Hilton joins from Gold Medal and Dnata UK, where she was also head of sales and business development.

In her new role at Trafalgar, the company said Hilton would be responsible for growing the overall business development strategy.

She will also work to develop existing trade relationships and create new partnerships to boost sales. She will lead a sales and marketing team of six.

Hilton will report in to Trafalgar’s Global chief executive Gavin Tollman. Commenting on the new appointment Tollman said: “Ruth is well established and respected in the UK travel industry and her connections and experience mean she is extremely well placed to lead our UK sales operation.

“Her strategic and results-orientated approach, and her drive, entrepreneurial spirit and in-depth knowledge of the industry will all serve to further build on Trafalgar’s position as the leading guided holiday operator in the UK as we come into our 70th year. We’re delighted to welcome her to the team.”

Hilton added: “This role represents a fantastic opportunity to grow commercial opportunities and increase brand awareness for Trafalgar. The last 12 months have been exciting for Trafalgar – reaping numerous global industry and consumer awards, successfully launching our new CostSaver brand in the marketplace and achieving an industry-leading average guest satisfaction rate of 97%, according to Feefo.

“It’s my job now to build on that, to ensure that more and more UK travellers experience our award-winning holidays and that more agents and wholesalers benefit from being our partners.”

Hilton also held a number of senior sales roles prior to Gold Medal, including at Affinion International Travel, Co-operative Travel, XLLG and My Travel – Going Places.