As she celebrates the pearl anniversary of her highly successful chain of travel agencies, local businesswoman Sandra Corkin is delighted to agree with the old adage that ‘the world is your oyster’!

It’s something her father told her as he helped her to open and develop her first outlet and it has continued to inspire her as she has built her business empire. As it marks its thirtieth year, Oasis Travel is now firmly established as one of Northern Ireland’s largest and best-known independent travel agencies, with a network of five busy outlets at Lisburn, Bangor, Holywood and at Howard Street and Lisburn Road in Belfast.

Sandra, who first stepped into the world of travel as a raw 16-year-old, says, “I was rather like a candidate on ‘The Apprentice’ as I went straight from school to work in a local travel agency, hungry to learn as much as I could, as fast as I could. Just five years later, with the encouragement and financial backing of my dad, I took the plunge and was managing my very first Oasis Travel outlet at the age of 21. Dad was a superb businessman and instilled great values and a strong work ethos in me, balancing my youthful enthusiasm with the sound common sense that is vital to anyone who plans to be in business for the long run. It seems impossible to believe that he was prepared to back me when I was so young, but he believed in nurturing potential.”

The travel business has changed immeasurably since the company launched in 1984, but despite increasing competition in the High Street and online, Sandra has not only maintained but has actually grown the Oasis network, its clientele and its reputation as one of Northern Ireland’s leading providers. The secret, she maintains, is service.

As she looks forward to her next decade, Sandra has her own pearls of wisdom for those who want to build a business. She says, “There are no shortcuts. The old values of hard work, loyalty and determination are as important today as they have always been, but I also believe that enjoying your work is infectious, inspiring staff and customers alike!”

Sandra Corkin, founder and Managing Director of Oasis Travel, is pictured (centre) marking thirty successful years of Oasis Travel, with some of her headquarters team: Lynne McFarlane, Susan Coulter, Gary Corkin and Alison Hamilton.