Andy Freeth, chief executive, pledged to make improvements when he joined in April and told TTG he was already making good on his promises.

The tour operator has added 14 staff in the past two months, around half taking up roles in the reservations team.

Freeth also revealed If Only sales were up by 42% year-on-year during the first 10 weeks of its new senior management team joining the company.

The developments include a new commercial partnership with The Travel Network Group, adding to its existing agreements with the likes of the Advantage Travel Partnership, Hays Travel and Midcounties.

Gordon McCreadie, If Only’s sales and marketing director, described the new partnership as “the missing piece of the jigsaw”.

“In our 17-year history, we have worked with some of the individual members of the consortia but never with TTNG centrally,” he said. “They are going to be positioned as a key partner.

“From their [TTNG’s] point of view, the key driver is around our strategy with the trade. While other luxury operators are stepping further away from the trade, we are going in the opposite direction – we work 99% through the trade.”

Freeth added the new agreement would “reinvigorate the brand” and place it firmly in front of agents.

“The head office deal with TTNG is part of a wider strategy that includes working with more hotel, tourist board and airline partners,” he said.

“We’ll have more fam trips than ever and we will be doing everything we can to help agents.”