A BEVERLEY-based family company has beaten competition from international travel brands to be ranked the world's number three tour operator.
Think Galapagos Ltd was founded in 2005 by husband and wife team Santiago Bejarano and Rachel Dex.
The company, which organises tailor-made and small group trips to the Galapagos Islands and Ecuador, has seen year-on-year growth throughout the recession, with turnover almost tripling since 2011.
Now it has shot to number top three world ranking of tour operators on The Review Centre, thanks to a clean sweep of top ratings from customers around the world.
Rachel described the victory as a "classic case of David and Goliath.
"We have had a fantastic few years," she said.
"Much of our growth has come from word-of-mouth recommendation from happy guests, as well as our website www.thinkgalapagos.com
"Because we've spent years living and working in the region, our recommendations come from personal experience rather than a computer, and people really appreciate the personal touch and detailed knowledge of Ecuador and the Galapagos that we can give them as a small specialist company."
Rachel met Santiago in the Galapagos Islands while conducting a mystery shop of yacht companies – a role she secured while travelling around Central and South America.
The economics graduate then moved to Quito, where she worked as a foreign correspondent for The Economist, the BBC and Bloomberg News.
Santiago first worked in the Galapagos Islands in 1992.
The wildlife photographer, naturalist and expert guide has shown the unique flora and fauna of the archipelago to guests ranging from Andy Summers of The Police and a princess from Borneo to a Bavaria prince and former Desert Island Discs presenter Sue Lawley.
Over the past few years, the business, which also has tour guides and experts on the ground overseas, has doubled in size, with new employee Theresa Buckle joining the team and Johnny Ogilvie helping to run a new branch of the company, Think Peru.
Rachel pointed out how new technology had given Think Galapagos the opportunity to build a first-class business in a small office in the East Riding.
She said: "I am originally from this area. I was born here and my mum lived here, so we bought a house, although, as we weren't sure what was to happen in the future, we rented it out.
"We didn't think we'd stay but we absolutely love it.
"That is the joy of having an internet-based business – we have clients all over the world but we can set up anywhere."
