The award is given to the top 10 independent agencies in Australia under the Travellers Choice banner.

Windsong Travel’s Leonie Ivey who manages the Bellingen office, and Inverell office manager Marnie Wade travelled to Cairns for the event.

Owner James Cracknell said it was a huge achievement for the agency, competing against metros in Sydney, Melbourne, Perth and Canberra.

“You have to be volumized in the top 10 biggest independent travel agencies under the Travellers Choice banner. It’s a volume of preferred sales.

“Our core base has a population of less than 15,000 people which is Inverell and Bellingen, so for us to achieve those figures is extraordinary especially out of Inverell,” he said.

Windsong Travel has been established in Inverell for more than 30 years, in that time the team have created a strong and supportive community.

Mr Cracknell said while Windsong couldn’t survive without its loyal, local clients, the team also had a huge client base in the United States run through Inverell.

“Our staff are an awesome team of people who are very knowledgable. Our clients are our friends and we treat them accordingly. In this day and age technology allows us to have online clients who love dealing with our core team in Inverell,” he said.

Mr Cracknell said the win was a testament to his staff and the Inverell community for their continued support.

“Our business limits with the use of technology are global and that’s the way we work but our core business is in Inverell. Clients who have been booking with us for 20 years so we can’t thank them enough.”