Freeth, who left If Only last July, took over as chief executive of National Holidays parent JG at the start of the year, trading the luxury long-haul sector for markets closer to home.
"People have said to me, ’Andy – coach holidays?’," said Freeth. "But these are fantastic products. I can’t wait to jump on one. I’ll be joining one of the very first tours when they go.
"I think the domestic market is going to thrive over the next few years, and we’re going to be there to make sure we are delivering great value for our customers."
JG acquired National Holidays last year following the collapse of Specialist Leisure Group (SLG), strengthening the Cheltenham-based group’s presence in the north and expanding its brand portfolio which already included the more southern-focused Just Go! Holidays and London theatre and attraction specialist Omega Breaks.
The move also allowed JG to take on a handful of experienced former SLG staff, including trade sales manager Claire Dutton, sales and yield director Matt Herbert and product manager Chris Allen.
"It [JG] is a fantastic brand that has bags of potential," said Freeth. "In scale, we’re the market leader in the coach industry. Domestically, these brands should carry more than 600,000 customers a year.
"I’ve joined at a time where we’ve got to really make sure we capitalise on the acquisition of National, which obviously came from the very sad demise of SLG.
"But the opportunity came, and we’re going to make sure we work to deliver the great value holidays National’s customers have come to expect over the past 20-plus years.
"National has a very loyal customer base, and people really do want to travel – the numbers we’re seeing book for this year give us massive confidence."
Freeth, though, said National wasn’t just a "fortunate acquisition" for JG. "It was fortunate for customers too," he said.
"Due to the popularity of the brand, and the breadth of products it had, it would have left a massive gap for consumers."
The loss to the trade too would have been significant, said Freeth, with agents, particularly those in the north of England, long having booked National in great volumes for customers keen to head to London for shows, concerts and city breaks in the capital.
"There’s massive lean to the north with National," said Freeth. "I’m sure customers in those areas were delighted we picked it up.
"It’s a familiar brand offering familiar, good value products that they love, departing nearly 700 pick-up points."
