers book their dream trips.”