Snowdonia Travel has opened a second branch in the Welsh town of Prestatyn.
The Brilliant Travel Managed Service Travel Partner travel agency, which is owned by Darren Owen, opened its first outlet in Colwyn Bay in 2019.
Owen, who has been in travel for 33 years, had been made redundant from Thomas Cook and decided to make the move to open his own store.
The Colwyn Bay shop had only been trading for six months when Covid hit.
But the branch saw a strong bounce back following the lifting of travel restrictions, despite the challenges he faced as a new business owner.
The new Prestatyn store has six staff collectively offering more than 130 years of travel experience.
Catering to a mixed market, the agency will sell all types of including cruise, package, long-haul and city breaks.
Owen said: “It’s been an incredible journey of ups and downs since I launched the business back in 2019.
“We could have never predicted what would happen with Covid but we had phenomenal encouragement from the local community.
“Since travel returned, the Colwyn Bay store exceeded every expectation I had – so it made sense to start looking at second location.”
Brilliant Travel director Linda Pyle said: “It’s always great to see our members succeed and grow – but Darren’s journey has been even more special given how quickly he’s been able to accelerate the business despite Covid shutting down the world just six months after opening.
“His loyalty to his customers and community – as well as his breadth of knowledge – has stood him in great stead as locals have flocked to him and his team to book their holidays.
“We wish him the best of luck for the new store and can’t wait to see how the business progresses from here.”
Owen added: “The support from Linda and the team at Brilliant Travel was amazing – particularly during the pandemic.
“Helping us navigate the complexities of what government assistance was available to us meant that we were able to emerge from Covid in a really strong position.
“Demand for travel agents in our region is very high – and with my team who are all experts in travel, I’m very excited to see the success of our Prestatyn store.”