TTNG has already surpassed its 2017/18 signups (165) for the year to the end of June after taking on 174 new members.

It also celebrated its best month for recruitment in May since September 2012, during which it welcomed 14 new Travel Trust Association (TTA) members.

The group’s most recent open day at its Woking HQ, meanwhile, attracted a record number of attendees.

TTNG membership is spread across the group’s Worldchoice, Worldchoice Plus, TTA and Independent Travel Experts brands.

“While the uncertainty of Brexit has led to a challenging year for the country and the industry, it certainly hasn’t dampened the ambitions of those wanting to enter the UK travel industry,” said Lewis.

“We have invested in staging more recruitment activities across the country over the last 12 months, and this has clearly had a positive impact on the number of new members who have joined us.

Lewis cited the TTNG’s new support channels and member services for its growing numbers, including cluster meetings, marketing seminars, open days and the consortium’s new Training Service Academy.

Meanwhile, Lewis said he welcome the findings of a new Deloitte survey, which suggested consumers still value unique experiences over material goods and forecast increased consumer spend over the next quarter on leisure pursuits.

In particular, the survey highlighted an appetite for “off-the-beaten track” holidays, which Lewis said played into the hands of members with years of experience selling tailored holidays featuring complex itineraries.

He added the trend towards short breaks underlined the value of TTNG’s recent seminars on selling UK breaks.

“The overall market is worth £1.5 billion and the industry currently only accounts for 20%,” he said. “We believe the UK short breaks market offers great potential for our members.”

Deloitte’s Experience is Everything report was based on an online survey of around 3,000 UK adults aged 18 and older, conducted by YouGov.