The winner of TTG and Royal Caribbean’s £20,000 Royal Makeover competition was revealed at the TTG Travel Awards on Monday night.
Five finalists were invited to join Royal Caribbean at the ceremony in London: Atlantic Travel Worldchoice, Letterkenny, Ireland; Tickets Travel, Bexley, London; Holidaze, Bournemouth, Dorset; The Good Travel Company, Ayr, Scotland; and Kirkham Travel, Preston, Lancashire.
The two runners up – Kirkham Travel and The Good Travel Company – will receive a marketing support package from Royal Caribbean along with a complimentary cruise for two people onboard Symphony of the Seas.
But the winner of the store makeover prize was a delighted Atlantic Travel Worldchoice.
The Royal Makeover judging panel praised the creativity of the store design that owner Emma McHugh submitted and said they could see great potential to work with her business to help her grow sales.
A quirky and heartfelt presentation further convinced the judges Atlantic should be the agency to win the investment.
McHugh said: “I’m completely overwhelmed and very surprised because I looked into the other finalists and they were all very deserving. It’s so exciting for a rural travel agency to win. We have such a passion for making the agency better and growing through innovation.”
A total of 18 agents submitted designs, covering everything from cupcake bars and carousels to zip lines and climbing walls.