A TRAVEL company has re-opened all of its 39 shops in North Wales and the North West.

Don Bircham and Ruth Ward, owners of Hays Travel North West, have stated that they decided to re-open its shops after returning from a fact-finding mission to Spain, which had given them renewed confidence the industry will bounce back from the coronavirus crisis in the long-term.

Earlier this year, the couple celebrated 20 years in the business and said the fact they were a successful, stable business would stand them in good stead in recovering from the Covid-19 disaster.

The company’s shops include branches in Wrexham, Mold, Flint, Connah’s Quay and Chester.

Bookings nose-dived to five per cent of their normal level after the lockdown was imposed but the business is taking off again after so-called air bridges to popular European destinations including Spain were established.

They are now back up to 60 per cent of the seasonal average and rising.

According to Mr Bircham, there was a huge pent up of demand from their customers who were desperate for a break in the sun.

He said that it was vital for him to understand more about the 'new normal' in Spanish resorts, which continued to be hugely popular with their customers.

He said: "We always need to know our product inside out so we can give our customers the best insight and advice – but it’s especially important now to get a feel for the whole experience, in terms of the airport, the flight, the accommodation and of course what it’s like in the resort itself.

“The only time we wore a mask was walking into a supermarket and walking into a bar and restaurant.

"But the minute you're in the bar and restaurant it can be taken off immediately.

“The beaches are still great but they're obviously quieter which is not necessarily a bad thing in one sense - it's fantastic.

“All the bars and restaurants are open so there's no feeling of emptiness whatsoever.

"People are going about their business and enjoying themselves.

"The locals are out eating in the restaurants.

“The sanitisation they've put in place is excellent - there is somebody sat outside every public toilet insisting that you sanitise before you go in and after you go out and they're constantly cleaning them.

"The Spanish people were delighted to see us."

After the Covid-19 pandemic struck, Hays Travel put 80 per cent of their 220 staff on furlough and closed all 39 branches.

The remainder of the staff worked from home dealing with live bookings, alterations and cancellations.

Mr Bircham stated that the UK Government’s Job Retention Scheme had been a 'real blessing' because it enabled the company to retain staff throughout and meant they were well-placed to cater for the surge in demand.