Chief executive Derek Jones said: “We want to be as famous for luxury short-haul as we are for long-haul.”

Expansion includes 43 new hotels in Italy, Portugal, Spain, Greece, Croatia, Cyprus and Malta with a focus on special occasion travel for honeymoons, birthdays and anniversaries.

Kuoni plans to increase the number of multicentre “coast, culture and countryside” itineraries in Europe with private transfers or car hire. 

Jones said: “Whilst short-haul isn’t new for us, the size and scale of what we’ve created is, and we think people are going to love it.

“This is about differentiating what we do from the mainstream travel operators and adding value, creating something bespoke for our clients that they can’t simply book online."   

In Italy, Kuoni has introduced 12 new hotels with new options in Tuscany including Siena for the first time. Others have been added in Lake Garda, Verona and Sicilian capital of Palermo. 

The collection in Spain has grown significantly beyond the beach, with new options in Granada, Cordoba, Marbella and Estepona as well as luxury retreats on Majorca and Ibiza.

Kuoni said Greece was now its second best-selling short-haul destination, with increasing demand from couples and families. New luxury properties have been added in Rhodes, Crete, Corfu and Halkidiki. 

Kuoni said around 30% of all its 2022 bookings were for honeymoons, with many couples rebooking after cancelled wedding plans resulting from lockdown restrictions. Average honeymoon booking value has risen by 13% from £7,985 in 2019 to £9,045 for 2022.

“As part of our recovery plan we will continue to be the specialist for special occasion trips anywhere in the world,” said Jones.

Sample packages from the new selection include Halkidiki, with seven nights’ bed and breakfast in the five-star Avaton Luxury Hotel and Villas from £1,799pp in July 2022, based on British Airways flights from Gatwick. 

Five nights on Lake Garda, at the five-star Villa del Sogno is from £1,099pp with breakfast including one bonus night. Flights are BA from Gatwick, departing June 2022.