Appearing on stage at the Global Travel Group conference in Dubai, Nick Hughes said independent agents were still averaging only between five and seven bookings for Attraction World a year.

“Some independent agents do a lot - some do several thousand, but some do none so it averages out as that,” he explained. “The average Thomas Cook store however will do 60 bookings a year for us.

“I have seven in my team, there are six of them that work on the independent agent side… [but] we need to do more to help you,” he told delegates.

“We are putting tools together to help agents, and to change this.”

It came as Hughes urged agents to think not just about selling the flights and hotel components of a holiday, but also about the experiences that are available for clients once they arrive in destination.

“Around 80% of Facebook posts are travel related, and the vast majority of the time it’s about the experiences and the memories we’re making. Help the customer make the memories,” he added.