Yellow Umbrella Travel & Events named Travel Agency of the Year in New Braunfels

Yellow Umbrella Travel & Events earned Travel Agency of the Year from the Consumer Ratings Institute for its public review performance in Comal County. The award spotlights the New Braunfels company’s niche in destination weddings, river cruising and expedition travel, backed by a 4.9-star rating across 394 reviews.

Why it matters: - The award signals stronger consumer trust for a local travel agency competing in high-touch group travel, where planning mistakes can be costly. - The recognition also underscores the market value of specialists who handle complex destination weddings, river cruises and expedition trips end to end.

What happened: - Yellow Umbrella Travel & Events was named Travel Agency of the Year in New Braunfels by the Consumer Ratings Institute on Oct. 9, 2026. - The recognition was based on public review performance in Comal County. - The company is based in New Braunfels, Texas.

The details: - Cheryl and Shea Bailey founded Yellow Umbrella Travel & Events more than 14 years ago. - The company focuses on destination weddings, group travel, river cruising and expedition cruising. - The destination wedding business covers all-inclusive resorts in Mexico, including Cancun, the Riviera Maya and Los Cabos, plus U.S. and international travel. - The team handles resort selection, room-block contracting, guest reservations, payment tracking and travel logistics for destination wedding and group clients. - Yellow Umbrella Travel & Events is the top seller of Hotel Xcaret weddings of any travel team in the world. - More than 450 couples have celebrated at Hotel Xcaret through the agency. - The company has been featured in Style Me Pretty, HuffPost Weddings and The Knot. - Yellow Umbrella Travel works with river cruise lines including AmaWaterways, Uniworld, Avalon, Riverside, Scenic, Emerald, American Cruise Lines and Viking. - The company also works with expedition operators Silversea and HX Expeditions. - River and expedition itineraries include Antarctica, Alaska, the Galápagos and Africa. - Travelers get help comparing cruise lines, ships, cabin categories, itineraries, pre- and post-cruise stays and group options. - The award intake reflected a 4.9-star rating across 394 public reviews. - The Consumer Ratings Institute evaluates businesses using publicly accessible consumer review data and issues recognitions across multiple categories.

Between the lines: - The award appears to validate a business model built on specialization rather than broad, generic travel booking. - The company’s strongest edge is its ability to reduce complexity for couples and group leaders who want one point of contact. - The Hotel Xcaret volume suggests Yellow Umbrella Travel has built a notable niche inside the destination wedding market.

What's next: - Yellow Umbrella Travel & Events is likely to keep leaning on its wedding, river cruise and expedition specialties as it grows its profile in New Braunfels and beyond. - Cheryl Bailey said the company wants to keep helping travelers choose the experience that is right for them and make the process seamless.