Despite the agency only opening its doors in July 2020 at the height of the pandemic, 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 their place as the UK’s best travel agency.

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

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The store fronts onto a busy high street in the small Yorkshire town of Beverley, and boasts a large floor-space with walls in on-trend pastel colours and a newly-designed seating area with a velvet sofa.

Instead of countless rows of brochures, customers are presented with Beverley Travel’s own 51-page brochure, which features a range of holiday ideas from a host of suppliers, while families are made to feel welcome with toys to keep little ones entertained.

Clients are offered coffee or even Prosecco while booking, and there are private booths for clients looking for a more personalised experience.

Customer service is the agency’s byword, 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.

To make sure customers return to Beverley Travel, the agency recently developed its own digital "VIP Club" to reward clients with points they can 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 – Cheesman and Douglas are determined to ensure all staff also take part in personal development courses, such as online marketing training and business strategy training.

The local community is crucial to Beverley’s success, the founders believe, with Cheesman launching a Mums in Business group and Douglas 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.

Cheesman’s marketing background has also helped the store win big on social media, with 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 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 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, Cheesman said: “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.