Travel Bureau – A Potted History
North East based independent travel company Travel Bureau will celebrate 55 years in business in 2016, a significant anniversary for staff and customers. In 2012, as well as completing a facelift to their premises on Gosforth High Street, the business unveiled a collaboration with luxury holiday companyKuoni, becoming the only partner store for them in the North East. The partnership brings an international brand to the High Street and adds a new dimension to Travel Bureau’s extensive portfolio of travel products.
In addition to this in 2015 Travel Bureau launched Meaningful Escapes – a range of new fitness holidays for busy people to focus on their wellbeing, as well as Travel Bureau Destinations - offering bespoke luxury holidays and experiences around Britain, as sister companies to the Travel Bureau brand. 2016 is set to see the launch of Pure Luxury Hotels – a luxury hotel website featuring the very best properties around the globe.
The business has come a long way since first opening its doors back in 1961. Husband and wife team, John and Rose Scott started trading from a one roomed office located in the rear of the record shop at 61 High Street. As the trend for overseas travel steadily increased the company grew to employ 9 people and a bright future lay ahead. Despite the continued rise in package holiday sales, the booking process was still very manual. Everything was done via telephone, airline schedules and fares had to be searched for in huge books and airline tickets all stored in a fire proof strong room in the basement of the building, each being hand written with a record kept for each sale. The industry boomed and the business flourished, resulting in more travel experts joining the Travel Bureau team, included, in 1968, Jeffrey Bell bringing with him great experience gained from his time at Thomas Cook and Hunting’s.
It became clear that the business needed to relocate, moving tobigger, and its current, premises at 69/71 Gosforth High Street in 1971. Travel Bureau diversified into offering business travel services as well as maintaining its core leisure bookings, and continued to grow each year. So much so that in 1976 after a successful career in the motor trade John Scott Jnr joined the family business to add his skills to the mix.
In 1986 John Jr. and Jeff Bell became company directors, as founders Rose and John Sr. slowly began to take more of a back seat, leaving it in the safe hands of John Jr. who officially took over the helm in 1992. With a new shop refurbishment completed, creating a whole new environment for staff and for customers, the world really was their oyster. By the 1990’s over 40 travel experts worked for the business, which was committed to building strong relationships with its local community and providing first class service, expert advice and an extensive holiday choice to the local community. All of which standing it in good stead for the changing and challenging travel industry environment which lay ahead.
This ethos still remains today as the business moves into the 21st Century as not just a travel agent but as a travel concierge service offering tailor-made itineraries, weddings and honeymoons services, business and group travel, all provided with a personalised service.
Combining latest technology with exceptional service and first-class travel knowledge inrelaxed and comfortable surroundings clearly delivers what customers want from a 21st century travel company as the business continues to flourish.
At the heart of the business is the real sense of passion for travel amongst the team who continue to learn about new and emerging destinations so they can offer customers advice on latest trends and new hotel openings and help them craft their perfect trip.