A bumper February follows on from a new high achieved by the company in January, with global holiday sales for the first two months of 2023 exceeding £200 million, which was a 21% rise on the corresponding period in 2019, as tailor-made bookings have taken off.

Travel Counsellors’ UK-based homeworkers are performing particularly well, with leisure sales in February rising to £50.6 million – a 72% improvement on pre-Covid levels.

These bookings are being fuelled by leisure homeworkers attracting new customers at a 30% faster rate than during 2022 and 2019. Average booking values are also 13% higher so far in 2023 compared with last year.

Another trend for Travel Counsellors is the growth of tailor-made bookings being made through its in-house platform Phenix, which has seen sales rise by 40% this year compared with pre-pandemic figures.

Chief executive Steve Byrne said: “We are thrilled to see the continued demand from customers and clients for travel after such a busy January, and notably the growth in our own packages in Phenix as customers look for truly personalised and tailor-made experiences.

“Our continued growth is testament to the amazing dedication and hard work of our Travel Counsellors and colleague community who are passionate about what they do.”

The company said that while summer 2023 remains the most popular departure period, there has been an increase in winter 2023/24 bookings, which are up by 90% at the same point as in 2019, with south-east Asia a popular choice.

Travel Counsellors record-breaking start to 2023 comes after it set a new company high for sales of more than £800 million last year.