As the school holidays begin, Donat Rétif says the hi-tech travel agency is well placed to profit from Britons’ steadily rising appetite for travel

Before the age of 20, Donat Rétif had never set foot in a plane: his world was confined to the quiet southern Belgian mining region he called home, and neighbouring France.

A year studying in Quebec as part of his business degree would prove the precursor to a globe­trotting career, culminating in landing the top job at loveholidays, the online travel agent responsible for millions of travellers taking to the skies each year. “I had a very simple upbringing. Canada was a big opening for me; I wanted to discover the world,” he says.