The Stephen Bath Travel website went live last week, with day trips to Venice from Bournemouth on Easter Sunday (April 21) and Easter Monday (April 22) now available.

The trips will be sold exclusively through Hays Travel branches, of which 35 are less than an hour’s drive from Bournemouth airport, Bath pointed out. The trips will be operated under Hays IG’s Atol.

Before it was bought up by Hays Travel in 2013, Bath Travel – of which Stephen Bath was joint managing director – operated almost 60 day trips, mostly with its in-house airline Palmair, carrying 6,000 passengers a year. It also ran some multi-day tours to Egypt.

Following the acquisition, the Baths were subject to a non-compete contract, but Hays recently suggested Bath resurrect some of the old trips. The new flights will be operated on a Bristol-based Tui Airways 737-800 with 189 seats.

The trips, costing £325, will be escorted by Bath and two others.

“This is a test market for us,” said Bath. “The plan is to have more flights in the autumn and lots next year.

“We’re trying to recreate what we did with Palmair, which people loved. That’s why we’re including in the ticket price things like a hot breakfast onboard.”

Jane Schumm, Hays Travel’s retail and training director, added: “Hays Travel is happy to be supporting Stephen Bath with the day trips to Venice. We have seen lots of customers, old and new, booking these trips, which provide a good alternative day trip for those wanting to fly from their local airport in Bournemouth.”