The figures were released at the company’s mini-conferences, which took place in Belfast, Glasgow, Manchester, Leeds, Birmingham and London.

More than 700 Travel Counsellors attended, along with 90 head office support team staff and 44 suppliers.

The group attributed its success this year to increased usage of its in–house system, with bookings through Travel Counsellors’ dynamic packaging system Phenix at 37% globally, and accounting for 46% of total earnings.

It said that on average, sales through the system had increased by 32% over the past four years, with an almost 10% increase in average earnings as a result.

Managing director Steve Byrne said Travel Counsellors was continuing to invest in Phenix, “adding content and developing new features to make it quick and easy to use, with a focus on personalising content and experiences that are tailored to the individual needs and requirements of each customer.

“We’re particularly excited about the ability to now include our own video content showcasing hotels in customer quotes, bringing to life more than 100 top-selling properties,” he added.

Members also heard how Phenix enables Travel Counsellors to build relationships with destination management companies, with DMC sales reputedly up 200% compared with 2015.

A recent survey of members revealed that 86% of Travel Counsellors agreed Phenix had helped grow their business with more than 78% rating the overall user experience as excellent or good.

Travel Counsellor James Comrie said: “Using Phenix means I can control my earnings. It makes my job so much easier, and I don’t think I would have hit ‘gold’ [commissions of £83,000 plus] this year without it. The time I save using our system can be reinvested into caring for my customers, ensuring every person that books with me experiences the trip of a lifetime.”