Explorer said its “successful working relationship” with Jetset was among a range of investments in service and support functions for franchisees.

Founder Steve Wood said the company, a member of the Hays Travel Independence Group, expects to post 2017/18 sales figures up 52% on last year and Q4 figures specifically up 43%.

The business will host its 13th annual conference in Milton Keynes on November 17 where it will celebrate a year of “explosive growth”.

“The upsurge in sales over the last few years is due to the investment we have made in enhanced training, support, IT, and social media,” said Wood.

“We are constantly looking for ways to improve the service and support we offer our franchisees rather than simply focusing on increasing franchisee numbers.”

Explorer has meanwhile limited its core suppliers to four - Jetset, Kuoni, Travelpack and Major Travel - “to provide them a better platform to promote their products”.

Paul Molyneux, Jetset national sales manager, said the close working relationship between Jetset and Explorer Travel had grown substantially over the past two years, adding Explorer had recently agreed to become a test agent for the “next phase” of its JETS and Package Pal system.

These systems were last significantly overhauled in 2015, informed by discussions with the trade. JETS allows agents to access and manage bookings, search flights and any granular additions, and track their commission, incentives and discounts.

Package Pal, meanwhile, is fully integrated, allowing agents to add accommodation, transfers, car hire and excursions. Bookings are protected under Jetset’s Atol.

Explorer has also worked closely with another one of its key partners, Kuoni, to significantly improve its online training systems and host training days and other educational.

Robin Griffiths, Kuoni key account executive, said the work had resulted in a “bumper year” for Explorer Travel, and promised this work would continue in 2019.

“After two years of consistent growth in year-on-year business, 2018 has been the biggest growth year yet in our mutual business and I can’t wait to see where 2019 takes us,” Griffiths added.