Orbit World Travel Celebrates 25 years

ORBIT WORLD TRAVEL CELEBRATES 25 YEARS

Orbit World Travel Australia reached a significant milestone on 1 July 2019, celebrating 25 years in travel.

Formerly known as World Travel Professionals, Orbit World Travel began in 1994 with a single office operating from Sydney’s Double Bay. Founding Partner and Director, Lisa Story saw an opportunity to buy what was then a Westpac Travel office, and the journey commenced.

As Lisa explains, “We identified an opportunity in the market for high-quality, professional travel agency services, including the areas of corporate, group and event travel. It has been an amazing experience to see the business grow from such modest beginnings. We have been fortunate to find the right people to join us on this journey. People who are passionate, committed and always ready for change and a will to succeed”.

Executive Director, Michael Chase-Smith explains, “In 2013 the House of Travel Group saw an opportunity to expand their Orbit Travel corporate brand in Australia and invested in our business.”

In 2016 Orbit Travel in New Zealand and World Travel Professionals rebranded to form Orbit World Travel, becoming the largest privately owned corporate travel company in Australasia.

Chase-Smith added, “Orbit has increased its strategic and operational footprint significantly with its Trans-Tasman partnership, with 15 locations in Australia and New Zealand and more than 350 people providing consistency in both markets encompassing GDS, online booking tools, pricing models, reporting, and account management”.

So what makes Orbit World Travel different? According to Lisa, “While we are predominantly a travel management company (TMC), we have specialists in leisure and luxury travel, cruising, conference management, group travel and also travel technology. We are a team of highly qualified and well-travelled professionals, who have incredible industry experience, with enviable supplier partnerships and relationships.”

Orbit World Travel has received a number of awards over the years, including numerous National Travel Industry Awards; however, Lisa highlights the company’s clients and staff as the two most valuable assets. In fact, some of its staff are so passionate about the business, many have been with the company for over 15 years, and some more than 20 years.

Chase-Smith added “The main constant in the travel industry is change. Throughout the 25 years, the business has continued to evolve, and one of the reasons for our success has been our ability to manage and in some cases, lead, change.”

“The next year will be just as important, as we will be focusing on growing our regional and global partnerships and trying to stay ahead of the industry and technology changes, particularly those related to new booking channels. We will continue to develop technology and work with leading technology partners to grow our position in the market. In fact, we will be delivering some exceptional, new solutions to our clients over the next few months. Watch this space!”

Each office around the country celebrated this milestone with in-office parties attended by staff, industry partners and valued clients on Thursday 4 July 2019, with a national celebration planned for August.

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For further information, please contact:
Joanne Vayro
Marketing | Orbit World Travel
Jo.Vayro@orbitworldtravel.com.au
0402 298 680