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JUNE 2013 PAGE 9
POSTCARDS FROM THE TRAVEL SCENE
Cathy’s Column
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nited Airlines and Great Lakes region of the USA hosted agents form the mid west in Limerick to launch United’s new nonstop flight from Shannon to Chicago O’Hare which commences on June 7th. Agents can win a place on the inaugural lfight by making bookings on the new service before May 28. There are eight places to be won on the Fam Trip. Agents can e-mail booked
tickets to: competitions@united.com putting “SNN-ORD Fam Trip” into the subject line. If the ticketing is done by a consolidator, include the United Airlines booking reference number. All qualifying bookings will be entered into a prize draw with eight winners chosen at random. Picture shows the United Airlines team Ciara Devaney, Pat Reede, Aoife Gregg, Yvonne Muldoon and Brian Hughes.
Cathy Burke, General Manager at Travel Counsellors
Food For Thought By the time this month’s issue of Travel Extra goes to print, I will be in Abu Dhabi celebrating the success of our Gold Travel Counsellors. Each year, the top performing Travel Counsellors from around the world are invited on an exclusive educational where we all congratulate them and celebrate their achievements. It’s a really special time for them and for me too. I am particularly proud that out of 48 Travel Counsellors in the Republic of Ireland we have 6 in this top Gold category.
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lliott Ferguson the President of Washington DC tourism (pictured above with Alicia Malone, and Theresa Belpulsi of Destination DC) came to Dublin to bring news of the latest DC developments. These include a new Capella hotel in Georgetown opened last week, over 4,000 hotel rooms (there are 20,000 in the city and 35,00 in the region already), the largest being the new Marriot Mar-
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ookabed in conjunction with Virgin Atlantic and the Miami CVB hosted a fam trip in Miami, the first by an accommodation only supplier in the Irish market. The group of 12 travelled over on the Virgin Atlantic A330 from LHR, stayed two nights in Grand Beach Hotel in the North Beach area and the three nights in the downtown area at the b2 Miami Downtown, the Courtyard by Marriott
quee City Centre due in May 2014, a new mixed use development in the city centre, and new hotels around the Baseball Stadium is the south east waterfront area has been rejuvenated. DC also has 40 new restaurants in the pipeline, bringing the total in the city close to 2,000. Ferguson, Yvonne Muldoon and the team hosted 160 agents in Lillie’s Bordello afterwards to celebrate the first year of United’s DC service.
But it’s not all about being the best in the company and being at the top of the league. Although we aim to provide a tailor-made service for our customers, we also pride ourselves on having a personal relationship with our Travel Counsellors and allow them to run their business their way. Therefore we understand that what counts as success is very personal. It’s about each individual being the best that they can be. For some that might be earning enough to treat the family occasionally, or buy something that they have always wanted. Whether it’s earning a little or a lot, it’s a personal choice and it’s about achieving your own personal best, whatever that might be. The company recognises the importance in investing both time and expertise to help Travel Counsellors reach their potential. At our recent Conference in Fota Island Resort, Anthony Iannarino of “The Sales Blog” held a great workshop that challenged us all to believe in ourselves and the value we bring to the customer experience as travel professionals. This was just what we needed to help us take the opportunities that are abundant at the moment. Travel Agents are very busy as Irish people shake off the recession and treat themselves to some sunshine. Our Travel Counsellors always go above and beyond to ensure they deliver the very best customer service; for that I am so proud of each and every one of them!
Miami Downtown and the JW Marriott Marquis Miami. Attractions included a full city tour, cruise, visits to Miami Zoo and seaquarium with dolphin swim, Miccosukee Indian Village alligator wrestling and airboat rides, a VIP Interactive Tour at the Children’s Museum, shopping at The Falls, a concert from the Chirino Sisters and Kevin Ceballo, meals in some of Miami’s top hotels and restaurants.
I recently came across this quote from Thomas Edison; “If we all did the things we are capable of doing we would literally astound ourselves”. Food for thought! Email: cathy.burke@travelcounsellors.com Twitter: @CathyBurke1 or @TC_Ireland Facebook: Ireland Careers @ Travel Counsellors Connect with me on LinkedIn