Industry Update: Rabbie’s CEO reveals the secret to over 3000% growth after winning prestigious Kings Award for Enterprise

CEO Hazel Rickett shares her tips and the recipe for success behind Rabbie’s small-group tours, which have exceeded expectations and driven over 3,000% growth in international trade over the past three years. That success has just earned this B Corp travel provider a prestigious King’s Award, one of only 197 recipients in the UK this year.

Rabbie’s Tours, the Edinburgh-based small group tour company known for journeys driven by curiosity and guided by storytellers, has been honoured with a King’s Award for Enterprise for International Trade. This award recognises the company’s Outstanding Short-Term Growth in overseas sales over the past three years.

From its roots as a one-person operation in 1993, Rabbie’s has grown from strength to strength by offering customers one-of-a-kind experiences, guaranteed departures and access to off the beaten track locations via their small group coach tours (16 passenger group size) across the UK, Ireland and mainland Europe.

This success has been led by CEO Hazel Rickett, who began her career at Rabbie’s as one of the company’s very first driver-guides. Today, she heads up a highly skilled leadership team, including Heather Rennie McGill, Director of Marketing and Sales, who has played a key role in growing the company’s international reach and global strategy.

Hazel Rickett, CEO, credited the success to her team, saying: “I feel incredibly lucky to work with such an amazing team – passionate, driven, and committed to delivering outstanding customer experiences. Honestly, they motivate me every day. We all love travel, we love our country, and we love showing it off.”

She added: “For me, life’s about being happy and making people happy. When I see what our team does to deliver fantastic customer experiences, making customers happy, and I see the growth and development of our team, it’s hugely rewarding. I think having a happy team is the secret to success.”

Over the three-year period recognised by the award, Rabbie’s overseas turnover grew by 3,155%, with export sales increasing from 13% to 80% of total revenue. The most significant international markets, the United States, Canada, Australia, and Germany, now represent nearly three-quarters of the company’s overseas customer base.

Heather Rennie McGill, Director of Marketing and Sales, said: “This award is a testament to what we’ve achieved over the past few years, rebuilding post-COVID. I’ve met so many great people working here – it feels like we’ve all got each other’s back and the customer at heart, which has been hugely important to this success.”

This award comes hot off the back of Rabbie’s being awarded a B Corp Certification late last year, as well as winning the Gold British Travel Award for Best Travel Company for Escorted Group Holidays.

Rabbie’s international trade growth not only boosts the company, but it also brings significant economic benefits to the remote and rural locations explored on the tours.

CEO Hazel Rickett also credits the company’s significant growth over the past three years to its ongoing commitment to reinvesting in the local communities and suppliers that are central to Rabbie’s offering.

Hazel Rickett stated that: “Being able to operate sustainably is incredibly important. The very thing we are selling, we must sustain. It is hugely important to Rabbie’s and me that we do this and can pass it on to future generations.”

Heather Rennie McGill added: “Rabbie’s plays a really important role in the wider tourism economy. We’re able to take visitors from cities like Edinburgh to lesser-known locations, helping to support small businesses. This motivates us and gives us a strong sense of responsibility to help rebuild the tourism industry.”

Rabbie’s is deeply committed to sustainability, applying a voluntary self-imposed carbon tax of £10 per tonne and operating under a strong ‘leave no trace’ policy. The team regularly goes above and beyond, picking up litter and ensuring the places they visit are left in a better condition than they were found.

In addition to this, Rabbie’s staff are given paid volunteer days to support local charities. In the past this has ranged from rewilding projects to building pathways on the islands they tour, demonstrating a genuine commitment to preserving the landscapes they share with travellers.

The King’s Awards for Enterprise, renamed in 2023 following the passing of Queen Elizabeth II, carry forward a tradition of celebrating outstanding British businesses. Now in their 59th year, the Awards remain the UK’s most prestigious business honours, with winners permitted to use the esteemed King’s Awards emblem for the next five years.

[Photo information, left to right: Rabbie’s CEO Hazel Rickett and Director of Marketing and Sales Heather Rennie McGill at the company’s Edinburgh head office.]