Family-owned Inbound Tourism Operator and Corporate Travel Agent JC Travel Professionals have been recognised for their contribution to the NSW tourism industry at the annual Awards night held on Thursday, 27 November at the glittering Dockside Pavilion, Darling Harbour.

Founded by Egyptian immigrants Freddy and Sahar Mikhael in 2004, JC Travel Professionals has grown to overtake their nearest competitors as Australia’s largest inbound tourism operator for the Middle East, responsible for bringing tens of thousands of visitors to Australia each year.

The founder and Managing Director of the family-owned, Sydney Hills-based agency, Freddy Mikhael, said that winning the gold award was both an incredible achievement and a stunning motivation to grow bigger and better.

“Winning is an incredible feeling.  This is our first time here and we were excited just to be a finalist among so many amazing businesses and organisations,” he said at the Awards Event held in Darling Harbour’s glittering Dockside Pavilion.

“But this is the start of more hard work and we want to prove we deserve this and we will be back next year having grown even bigger and better,” said Mr Mikhael.

“When we came to Australia as a family in 2002 we had one goal; make a difference to our adopted country, our lives, and the lives of our wonderful team.”

This win comes not long after winning the title of Most Outstanding Travel Agency at the Sydney Hills Local Business Awards in 2014.  As winners of their category at the NSW Tourism Awards, JC Travel Professionals are now automatic finalists at the Australian Tourism Awards, the ceremony of which will be held in Adelaide in April 2015.