UK & Ireland’s no.1 Travel Agency 2023

BEVERLEY TRAVEL, BEVERLEY

Despite opening its doors in July 2020 as the Covid-19 pandemic continued to plunge the travel industry deeper into stormy waters, this eight-strong team of travel experts has gone from strength to strength, navigating one of the toughest periods in the sector’s history to cement themselves as the team behind the UK’s best travel agency. 

Led by the formidable duo of founders and directors Kelly Cheesman and Karl Douglas, Beverley Travel combines the expertise and experience of consultants who have decades of experience in travel with the fresh ideas and energy of young apprentices from local schools and colleges who are eager to carve out a future career in travel. 

The store is on a busy high street in the small town of Beverley, and enjoys a large floorspace with walls in on-trend pastel colours and a newly designed seating area with a velvet sofa. Instead of countless rows of brochures, many customers are presented with Beverley Travel’s own 51-page brochure, which compiles a range of suppliers, and families are made to feel welcome with toys to keep the little ones entertained. Clients are offered coffee or even prosecco while booking, and there are private booths for clients looking for a more personalised booking experience.

Customer service is certainly the buzzword for the agency, with the store’s specialist concierge team and sales staff holding daily meetings to ensure the customer remains at the heart of everything the agency does, as well as diving into how the team can constantly improve. 

And to make sure customers return to Beverley Travel, the agency recently developed its own digitised “VIP Club”, to reward clients with points that convert to pounds when they return from their travels. 

The agency recently added a niche sports travel side to its operation, born from the founders’ love of rugby, which has led Beverley to become the go-to travel outlet for local sports fans looking to follow their teams all over the world. Last year, the store orchestrated the travel plans for around 600 local sporting fanatics. 

To maintain this high level of service, the team constantly update their product knowledge with Clia cruise training, operator classes, fam trips, in-house supplier events and destination refreshers. But it doesn’t stop there – Kelly and Karl are determined to ensure all staff also take part in personal development courses, such as online marketing training and business strategy.

The local community is crucial to Beverley Travel’s success, the founders believe, with Kelly launching a Mums in Business group and Karl a frequent attendee and speaker at local Chamber of Commerce meetings. The agency also sponsors local football and rugby teams, and advertises across local print, digital and radio outlets. 

Kelly’s marketing background has also helped the store win big on social media, resulting in a total of 30,000 followers and an average of 10,000 views on Facebook a week.

Having sizeable premises allows the agency to host a range of successful in-store events, including its own Travel Show Expo, which sees 12 suppliers attend with stands and brochures for customers to peruse. 

And while the company continues to grow, it refuses to do so at the cost of the environment. Its in-house brochure has helped to reduce the number of supplier brochures it keeps in store, and automatic light sensors save on electricity. Beverley Travel also works with environmentally-responsible suppliers, promoting companies’ sustainable travel options to their customers, who are becoming more aware of travel’s impact on the environment. 

Summarising the secrets of the agency’s success, Kelly says: “Our goals are big and we just keep on hitting our targets – something we are sure isn’t down to luck, but down to planning, strategy, thinking and doing outside of the box, and creating a team that is every part of the success of the overall business.”

And, with the title of UK & Ireland’s No.1 Travel Agency under their belt, there will be no stopping this ambitious and dynamic young business. 

beverleytravel.co.uk