FHC chair Philippa Harris led the tributes, hailing Burling’s "invaluable" contribution to the charity in spite of his "busy, high-powered" job with Tui.

"He always found time to support the board of trustees with his measured, experienced and encouraging advice," said Harris of Burling, Tui Group chief executive of markets and airlines.

"He has been especially helpful helping us forge a way through significant changes with our new team, brand and direction. We will all miss him, and we wish him well for the future."

Burling became a trustee of what was then Family Holiday Association in 2008. During the pandemic, the charity had to take the difficult decision not to provide trips for any families to preserve its resources until it could operate again. It said Burling’s "insight and forecasting" played a vital role helping the charity navigate this "difficult period".

The FHC said Burling’s retirement from its board of trustees would allow him to give his role at Tui his full focus while the travel sector faces up to the economic and post-Covid challenges of the moment.

"As you would have expected over 15 years of being a trustee for a small charity, there have been some memorable moments," said Burling. "Particularly in the past two years, it’s been encouraging to see the charity move forward - changing operations to better suit families and working to turn around fundraising activity.

"I leave the charity in safe hands and feel confident the board is strengthened by new trustees like Julia [Lo Bue-Said, chief executive of the Advantage Travel Partnership], who will continue to provide expertise around the travel sector.

"I’ll always be a supporter and advocate for the charity, which makes such a difference to families facing tough times."