Paul Welling said he and wife Claire had been motivated to set up a high street presence for their office-based agency ItsSo Travel in St Ives, Cambridgeshire, after speaking to fellow Global members who had done it themselves.

The pair launched their business in September 2014 and currently operate from an office in the town. They offer bookings over the phone or can arrange appointments.

“We spoke to a lot of agents who were in the same position as us and had seen real success moving to the high street, so we decided it was the next step for us to take,” Welling said. “We feel like the business is out there and we’re so excited to have the chance to boost our footfall.”

Welling said ItsSo Travel now plans to add more agents to its ranks to help run the premises as it grows in the coming months.

“It’s a natural process and as we see our level of business increase, the size of our team will increase with it,” he added.

He also explained that the new store would be designed in a “consultancy style” and would have sofas and virtual reality headsets to help offer customers an “immersive experience” when booking with the agency.

Welling said ItsSo Travel would look to target the luxury market within the town with tailor-made long-haul itineraries. The new store will be located near the current office.

“We just can’t wait for everything to be finished and to be up and running. We’re incredibly proud to see the business taking its next step,” he added.