24 November 2008

Local business wins Travel Agency of the Year Award

Five Dock-based ââ¬ÅâœTravelscene at Laze Away Travelââ¬~ has been selected as the winner of the Inaugural Travelscene American Express Agency of the Year Award.

The prestigious award came as a complete surprise to owners of the well-known inner west business, Cathy and Patrick Natoli who have operated the agency since 1980, the year they were married.  The agency, which was created by Patrickââ¬â¢s parents in the 1950ââ¬â¢s to help people migrate to Australia via shipping lines, has been on Great North Road, Five Dock for over 50 years.

The agency is part of Australian travel agency group, Travelscene American Express,  winner of the National Travel Industry Awardââ¬â¢s ââ¬ÅâœBest Travel Agency Groupââ¬~ 2008 and 2006.

ââ¬ÅâœIt is an absolute privilege and honour to have been selected and we are still a little stunned to have been chosen,ââ¬~ Cathy Natoli said.  ââ¬ÅâœTravelscene American Express was recently awarded Australiaââ¬â¢s best travel group so I guess that makes us the best of the best and thatââ¬â¢s fantastic recognition for our entire team.ââ¬~

ââ¬ÅâœThis is a business which has been in the same location for more than 50 years and weââ¬â¢ve worked with generations of families to make their travel dreams come true."  "We work together with our clients on their honeymoons, family trips, retirement trips, and then their childrensââ¬â¢ weddings and so it goes on, full circle ââ¬' that family loyalty is a big factor in our businessââ¬â¢ success and we certainly manage our clientsââ¬â¢ travel plans as though they were our own.ââ¬~

The secret to ensuring their successful business continues to thrive as they are able to adapt to the changing business climate, according to Patrick, is enthusiasm and pride.

ââ¬ÅâœWe might be just a small business but weââ¬â¢ve worked together for a long time, we all take great pride in our work and we are focussed on taking all the stress out of travel for our clients whether itââ¬â¢s domestic or international, business or leisure.ââ¬~

ââ¬ÅâœWhile itââ¬â¢s easy to manage simple bookings on-line, we know many of our clients want the worry taken out of co-ordinating their travel requirements, and want the benefit of our expertise and buying power as part of Travelscene American Express as well as the safety of dealing with a licensed travel agency to ensure they are covered should anything go wrong.ââ¬~

A Report by The Mole

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