Andy Freeth named new Classic Collection chief

He will replace the brand’s current chief executive Simon Garner, and brings with him more than 20 years’ travel experience with roles including managing director of Travel 2, managing director of dnata, chief executive of Gold Medal and non executive director of Flexi Reps.

Following the delivery of the company’s first rebrand in nearly 35 years and after spending the last four years leading the Classic business and eight years with On the Beach Group in total, Garner now "seeks a new challenge".

Simon Cooper, chief executive of Classic Collection Holidays’ parent company, On The Beach, said: "Andy has a huge amount of experience in tour operating and in leading B2B travel businesses through fast-paced growth.

"Freeth said: "I’m very excited to get back into a sector of travel I love. The team at Classic have a great reputation, and I look forward to working with them in identifying new products to take to market."

The announcement follows a "record year" in 2022 for the Classic Collection brands, as the travel industry began to recover from almost two years of restrictions.

Despite the slow restart post-Omicron and the number of captive customers, the combined Classic businesses delivered more than 45% growth in sales versus 2019.