A SALTCOATS travel agents recently scooped a prestigious award in Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines’ Trade Awards 2018.

Barrhead Travel in the town is being recognised for its outstanding commitment to their partners at Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines and for standout sales performance within the UK and they won the Retail Outlet of the Year gong.

The award ceremony was held in May on-board the recently re-launched Independence of the Seas in Southampton with over 1,000 agents UK-wide in attendance. The top overall retail performer in the UK was Tina King, Store Manager at the Barrhead Travel Saltcoats branch.

Tina has worked in the travel industry for 32 years and brings a wealth of her experience to her role.

She said: “I am so chuffed I have won this award, it means a lot to be recognised for my achievements.

“As I have worked in travel for so many years, I’ve seen so many changes and had to adapt. But one thing has always remained the same, I have always stayed loyal to Royal.”

Vicky Billing, Head of Retail for North and Scotland at Royal Caribbean said: “We were delighted to reward Barrhead Saltcoats in the ‘Retail Outlet of the Year 2017’ category at our Trade Awards ceremony recognising our incredible trade partners, onboard Independence of the Seas."

The Saltcoats store was Barrhead Travel’s first franchise, opened by owner and manager, Tina. The store has a hugely loyal customer following thanks to the highly personalised service Tina and her team provide.

Tina also runs her own trips, taking groups of clients from dune-bashing in Dubai to cruising the Caribbean.