Caribtours promises trade loyalty and new destinations following merger

Cleary said he led a management buyout of Caribtours in 2019 with a view to passing it on to ID Travel Group, but due to the pandemic, this was only made public in October 2022. Completion did not take place until this year.

“The deal was signed on 1 January [2024] – but we then got into peak season and since then, we’ve been planning the next steps,” he explained.

Cleary joins the ID Travel board as a partner and becomes chief commercial officer alongside chief executive Bonham-Carter, partner and chief operating officer Laurie Palumbo, and partner and chief financial officer Padu Padmanaban.

Bonham-Carter said: "I’ve known Paul for more than 30 years and I’m excited to bring this merger to fruition as we share the same values and vision.”

Cleary added Caribtours would not change its approach to business or expand for the sake of it following the deal: “Of course there are synergies, but they should not be the reason for it.

"The reason is we’re doing a beautiful job here and they have a wonderful business there. That’s the joy of it, not the cost savings. I’ve seen it so many times where companies lose the very reason they are loved.”

However, he hinted at future acquisitions. “We will see over time what happens whether we add other companies. There is a whole world out there.

"So long as we can expand in a well thought-through way, we will, but we have to add value because travel advisors crave operators that really know their area and see through it when people are faking.”

He insisted the end game was not a full sale to ID. “Not at all – we still have a lot of energy for this.

"Last year was the second-most successful in our history, and this year is equally exciting. Things have never been better in the UK and Ireland; the outlook is so encouraging. We’ll keep doing what we do.”