The founder of Barrhead Travel, Bill Munro, has died at the age of 80.
Munro died peacefully at his home in Thorntonhall, South Lanarkshire, on Saturday after falling ill during the summer.
After working as a banker, Munro opened his first travel agency in Barrhead Main Street in 1975, having spotted a gap in the market while searching for a holiday.
Within weeks of opening there were queues along the high street every Saturday morning, with holidaymakers planning and buying their holidays from Munro and his team.
Starting with three staff, Munro was helped along the way with seed finance provided by his brother Donald, who operated a chain of chemists in Scotland.
From the first shop in Barrhead, the business grew to become the biggest independent travel agent in Scotland and one of the most renowned travel retail chains in the UK.
After a period of expansion, which coincided with a UK boom of consumers travelling abroad for their annual holidays through the 1980s and 1990s, Munro opened shops in almost every major Scottish town and city.
By 2010 Barrhead Travel was turning over £100 million annually, with 400 staff working out of 20 shops.
In 2007, through a management buyout mechanism, he handed over the reins of the business to his daughter, Sharon Munro, having previously introduced her to the management of the business.
He said at the time: “I think I have taken the business to a certain level and Sharon is taking it to a much higher level.”
In 2018 Barrhead Travel, after a period of further growth, was sold to US-based travel conglomerate Travel Leaders Group (TLG) for an undisclosed sum. Munro took on an advisory role in the company after the sale, but the relationship did not work out as hoped and they parted ways.
He received a lifetime achievement award at the Agent Achievement Awards in 2010, which came after Barrhead Travel had won the Best Large Travel agent in Scotland award for the tenth consecutive year.
He leaves his wife, Susan, daughters Sharon and Wendy, grandchildren Ross and Hannah together with many friends and former colleagues.
Tributes from industry colleagues have started coming in for Munro following news of his death.
A spokesperson for the Scottish Passenger Agents Association (SPAA) said: “Bill had an invaluable and transformational impact on the travel industry and his legacy is evident in the Scottish travel sector today.”
Joanne Martin, owner of Love to Travel, said: “We have lost a Scottish travel pioneer, a man who changed the whole landscape of independent travel agents.”
Linda Boyd of Stewart Travel said: “Scotland has lost a true travel legend who carved his own path with his vision from an early age.”
Former Seabourn sales director Wendy Lahmich said: “[Bill was] always great company and an inspiration to many over the years.”