An island travel agent has welcomed the news that another business is reviving the Shearings holidays brand.

Leger Holidays, the escorted touring company, has announced the acquisition of the assets of former competitor, Shearings.

The deal will see Leger Holidays acquire the Shearings brand, website and customer database.

David Thompson, a director of Port Erin-based Thompson Travel said he hoped it could lead to a revival for coach holidays to the island in the future.

He urged tourism bosses in the island to get ’off the blocks’ quickly in a bid to replace the gap left by the demise of Shearings which was Europe’s largest coach tour operator.

Hardly a week went by during the spring, summer and autumn without the sights of a Shearings vehicle trundling along to island tourist spots, towns and villages.

Now Leger Holidays’ chief executive Ian Henry has told ABTA magazine: ’I am delighted that Leger Holidays will be bringing the iconic Shearings brand back to life and relaunching it as a stand-alone brand in our escorted tours portfolio.

’We have gone into this deal knowing the two brands already have many synergies - similar product, customer demographic, experience values, impressive repeat business and customer loyalty and, as such, we already have the business model in place to seamlessly relaunch Shearings. Leger Holidays has nearly 40 years’ experience in escorted tours - we are not recklessly helicoptering into unknown territory. This deal will not only save the Shearings brand but will reinforce Leger Holidays’ position as the UK’s largest coach holiday operator.’