McErlaine brings more than 30 years’ travel industry experience to the role across retail, business travel, aviation and tour operating.

He rejoins the industry following a spell away during the pandemic to cover for Amy Burt while she is on maternity leave. “Having worked on the ONS Covid project since being made redundant at the start of the pandemic, I’m over the moon to be returning to the industry I love," said McErlaine.

“I’m looking forward to building on the great success Amy has had to date and working closely with the agents in my region to further strengthen those relationships and provide the same level of excellent support Newmarket Holidays are known for.”

Richard Forde, Newmarket Holidays’ head of trade sales, added: “Our trade partners have been very supportive and have driven impressive growth this year compared to the same period in 2019. Amy has done a fantastic job for us in Scotland and Northern Ireland and we want to ensure we continue to support these important regions while she is on maternity leave.

“We are delighted to welcome Raymond into the team. He has a great deal of valuable experience and already knows many of our key partners in Scotland which will enable him to hit the ground running."