Terry (snr) had been downplaying his company’s chances of taking the big one – the world globe for the top Northern Ireland travel agency – as one of the family had earlier remarked that Terra was one of seven agencies shortlisted on the Menu card.
“I really, really didn’t expect it at all,” said Terry. “I remember saying something like ‘there’s no way we are going to win’; then I got the shock of my life when our name was announced. It took a few minutes for it to sink in – in fact it is still sinking in,” he said a couple of hours later.
Actually it was Terra’s Craigavon store which took the award for the first time, despite the company having been shortlisted several times in the past.
Terry, senior, set up the company in 1972 and is still its Chairman. And today its three shops are run by his two sons Terry and Damien and daughter Marie.
Terry Jnr manages the Rushmere, Craigavon branch, Damien is the Director/Manager of the Portadown branch and Terry’s daughter Marie is Director/Manager of the Lurgan retail shop.
Originally Terra Travel dealt with school and group travel, but over time the company has grown to become one of the best known names in local travel retail with its three branches in Lurgan, Portadown and Craigavon.
Terra Travel is a member of the Advantage Travel Partnership which is the largest consortium of travel agents in the UK with access to a huge range of holiday products.
Other agencies in the final shakedown for the Travel Agent of the Year Award were Oasis Travel, Lisburn, Clubworld Travel, Lurgan, JF Travel, Coleraine, Downe Travel, Downpatrick, last year’s winners, Limavady Travel, Limavady and Stewart Travel, Belfast.
The presentation of the top travel agency Award brought the curtain down on another phenomenally successful Northern Ireland Travel and Tourism Awards Gala, in association with Blue Insurance.
View Gallery: NITA 2018 | Awards Ceremony
