Belmond’s chief executive admitted luxury travel agents know his product "better than anything".

Roeland Vos paid testament to agents’ comprehensive knowledge of luxury product as he revealed “40 to 50%” of the group’s business comes from the travel trade.

“That is because the experts in luxury actually very often know our suites and our trains better than anything,” he said.

“Because they can read their customers, they know their customers so well that they can actually tailor what is needed for their customer base.

“I believe that’s a true opportunity for every person who works in the travel trade if you want to be in luxury.”

He added: “I see lots of opportunities in this growing market that will outpace the rest of the travel market by a long shot.”