BARRHEAD Travel grew sales 20% in the first quarter when it recorded a surge in bookings for holidays in sunspots like Spain despite the chilly economic climate.
The group achieved revenues of £27.5 million in the three months to March, helped by the appeal of the year-round sunshine that destinations like the Canary Islands offer travellers.
The company also enjoyed strong demand for holidays in Majorca.
Barrhead Travel has laid on extra charter flights between Glasgow and Barcelona for the summer to accommodate bookings for city breaks.
The popularity of Spain may partly reflect moves by local providers to cut the cost of services to help compensate UK travellers for the relative weakness of the pound against the euro at a time when consumer sentiment is fragile.
Barrhead's success bucks a gloomy trend in the UK travel trade. Chief executive of the company, Sharon Munro, said research by Mintel showed total industry sales fell by 8% annually in the first quarter.
Barrhead appears to be reaping the rewards for its decision to expand at a time when some of its big rivals have been retrenching.
Ms Munro said: "We have opened seven new stores since last year – bringing our total branch network up to 35 across Scotland and Northern Ireland – and invested in our main website to support demand from online sales." She confirmed that Barrhead Travel planned to open stores in England when suitable opportunities arose.
Shops in some prime locations are available at much lower rents than during the boom years of the last decade.
Barrhead Travel is launching a call centre in Cumbria in England this month. The company expects the centre in Barrow-in-Furness will employ around 50 people initially, including some who work in a facility that sells holidays on behalf of Thomas Cook, which is due for closure.
Barrhead has also added a range of new services. In January the company announced the launch of the first direct flights from Glasgow to Venice using planes chartered from British Airways.
It has introduced niche services like river cruises for travellers with particular interests.
The success of these offerings reflects the buoyancy of some sections of the market. Sales of long haul flights have increased in response to growing interest in more adventurous locations like Thailand.
However, Barrhead Travel also reported increased demand for all-inclusive deals which allow people to finalise their budgets before they travel.
Founded in 1975 by Ms Munro's father Bill Munro, Barrhead Travel is projecting a turnover of £155m in 2012.
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