President of the company Jacqueline Dobson said Barrhead needed to "become leaner" as it moves forward with its recovery plan.

“The situation in which we find ourselves in now – trying to recover from the severe implications of Covid-19 – was virtually unthinkable at the turn of the year when Barrhead Travel was in the midst of the largest expansion drive of our company’s history," she said.

“This global pandemic has wreaked havoc on our industry; we expect there is a long road ahead before travel fully recovers to what it was pre-crisis.

“Like many others within our industry, we are having to make very difficult business decisions which come as a direct result of the consequences of Covid-19. 

"This, sadly, means that in the short-term, our business must become leaner as we move forward with our recovery plan. We have taken measures to preserve as many jobs as possible and minimise redundancies."

Dobson said since the crisis began Barrhead had taken "swift action to cut costs" through a number of initiatives. 

"Unfortunately, this will not be enough to sustain our business at its current scale," she said. 

"With consumer confidence dented by ongoing uncertainty surrounding quarantine and travel restrictions alongside the impending conclusion of the job retention scheme, we have had to make reductions in our team. 

"I have every confidence we will come back strongly when the tourism industry recovers.

“Most importantly, we will be ensuring there is full support available for all of our teams – both personally and professionally – over the coming months."