Aurora Travel is redefining the way people explore the world, providing a diverse range of travel options to suit individuals of all ages, financial capacities, and levels of adventurous enthusiasm

“The Maldives have been our main product (85 percent of our reservations), and we are now one of the top sellers of it in Hungary.”

Beach, city tour, or cruise? Country boundaries or faraway landscapes? Diving, extreme sports, sunbathing, or simply relaxing? With children, as a couple, with friends, or by yourself? Aurora Travel is your one-stop shop for all of your travel needs! It is one of the most reliable and experienced travel agencies in Hungary. Aurora Travel helps you plan your trip to Hungary. Not just trips, but exceptional trips filled with exciting and life-enriching experiences. As an accredited IATA office, Aurora Travel has been serving its customers for 25 years, allowing them to travel to any location on the globe with the assistance of its highly experienced professionals!

Nikolett Balazs, Founder & CEO of Aurora Travel, spoke exclusively to The Silicon Review about how her agency is helping its customers travel safely and with high quality to any part of the world with its expertise and ideas.

Interview Highlights

Please tell us about the circumstances or events that led to the founding of Aurora Travel.

Aurora Travel as a brand was established in 2019. The company group was already renowned in the travel and event industries, and as we introduced the service quality and knowledge from these industries, Aurora Travel quickly became popular among clients who valued these standards.

When the pandemic hit, these criteria were more popular than any other aspect of travel, and we became a beacon of example for how a travel agency should function in Hungary. The Maldives became our main offering, and we captured the Hungarian tourism industry in the first year after adding it. Since then, the Maldives have been our main product (85 percent of our reservations), and we are now one of the top sellers of it in Hungary. According to the reviews, we create trips where clients can sit back and relax while we handle everything. Every one of our clients has a dedicated agent and 24-hour contact to ensure a smooth travel experience.

Q. As a leading travel company, what are Aurora’s key focus areas?

As previously stated, Aurora Travel has been a beacon of example since the pandemic, assisting not only our clients in reaching their destinations safely but also those agency clients who were affected by the catastrophe. We are not just renowned in terms of service; we are also highly known for our assistance to clients who didn't buy the service or product from us. The clients' gratitude melts our hearts, and through this gesture, we are quickly making a name for ourselves in this industry. In addition to our clients, we care about our colleagues, who manifest themselves in various types of training, particularly in the sales department, and they receive all of the assistance they require to perform well in their jobs. Our sales colleagues represent us at various Maldives resorts almost every year, and they can offer the accommodation based on their personal experiences and provide our clients with accurate, up-to-date information about the accommodation.

Q. Can you introduce us to your services? What are their primary features?

The Maldives is our main destination. We are the only company in Hungary that offers flexible cancellation until the very end of the trip, which has won the hearts of countless customers. Our clientele has endorsed our service quality, which can be found all over social media. We are constantly improving our systems, and we hope to expand our services to other countries and make it possible for our clients to book their dream vacation through our agency in the easiest way possible.

Q. Can you provide us with one or two success stories describing the challenges your clients faced and how Aurora helped them overcome those challenges?

One of our most memorable stories involves a client who was traveling to the Maldives and was stranded at Male International Airport because the hydroplane transfer was unavailable due to bad weather. They were concerned and thought their exotic luxury vacation was over, but thanks to our fantastic group and contact system in the Maldives, we were able to temporarily accommodate our guests in a higher-standard five-star luxury resort, whose accommodation was closer to the airport, and they were transferred there by boat. They were overjoyed that we helped the entire family and that they were able to remain in a luxurious hotel with all of the amenities rather than the crowded airport until the storm cleared.

Q. Tell us about the Aurora Travel team. What value do they bring to the company?

Each of our customers is assigned a dedicated agent who will assist them until the end of their journey. We not only pick the best possible destination or hotel for our clients; we also ensure that every single program/event during their vacation is hassle-free. Clients can reach us 24 hours a day, seven days a week, by phone and different messaging apps. We frequently receive appreciation emails from resorts and hotels since we arrange everything on behalf of our customers so they don't have to go to the concierge/reception.

Q. What new endeavors is Aurora currently undertaking?

Our company won the 'European Travel Awards' as Maldives Travel Specialist of the Year 2023 - Hungary, and we didn't stop there because we also competed in the ‘World Travel Awards’. The voting period is now over, and the competition's result will be known by the end of September, which is really exciting. Furthermore, we received the 'Turul Gold Award' as our agency is one of the best valued companies in our country, Hungary, in 2023, and we also received the ‘Gold Companies’ Award for having the most 5-STAR ratings from our clientele.

Nikolett Balazs, Founder & CEO | In Her Own Words

After completing my studies at Szent Istvan University in Hungary, where I earned my first economics diploma, I seized a remarkable opportunity to enter the tourism industry. Shortly thereafter, in 2016, I founded my first company, BUCOMA, becoming one of the youngest CEOs in the industry. The company primarily focused on corporate travel and events, and it experienced rapid growth in its first year. As I explored this niche of the tourism industry, I sought fresh challenges and dared to dream big. Consequently, I acquired one of Hungary’s oldest IATA-accredited travel agencies. This decision showed its real weight when the Covid-19 pandemic struck in 2020, and the company’s trajectory underwent a significant transformation as the corporate travel and events segment abruptly declined during the pandemic. In response, we embarked on an exciting chapter, marking the first in the company’s history, by embracing our latest venture: establishing the Maldives as our new destination.

“We are the only company in Hungary that offers flexible cancellation until the very end of the trip, which has won the hearts of countless customers.”