Neal joins the consortium from air travel reward scheme Avios, where he was senior marketing manager responsible for the strategy, planning, governance and implementation of marketing activities for the company and its airline partners.

He has held a number of marketing roles within travel including at Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd, Tui and Austravel.

In his new role, Neal will advise TTNG’s 1,000-strong agency membership on developing their marketing strategies to help drive sales with a multi-channel approach.

TTNG’s former group marketing director Si Morris-Green departed in February after six years with the consortium.

Gary Lewis, TTNG chief executive, said: “Over the past five years, the marketing strategy we have driven has been well received by members and much admired by the industry. In this role, James will be responsible for ensuring we maintain our lead in being one of the most creative, innovative and proactive travel brands in the industry.

“James brings to our group a wealth of experience of both marketing and the UK travel industry, having worked in the sector for much of his career. We are very much looking forward to having him as a key member of our team.”