Travel Counsellors has made more than £1 billion in annual sales for the first time.

In the 12 months to 23 August, leisure sales came in at £735 million, with corporate sales at £265m, the Times reports.

The company recorded more than 155,000 leisure bookings in the 12 months to August, with an average value of £4,717. It generated more than 164,000 corporate bookings with an average value of £1,577.

The Mediterranean, US and southeast Asia are the most popular regions. Travel Counsellors has seen a 70% increase in demand for trips to Japan, while cruise holidays contributed nearly £50m in sales in the last 12 months.

Travel Counsellors said it plans to double revenue in the next five years.

Chief Executive Steve Byrne told the Times: “The essence of the business model is about the travel counsellor building a relationship with you. I think people crave and want to be able to buy services and consumer services from people that they can build a trusting relationship with.”