Martin Young is a keen traveller and an accomplished salesman who considers himself lucky to have a job that combines the two.

As managing director of Hove-based Panorama and Manos Holidays, he is head of a £250 million business.

The company has expanded quickly, growing from a staff of 97 four years ago to 225 now.

Panorama can trace its roots back to the Sixties when it used to fly holiday home owners to the Spanish Costas.

It now takes more than 500,000 people to 30 destinations worldwide, making it one of the most successful holiday companies in the UK.

Business suffered a downturn following the September 11 terrorist attacks but Panorama and Manos Holidays worked hard to regain business and Mr Young is pleased with the progress the company has made.

He said: "The attacks had an immediate impact on our business as it did on all travel businesses worldwide.

"Since then, we have been doing a lot of work to recover the situation. It happened at the end of the operating year when business was winding down anyway.

"Now is traditionally our busiest time of year and early indicators show we are getting back on track.

"I'm pleased with the way things are going. From my own fairly low-key research I've found by far the largest majority of people plan to take the same amount of foreign holidays this year as they did last year.

"The situation is very different in America. The travel business is affected much more by world events.

"It has only got to snow in Africa and they won't travel to Iceland. The UK and the Irish markets have proved much more robust."

The travel business was seasonal and anyone planning a holiday would be advised to look at taking it during the first two weeks of December.

With everybody focused on Christmas, holidays were way down the list of priorities.

But in mid-December there was an explosion of interest as people started planning for the following year's holidays.

The busy time for the holiday firm peaked in January.

Ten years ago, Panorama was run from cramped offices in Queens Road, Brighton, offering customers the choice of just six destinations. It now has 30 destinations with more planned.

Its success is built on knowledge, service and quality. Its reputation has grown and so has business.

Its headquarters are now in Vale Road, Portslade, where it has expanded into five times as much office space.

Mr Young said: "We have never lost sight of the fact that for the one or two weeks people go abroad for their holiday they spend 48 weeks thinking about their time away and it is very important for us to get it right.

"It isn't rocket science. It is about working hard to make sure that everything we do is as good as it can be.

"It is making sure the people our customers speak to on the telephone know about the destinations and the holidays so they can offer advice that can be relied on.

"We work hard to get the tickets out on time and flights away on time and make sure transfers work out smoothly.

"We see to it the hotels have been honestly reflected in the brochure and there are people from the companies in all the destinations in our brochure.

"Most customers don't want anything more than local information about transport and attractions but there are occasions when support is needed and we pride ourselves on the ability of our staff to help our customers no matter what happens."

Last year, the son of a customer temporarily went missing on the Mediterranean island of Ibiza and Panorama took the incident more seriously than the local police, organising sniffer dogs from the UK and a helicopter search.

Like all businesses, Panorama wants its customers to come back so it makes sure staff are fully trained and it offers career advancement opportunities.

Mr Young said the majority of staff in senior roles were initially recruited to work in the company's call centre.

To relax, he likes to take off on one of his motorbikes. He has a 750cc Honda, a 250cc Honda trial bike, a 350cc Yamaha and, for getting around town, a motorscooter.

He said: "I learned to ride a motorbike in the garden when I was 13. I've always loved motorbikes and I pestered my father to teach me.

"He taught me properly so when I was able to drive on the road I knew what I was doing."

Panorama also has a substantial operation in Ireland, accounting for a third of its business.

Three years ago, Panorama was sold to Manchester-based holiday giant Airtours by its founder and managing director Justin Fleming. He retired shortly afterwards, handing the top job to his deputy Nick Munday who stepped down at the end of last year when Mr Young took on the role.