Shrewsbury travel agent scoops top award after a tough 18 months for the industry
A Shrewsbury travel agent is celebrating after scooping a top industry award after the "battle" of the past 18 months.
Peakes Travel Elite picked up another prestigious award to add to their growing collection, which includes being listed as a top 50 travel agency in the UK and Ireland.
They were awarded a ‘Travel Weekly Agent Achievement Award’ at a glittering awards ceremony in London, hosted by comedian Tom Allen and Travel Weekly editor-in-chief Lucy Huxley.
This year's Travel Weekly Agent Achievement Awards were the first to be held since the start of the pandemic and were designed to honour those travel agencies who have represented the best of the industry over the past 18 months.
The award winners are selected based on voting by travel industry suppliers including tour operators, airlines, cruise lines and tourist boards, with the individual agent categories decided by panels of expert judges.
Claire Moore, managing director at Peakes Travel Elite, said: “It feels incredible to have won this award despite everything we’ve battled against over the last 18 months.
“The personal service we offer our customers has shone through. When something goes wrong, we’re here to sort it. Thank you to my team for your sheer determination and hard work through the hardest period the travel sector has ever faced.”
Peakes have reduced the number of tour operators they work with based on their treatment of customers during the pandemic.
Claire added: “We have stepped away from working with any operators who have acted irresponsibly and unfairly. We have a cautious and considered approach to make sure our customers are protected.”
The award follows more good news for the business with the number of countries on the UK Covid travel red list being cut from 54 to 7 by the Government this month.
“It is fantastic that so many countries are off the red list and long-haul options are opening up,” said Claire. “My advice to anyone wanting to book a holiday would be not to wait too long.
"I estimate that around 60 per cent of our 2022 options are already booked due to the number of holidays that have been rolled over from 2020 and 2021, and due to people booking earlier for that very reason.
“Sadly, our team is half the size it was before the pandemic. There’s still a long way to go for the travel industry to get back to what it was – and it’ll only get there by people having the confidence to take holidays again.
“There’s never been a better time to use a travel agent to guide you through making a holiday booking. We are very proud to offer an award-winning service to our customers.”
Peakes Travel Elite offer an appointment service Monday to Saturday from 10am to 2pm, and outside those hours via phone and email. Visit www.peakestravelelite.co.uk for more information.
