Employees who worked through the whole of the Covid crisis will receive £1,000 each, with the agency paying bonuses of £500 to those who joined from January 2021 and £250 to those who joined from January 2022.

Wrexham-headquartered Hays North West, which has just expanded its store network to 46 with the acquisition of two World Travel Lounge branches in Lancashire, currently has employs more than 250 staff. The bonuses will be paid half in December and half in January, with part-time staff receiving theirs on a pro-rata basis.

The pledge comes off the back of the agency’s "busiest-ever August", with sales up 60% compared with August 2019. Managing director Don Bircham paid tribute to his team for their hard work, and stressed he was acutely aware of the cost of living challenges facing his employees and the wider travel industry.

“Our staff worked tirelessly during the Covid pandemic to keep the business afloat and I promised then to give something back to them when trading was back to some kind of normality," said Bircham.

He continued: "We have had a fantastic summer and have continued to expand the business with two more stores opening last month in Preston and Blackpool, but I am very aware of the financial challenges facing all of us from the cost of living crisis, as well as the additional costs that come at Christmas.”

Bircham added the agency, founded in 2000, would continue to look for expansion opportunities "when the right locations become available" and to continue recruiting. "We are always interested," he said.

"We are also looking to recruit more staff and we can offer a comprehensive training package with a nationally recognised qualification at the end of it to help them make the most of an opportunity to work in this exciting sector."