Gavin & Stacey star Melanie Walters lights up new Sam Smith Travel store opening in hometown

"Everybody knows her," said White. "She was in there chatting with everyone like friends. It was a lovely touch, especially with Gavin & Stacey being so topical and popular at the moment. The whole nation was gripped at Christmas.

"She’s just a lovely person, and so modest. We all really got the feeling that she genuinely enjoyed it."

White paid tribute to the team at the new Mumbles store, which complements Sam Smith’s existing branches in Cowbridge and Pontyclun further east towards Cardiff, and his Ocky White Travel and Milford Haven Travel branches to the west.

"All the staff we’ve got, they’ve come from elsewhere in Mumbles – these three have a tremendous following locally," said White, who revealed members of the team have booked Walters in the past.

"People buy from people, so we’ve recruited really, really well. It’s not so much the name over the door, people book from people they know, like and trust."

On the new store, White revealed the team got the shop open in early January for peaks despite it not being completely ready.

"There’s still one or two things left to do, but it’s looking fabulous. It’s going very well, and the most encouraging thing is the number of new clients – people the team tell me they’ve not seen before, which is very encouraging."

Sam Smith’s Cowbridge branch is one of five agencies shortlisted for Top 50 Travel Agencies by TTG in Wales.