Simpson Travel was on the acquisition trail last year and 69-year-old chairman Graham Simpson has said he is on the look out for further acquisitions should the right opportunities come along.

In December, Simpson bought two businesses - Dominique’s Villas, which features 120 properties across France, and Cottages to Castles, which features 220 properties in Italy.

The two brands will continue to operate independently within Simpson Travel but 45 of the French properties will create a dedicated French programme for Simpson Travel for 2016.

Simpson Travel also acquired the assets of Exclusive Escapes last June following the collapse of the Turkey specialist.

“It’s hard work buying and integrating companies and of course takes considerable time, but we do want to expand further once these have bedded in and would look at opportunities to take on small specialists in key areas of interest,” Simpson said, with a Croatia specialist possibly particularly appealing.

“There are more owner-managed businesses out there that could be interesting – ones where the owner is looking at how to negotiate the future and figuring out their place in a competitive market, or is perhaps looking for an exit strategy that preserves the integrity of what they have built up,” he said. “I’m happy to talk to owners who think along the same lines as us.”

Simpson Travel previously had a portfolio of Turkey, Greece, Corsica and Majorca but Simpson said the most recent acquisitions represented an opportunity he couldn’t miss.

He said: “With the world the way it is, we felt it would be a good time to diversify the portfolio and France and Italy are so immensely popular with our existing clients – those two destinations topped the list of places they would like to see us operate.”

He said the issues in Greece and Turkey had naturally had an impact on customer confidence last year but hopefully only a short-term one.

“I think people are very pragmatic – they try to get a realistic view of the situation and plan for their holiday accordingly; people can’t live without their holiday these days,” he said.

“When it comes to Turkey, I’d say we are probably the leading specialist there now and I’ve always had a firm belief in it as a destination since I starting operating there back in 1982. The service there is great, so open and friendly, and the accommodation really evolves to fit what the market is looking for."