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San Diego Travel Group celebrated its 10-year anniversary last month by taking its clients on a whirlwind tour to the far corners of the Earth--all within the confines of its 10,000 square-foot office.
More than 300 people toured the Sorrento Mesa location to experience and get a flavor for worldwide destinations ranging from Hawaii to Japan.
SDTG, which ranks among the top 5 percent of all travel agencies nationally according to size and revenue, has come a long way in its "Decade of Dedication."
Owner Tim Smith started SDTG in the late 1980s after buying El Patio International Travel Inc.--a $3.9 million retail travel agency in La Jolla with a stable client and employee base. Smith saw the purchase as a way to stay competitive in the wavering travel industry.
"I bought El Patio and we got started in July 1988 with a staff of seven--and that's when the roller-coaster ride started," he said. "We quickly had a war and a mild recession. I sat there scratching my head thinking what have I done this time.
"But we stuck through it and went out trying to create a corporate travel agency."
The result is SDTG, one of San Diego's top five travel agencies according to the San Diego Business Journal's List of Largest Travel Agencies. With a staff of about 85, the company posted 1997 revenues of $38 million and projects revenues of $50 million for 1998. About 70 percent of the company's business comes from the corporate side and...