Head of trade sales Richard Forde said the urge from consumers to "make up for lost time" over the past two years has become "increasingly evident" after the operator saw an uptick in demand for its long-haul trips, with customers opting to spend more on upgrades, extensions and "high-ticket" holidays.

"By looking at the recent booking patterns, it’s clear that our customers are not only feeling comfortable to travel again, but they’re even opting for high-ticket holidays that often involve more than one focus," Forde added.

Newmarket says the removal of travel restrictions for vaccinated arrivals in the UK and other European and long-haul destinations, such as South Africa, Canada and Kenya, have led to an increase in consumer confidence.

"Overall, long-haul bookings are performing well against 2019, and average sales values have increased by over 40%," Forde continued.

"Our safari bookings in particular are proving very popular amongst our agent partners and customers are clearly planning ahead."