TWO York tour operators who, in May, joined forces to boost independent travel have now been joined by a third Yorkshire operator.

The Amber Travel Partnership formed by Inntravel, based at Castle Howard, and Great Rail Journeys, of St Saviourgate, York, has now been joined by Greek tour operator Filoxenia, of Halifax.

The new partnership allows each company to act independently while drawing from common resources, keeping brand identities and improving purchasing power. Filoxenia will continue to be led by Suzi and Simon Stembridge, while son Oliver will give specialist advice on travel for people with special needs.

Richard Hearn, 54, founder of Inntravel, which specialises in small French hotels, was recently elected the chairman of the Association of Independent Tour Operators.

He said: "We are very excited about Filoxenia joining our growing partnership. The company has something of a reputation for running a delicatessen of travel to Greece. There are many tasty items on their shelves."

Howard Trinder, founder director of Great Rail Journeys, said: "We expect that one or two more complementary, quality, fellow independent operators will be welcomed into the partnership within the next year. For the moment, though, Great Rail Journeys, Inntravelk and Filoxenia are all Yorkshire-based companies - purely a coincidence, but one that has greatly assisted the merger processes."

Updated: 10:57 Tuesday, July 06, 2004