Holiday demand catches Travel Agents by surprise

By Conall Ó Fátharta

Monday, January 16, 2012

TRAVEL agents around the country are taking on extra staff to deal with the large volume of holiday queries.

Chief executive of the Irish Travel Agents Association (ITAA), Pat Dawson, said the level of enquiries by eager Irish holiday- makers was an unexpected but welcome development.

“The level of demand since the New Year has actually caught our members by surprise. It’s been so busy that travel agents across the country in places like Cork, Galway and Dublin are reporting that they have had to take on seasonal staff to deal with the demand,” he said.

The numbers of enquiries seem to point to a revival in the package holiday.

Whereas in the boom years people would have simply booked their holiday themselves, low prices, convenience and the hassle free nature of the all-inclusive package is once again luring Irish holidaymakers.

Travel operators have trimmed overseas holiday packages back to 1987 levels.

Package providers have reduced charter capacity by a further 10% in 2012 amid fears of a further depression in the sun holiday market.

The move follows a similar cut in winter charter seats from a peak of 270,000 down to 40,000 for this season.

Latest figures from the Central Statistics Office show in the period from September to November 2011, the total number of overseas trips made by Irish people decreased by 3.7% to 1,522,200 when compared to the same period in 2010.

He said families and couples planning their honeymoon were primarily the type of people looking to book holidays in the New Year.

“People are really looking for value. It’s mainly families coming in and honeymoon couples. Things like cruises and all inclusive packages are really in demand at the moment,” he said.

Mr Dawson said that after a number of years of austerity, Irish people may be seeing 2012 as the year to take a trip abroad:

“I think because of the austerity of the past few years, people just haven’t gone away.

“As well as that, the last few summers have been poor in terms of weather so people might be saying that this is the year they will finally get away for a few days,” he said.

Read more: http://www.irishexaminer.com/archives/2012/0116/ireland/holiday-demand-catches-travel-agents-by-surprise-180282.html#ixzz1jcW7iqAR

 After an eventful year this is an opportunity to take some time out to make your travel plans for 2012.  The show features a wide choice of destinations and travel companies including many Irish Travel Agent Association member Travel Agents.

 Booking through an Irish Travel Agent Association member Travel Agent gives you peace of mind as all our members are licensed and bonded. They give a personal service, offering impartial advice, and have a wealth of personal experience and professional training to assist with all your travel requirements. Details of all our members can be found at www.itaa.ie.

We also welcome travel industry partners from all over the world who come to Dublin to participate in this great annual event.  This year, Dublin Holiday World will showcase an incredible range of destinations and holiday experiences for you to enjoy.

 In these difficult times we invite you to join us at the show and peruse the many holiday options and offers available and we are confident you will find something to take your interest and brighten the start of 2012.

Click here to go to the Holiday World Show web site.  

Click here to view EURO 2012 offers from ITAA members

Pat Dawson, CEO of the ITAA says “ The ITAA (Irish Travel Agents Association) is delighted to let fans know that packages for UEFA Euro 2012 finals will be finalised by ITAA members this week.

Abbey Travel , the offical travel agent to the FAI and licensed tour operator of UEFA Euro 2012, already has day trips to the Irish games on offer from €599 plus match ticket and they have a return package for the opening game with Croatia on 10th June in Poznan at an early booking price of €519 plus face value match ticket.  They will also offer 2 and 3 match packages.

Other ITAA members who will have packages to the final include:

747 Travel, Cassidy Travel, Dawson Travel, Icon Sports, Joe Walsh Tours, Stein Travel, Sports Tours and Travelagent.ie.

Details of these offers and many more can be found on the ITAA website at ITAA.ie/offers ”

Click here to view EURO 2012 offers from ITAA members

The vacancy arose when Mr Simon Nugent left the post to work for the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources Pat Rabbitte.

Pat has many years experience both as a tour operator and retail travel agent. He has also worked closely with the ITAA in many roles.  He is a past member of the board, was President of the association and more recently acted as interim manager. His knowledge and experience will help to foster the development of the association in the coming years.

Martin Skelly, ITAA vice president, says “The board looks forward to working with Pat as he continues the excellent work he has done as interim manager.   I am sure all members from the entire travel industry will join me in wishing him well in this new and challenging role.”

10 November 2011

Irish Corporate Travel business is booming

Corporate Travel Agents in the Republic of Ireland have seen an upsurge in business travel over the last 12 months.  Many show a 15 – 20% increase in business year on year.  This represents several €100 million spend on corporate travel.  Some agents are recruiting staff to handle the extra volume.

Pat Dawson of the Irish Travel Agents Association says “This increase in business is related to Irish Companies chasing business overseas and reflects the growth in exports from this country.”

He reports there are vacancies in up to 5 of the top corporate travel agencies in Dublin alone. These agents are seeking experienced, qualified staff which this work requires. Some report positions are difficult to fill as qualified staff are hard to come by.   The ITAA intend to use their valuable skillnets funding in the future to further develop member training programmes geared towards the corporate market.

END

Contact : Pat Dawson 087 2116998