Riviera Travel is launching regional flights from four airports on selected long-haul tours for 2026 and 2027.
Regional flights will be available from Manchester, Birmingham, Glasgow and Edinburgh for tours in Sri Lanka, South Africa, India and Japan.
Riviera already operates regional departures on tours to Morocco and the operator said the addition of regional flights for long-haul tours reflects ‘growing demand beyond London’.
It follows the expansion in July of Key Account Manager Lloyd Morris’ role to include Long Haul Champion, as part of the company’s focus on the sector as a ‘major growth area for the future’.
Director of Trade & Partnerships Vicky Billing said: “Our long-haul touring programme is currently up 20% year-on-year, and it’s still accelerating. That growth is exactly why we brought Lloyd Morris on board as our Long Haul Champion. But we also recognised that to truly serve our customers across the UK, we needed to expand our regional presence.
“We already operate over 17 regional flights through our river cruise programme, and while this new expansion doesn’t match that scale yet, it’s a significant move forward for us at Riviera Travel.
“It shows just how serious we are about growing our touring portfolio. The more we sell, the more we can offer, and it’s vital that the travel trade has these options for their customers.
“As specialists with over 40 years of touring experience, we know it’s time to get regional flying right in this part of the business.”
Regional departures are available from Manchester and Birmingham on three tours to Sri Lanka and two to India. Flights are available from Manchester and Edinburgh on a 13-day ‘Best of Japan’ tour, while a 16-day South Africa tour is available from all four regional airports in the programme. Supplements will apply to regional departures.
AloJapan.com