Two new staff will be office-based while three of the roles are set to be based in the field, giving the escorted tour specialist and river cruise line a total of six on-the-road staff.

The team, currently made up of three staff and led by sales director Janet Parton, will be split across three geographical areas, North, Central and South, with one business development manager and one regional sales manager in each.

Of the office-based positions, Cosmos and Avalon will appoint a new business manager responsible for sourcing new travel agents to work with the two brands, while an inside sales team member will be recruited to provide support to those working remotely.

The successful candidate will also look after agent enquiries and support trade partners with merchandise and offers.

Interviews for the roles are set to take place shortly to get the expanded team to be in place for December ready for the peak booking period in early 2019.

Parton said: “My existing sales team have been working hard to educate the trade about our escorted touring and river cruise products, but by expanding our scale, we will be able to increase our support of the trade and dedicate even more time to meeting with a wider range of travel agents around the UK to help grow their knowledge of Cosmos, Avalon and premium brand, Globus, which offers first-rate escorted tours.”