Tour operator First Choice Holidays has seen a sunny start to the year with sales for the winter and summer seasons jumping ahead.

The Crawley-based group said sales of its winter holidays to people in the UK and Ireland for the 2000/2001 season were five per cent up on last year's levels. Sales for this summer were also up nine per cent.

Chairman Ian Chubb said the group's aim with summer trading had been to boost margins during the key January and February booking periods.

He added the group's "Buy One Get One Free" offer had proven to be "extremely successful".

For this summer, it had sold around 55 per cent of its holidays, representing a record load-factor for this time of year.

Internationally, First Choice said its Canadian business, Signature Vacations, had seen a "significant improvement" in its winter trading performance and was trading in line with expectations.

Mr Chubb added the group entered the key summer trading period with "great optimism" and remained confident of the outlook for the rest of the year.

The sunny update came after the firm reported in December a 47 per cent jump in profits for the year to the end of October.