A YORK travel agency has taken silver in two categories at the 2016 British Travel Awards.

The Quartz Travel Group gained the silver awards for both Best Independent Travel Agency and Best Local Travel Agency.

The announcement was made on Wednesday at a ceremony in London and attended by close to 1,000 people from the travel industry.

Quartz Travel is a group of independent travel agencies based in York which has a growing work force of 14 employees.

Its founder, Paul Smith, said: “I am thrilled, excited and proud of everybody involved.”

The British Travel Awards’ chief executive, Lorraine Barnes Burton, said: “The Quartz Travel Group is to be congratulated on winning silver in Best Independent Travel Agency and Best Local Travel Agency.

“Competition was fierce this year with more companies entering the competition than ever before - but ultimately it is the travelling public who decide the winners by voting for the travel companies they consider the best in the business.

“The British Travel Awards is the largest awards programme in the UK and to win is truly an accolade and testament to the great products and services travel companies offer to their customers.”

The British Travel Awards is an independent organisation, verified by Deloitte. Quartz Travel won the Small Business of the Year title at The Press Business Awards in 2011, and Mr Smith was Business Personality of the Year in our awards in 2008.