The shock announcement was revealed on Tuesday, with Gordon McCreadie joining If Only as sales and marketing director, Matt Appleby named as product and commercial director and Tracy Docherty becoming business development director. David Irving has also joined as head of specialist business.

The five will quit Travel 2, which has an Atol for 233,000 passengers, to join the luxury long-haul specialist, which is licensed for just 8,000.

Freeth will join If Only in December, while Appleby, Docherty, Irving and McCreadie will all join the business in early September.

Steve Cartwright, managing director of Cardiff-based agencies Cartwright Travel and Passion for Cruises, said: “It’s one hell of a shock and it’s a fantastic coup for If Only to get them onboard. I’ve known [Freeth, McCreadie and Docherty] for a long time... Having them is definitely going to help If Only strengthen in its sector.”

Britaly Travel partner Daniele Broccoli added that the new recruits had “a great opportunity to expand If Only”. “It’s a fantastic company that has lots of potential. Andy knows what the trade wants and needs from his time at Travel 2, and If Only has the same ethos. It’s focused on supporting the trade and I’d expect that to continue. We need good tour operators.”

Haslemere Travel owner Gemma Antrobus, chair of Aito Specialist Travel Agents, said: “If Only wants to really expand and the Travel 2 guys will know all about scaling things up and running a bigger business.”

If Only has also revealed plans to create up to 40 new jobs at its headquarters in Milngavie outside Glasgow, with recruitment days planned.

Brendan Maguire, founder and managing director, told TTG: “We’ll be offering, in time, the rest of the world; the door is open to possibilities. We’ve got to sit down now and decide where to start, but we will have new brochures by the end of the year.”

Maguire added that the operator’s trade-only focus, and lack of consumer-facing sister brands, had been key to its success. “There will be no change in that whatsoever,” he promised.

Freeth was previously managing director of Gold Medal and Travel 2, after joining Travel 2 in 2009. McCreadie was director of sales and marketing B2B dnata Travel UK at dnata Travel, after joining Travel 2 in 2010, while Docherty had been with Gold Medal since 2000.