Oyster Travel, Norwich

Although located in a residential area in the suburbs of Norwich, the store excels at attracting passers-by with a fun window of flags, balloons and regularly updated deals, while a TV screen displaying faraway destinations adds a colourful touch.

Inside the modern-looking shop there is an inspiring Gold Medal and Travel 2 seating area, with different racks of brochures for clients to peruse dotted throughout the large space.

Last year saw the team increase to 11 consultants, with manager Sophie Baker describing the group as “more like family”.

New for 2018 were stringent checklists and “Oyster Travel guide books” on each desk to ensure agents don’t miss a thing during the booking process, while 42 educational trips were shared between them to bring their product knowledge bang up to date. A marketing push has seen Oyster invest in print advertorials and place more content on its Facebook page in 2018, with one Iceland deal attracting 14 bookings.

Customer service is the name of the game for Oyster, which has one team member dedicated solely to after-sales support. Hand-delivering tickets to clients in nearby villages is done as standard, as well as welcome-home calls and emails and gifts for special occasions such as birthdays and anniversaries. This affable team aims to go the extra mile, with one consultant helping a client to fight for flight delay compensation. The customer was so happy they wrote their thanks to Oyster in the local newspaper! With service like that, it’s no wonder the team enjoys a 68% repeat booking rate.

The travel agency also puts a focus on local charities, with regular Macmillan coffee mornings in the calendar and a collection box for old currency in the shop. Sophie herself has raised £11,000 for organisations in the area including the East Anglia Air Ambulance and Nelson’s Journey, as well as travel trade charity Abta LifeLine.

Thanks to fantastic customer service and a passion for charitable ventures, Oyster Travel is deserving of its place on the TTG Top 50 Travel Agencies list for 2019.