Supplier manual 2017

2017 PREFERRED SUPPLIER MANUAL

5th E d i t i o n

Selling Travel out of the Republic of Ireland?

Call the Travel Trade Team on 01-6611700 E-mail us on: traveltrade@aviationreg.ie Check our website: www.aviationreg.ie We’re happy to help you with any questions you have

4

Contents Useful Information Websites Telephone Numbers Personal Contacts Usernames & Passwords Calendar 2017 Calendar 2018

Cruising 4 5 7 7 8 9

Top Tips Management Delegation Time Management Selling Travel Insurance Selling Car Hire Selling Handling Objections Marketing Public Relations Customer Retention Handling Complaints Maximising Profit Cutting Costs Productivity Using Google Using Facebook for Business Handling Vat New Year’s Resolutions For 2017 Guarding Against Credit Card Fraud

10 12 13 14 15 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 31

Resources Website of the Week List of Blogs

32 35

Accommodation Bedsonline Bookabed.ie Expedia Travel Agent Affiliate programme (TAAP) Globehotels Interhome Travelcube

41 43 45 47 49 51

55 57 59

Car Rental Services Affordable Car Hire Flexible Autos Hertz

67 69 71 73 75 77 79 81

Ferries Irish Ferries

83

Ground Arrangements Best Holidays In Italy Discovery Puglia Do Something Different RailShop.ie

85 87 89 91

Insurance Accident & General Blue Insurance

93 95

Technology TecSupport Travelport

97 99

Tour Operators Breakaway Classic Collection Holidays Contiki Crystal Eurocamp GTI Insight Vacations Riviera Travel Sunway SuperBreak Travel Solutions Wendy Wu Tours

101 103 105 107 109 111 113 115 117 119 121 123

Transfers

Airlines ASL Airlines France KLM Scandinavian Airlines

Celebrity Cruises Holland America Line Hurtigruten Royal Caribbean Seabourn Silversea Thomson Cruises Uniworld

61 63 65

A2B Transfers & Resorthoppa

125

Travel Services Dublin Airport Travel Services Visa First

127 129

General Conference 2015 Fam Trips Destination Matrix 2017

130 134 138

T 051 383 622 Travel Centres E info@travelcentres.ie 14, The Fairways, Golf Links Road, Dunmore East, Co. Waterford, Ireland. W www.travelcentres.ie

All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. Publisher’s Note: Whilst care has been taken in compiling the information contained in this manual, the publishers cannot accept responsibility for any errors or omissions. © Travel Centres 2016.

Useful Information Websites

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www.a2bairportparking.com www.a2btransfers.com www.aberdeenairport.com www.accidentgeneral.ie www.adventure-holidays.ie www.affordablecarhire.com www.airlinequality.com www.airlinemeals.net www.ie.amadeus.com www.aslairlines.fr/en www.attractionworld.com www.aviationreg.ie www.azamaracruises.co.uk www.barclaycardbusiness.co.uk www.bedsonline.com www.belfastairport.com www.bestholidaysinitaly.com www.birminghamairport.co.uk www.blackpoolinternational.com www.blueinsurance.ie www.bookabed.ie www.bournemouthairport.com www.breakaway.ie www.bristolairport.co.uk www.budgetyourtrip.com www.buseireann.ie www.calluma.com www.caribbeanblue.ie www.celebritycruises.co.uk www.chartsbin.com www.cilt.ie www.cityofderryairport.com www.classic-collection.ie www.conduit.com www.contiki.com www.corkairport.com www.coursera.com www.cruiseholidayguide.com www.cruisingexcursions.com www.cruisingpower.ie www.crystalholidays.ie www.cubatravel.ie www.dayuse-hotels.com www.dectek.ie www.discovertravel.ie www.discoverypuglia.com www.distancefromto.net www.donegalairport.ie www.dosomethingdifferent.com www.dublinairport.com www.eastmidlandsairport.com www.eat2eat.com www.econcepts.ie www.edinburghairport.com www.embassyworld.com www.emirates.com/ie www.etihad.com www.eurocamp4agents.ie www.evernote.com www.exeter-airport.co.uk www.expedia.ie/TAAP-Info www.festivals.com www.fetchmyluggage.co.uk www.fexco.com www.filedropper.com www.flatseats.com www.flexiblecarhire.com www.flightrights.ie.

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www.flysas.ie www.flywaterford.com www.freecrm.com www.freetranslation.com www.gadventures.com www.galwayairport.com www.getairmail.com www.glasgowairport.com www.glasgowprestwick.com www.globehotels.ie www.gti-ireland.com www.guernsey-airport.gov.gg

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www.sanebox.com www.seabourn.co.uk www.seat61.com www.seatguru.com www.shannonairport.com www.silversea.com www.similarsites.com www.similarsitesearch.com www.sligoairport.com www.southamptonairport.com www.southendairport.com www.spain.info www.sportstours.ie www.stanstedairport.com www.stenaline.ie www.stepuptravel.com www.synneo.ie www.sunway.ie www.ie.superbreak.com

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www.tbicardiffairport.com www.tecsupport.com www.teuxdeux.com www.thomson.co.uk/cruise www.timeanddate.com www.tmb.ie www.towd.com www.transport.ie www.travelbiz.ie www.travelcube.ie www.travelextra.ie www.travelfinders.ie www.travelfocus.ie www.travelfox.ie www.travel-industry-dictionary.com www.travelmedia.ie www.travelport.com/ireland www.travel-solutions.co.uk www.turkishairlines.com www.typingweb.com

www.jerseyairport.com www.join.me www.keithprowse.ie www.kerryairport.com www.kropla.com www.launcheffectapp.com www.leedsbradfordairport.co.uk www.libreoffice.org www.liverpoolairport.com www.logotournament.com www.londoncityairport.com www.london-luton.co.uk www.longatwickairport.com www.lynda.com www.mailchimp.com www.mailinator.com www.manchesterairport.co.uk www.metropolitan-touring.com www.mikogo.com www.moonfruit.com www.morguefile.com www.msccruises.ie www.msgtag.com/home www.mywot.com www.nationaltransport.ie www.newcastleairport.com www.nileguide.com www.nra.ie www.openflights.org www.oxfordairport.co.uk www.packagetrackr.com www.pagemodo.com www.penzu.com

www.railshop.ie www.raveable.com www.resorthoppa.ie www.rivieratravel.ie www.robinhoodairport.com www.royalcaribbean.ie www.rsa.ie

S

www.heathrowairport.com www.hertz.ie www.hipmunk.com www.hollandamerica.co.uk www.hotspot-directory.com www.hurtigruten.co.uk/agents www.ifonly.ie www.iifa.ie www.imagine.ie www.insightvacations.com www.interhome.ie www.iom-airport.com www.irelandwestairport.com www.irishferries.com www.irishpubsdirectory.com www.irishrail.ie www.itaa.ie www.ittn.ie

www.quora.com

U V W

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www.united.com/ie www.uniworld.ie www.visafirst.com www.wendywutours.com www.wickedcampers.com www.whatsonwhen.com www.wheretoskiandsnowboard.com www.wikihow.com www.world66.com www.worldclimate.com www.worldreviewer.com www.wtgonline.com www.zamzar.com

Useful Information Telephone Numbers

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A2BTransfers.com A2Bairportparking.com Aberdeen Airport Accident & General Insurance Adventure Holidays Affordable Car Hire Amadeus Attraction World ASL Airlines France Azamara Cruises

0044 1488 804 808 0044 1488 804 808 0044 844 481 6666 01 874 8458 01 259 0133 076 801 164 01 879 2500 0044 121 486 0300 + 353 1 882 8680 0044 844 493 4016

Barclaycard (Commercial) Barclaycard (Technical) Bedsonline Belfast Airport Best Holidays in Italy Birmingham Airport Blackpool Airport Blue Insurance Bookabed Bournemouth Airport Bristol Airport Breakaway.ie Bus Éireann

0044 844 822 2100 0044 844 811 6666 0818 275 722 0044 28 9448 4848 01 254 4280 0044 871 222 0072 0044 844 482 7171 0818 484 484 0818 365 465 0044 1202 364 000 0044 871 334 4344 01 607 9999 01 8366 111

Cardiff Airport 0044 1446 711111 Caribbean Blue 01 241 2366 Celebrity Cruises 1800 932 611 Chartered Institute of Logistics & Transport 01 676 3188 Classic Collection 01 541 3000 Commission for Aviation regulation 01 661 1700 Contiki 01 775 3838 Cork Airport 021 4 31 31 31 Cosmos (TravelFox) 1890 989802 Cruisingexcursions.com 0044 800 091 8274 Crystal Holidays 01 433 1028 Cuba Travel 01 241 2340 Department of Transport Derry Airport Discover Travel Discovery Puglia Donegal Airport Do Something Different Dublin Airport

066 976 1258 021 601 9067

G Adventures 01 697 1360 Galway Airport 091 755 569 Glasgow (International) Airport 0044 844 481 5555 Glasgow (Prestwick) Airport 0044 871 223 0700 Globe Hotels 01 256 9529 GTI (Group Travel International) 01 843 4734 Guernsey Airport 0044 1481 237 766 Hertz Car Rental Holland America Line Hurtigruten Iarnród Éireann If Only …

Insight Vacations Interhome

J K L

M N O R S

01 670 7444 0044 28 7181 0784 021 463 5440 01 254 4280 074 954 8284 1800 80 40 44 01 814 1111

East Midlands Airport 0044 1332 852939 E-Concepts 01 5240 040 Edinburgh Airport 0044 844 481 8989 Emirates 01 516 1600 Etihad Airlines 01 765 1800 Eurocamp (formerly Keycamp) 021 425 2300 Exeter Airport 0044 1392 367 433 Expedia TAAP 01 517 1525 Fexco Flexible Car Hire

Ireland West Airport (Knock) 094 936 8100 Irish International Freight Association 01 854 5411 Irish Ferries 0818 300 400 Irish Travel Agents Association (ITAA) 01 417 9696 Irish Travel Trade News 01 450 2422 Isle Of Man Airport 0044 1624 821600

053 915 2500 0044 843 374 2300 01 607 4420 01 8366 222 01 447 5275 01 775 3838 01 431 1086

T

Jersey Airport

0044 1534 446 000

Keith Prowse Kerry Airport

01 878 3500 066 976 4644

Leeds/Bradford Airport Liverpool Airport London City Airport London Gatwick Airport London Heathrow Airport London Stansted Airport London Luton Airport London Southend Airport Manchester Airport Metropolitan Touring MSC Cruises National Roads Authority National Transport Authority Newcastle Airport Oxford Airport RailShop.ie Resort Hoppa Riviera Travel Road Safety Authority Royal Caribbean Scandinavian Airlines (agents sales support) Shannon Airport Sheffield Airport Seabourn Silversea Sligo Airport Southampton Airport Spanish Tourist Board www.sportstours.ie Stena Line, Dún Laoighaire Stena Line, Rosslare Sunway Superbreak Syneo TecSupport The Travel Corporation Thomson Cruises TravelBiz TravelCube Travel Extra Travelfinders Travel Focus Travel Media Travelport Travel Solutions

0044 871 288 2288 0044 871 521 8484 0044 207 646 0088 0044 844 892 0322 0044 844 335 1801 0044 844 335 1803 0044 158 240 5100 0044 1702 538500 0044 8712 710711 0044 208 675 4150 1800 932 499 01 660 2511 01 879 8300 0044 871 882 1121 0044 1865 290 600 01 882 8679 01 828 0765 01 905 6300 1890 406 040 1800 555 604 01 844 5888 061 712000 0044 871 220 2210 0044 843 373 2000 01 611 0560 071 916 8280 0044 844 481 7777 01 635 0200 01 4572311 01 204 7722 053 61560 01 231 1800 01 695 0000 01 547 7884 091 477 600 01 775 3803 1800 927 404 087 256 7962 01 275 0211 01 291 3708 01 496 6644 1890 929 323 086 8583585 01 602 0444 048 9045 5030

United Airlines 01 672 7070 U Uniworld Boutique River Cruises 01 775 3838 Group 0044 800 983 000 V Vertical Visa First 056 777 1227 Airport 051 846 600 W Waterford Wendy Wu 0818 776 380 Wicked Campers

0044 203 086 8606 5

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Useful Information Personal Contacts Name

Phone Number

Email

Website

Usernames & Passwords Website

Username

Password

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Useful Information Calendar 2017

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Useful Information Calendar 2018 January 2018

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9

Top Tips Management

DEFINITION: Management in businesses and organizations is the function that coordinates the efforts of people to accomplish goals and objectives using available resources efficiently and effectively.

Management includes planning, organizing, staffing, leading or directing, and controlling an organization to accomplish the goal.

Resourcing encompasses the deployment and manipulation of human resources, financial resources, technological resources, and natural resources.

Being a good travel agent is so much more than just knowing who does what and where or how to sell the right travel experience to a prospective customer. With ownership comes responsibility and it is in everyone’s interest that each owner/ manager successfully navigates the choppy and sometimes uncharted waters of modern commerce in order to not only deliver a memorable experience to their customers but also a sustainable and rewarding future for themselves and those in their employ. Here are some top tips for how you can make such aspirations a reality in 2016!

1 Cut your costs Since the net margin (after costs) that travel agents work off is around 1%, this is probably the single most important priority for the modern travel agent since every €1 saved is the equivalent of generating €100 in additional sales. It should also be an ongoing process and not just something that gets done once a year when you’re not busy. Scrutinise and question everything: salary levels, rental costs, advertising/marketing spend, telephone and banking overheads, heating, lighting, travel & subsistence expenses etc.

every €1 saved is the equivalent of generating €100 in additional sales

2 Increase your productivity.

Do more with less. Scrutinise everyone’s work rate. Are the right people being deployed to do the right jobs? Do they have the personality/ patience/skillset appropriate to the work being delegated to them? Are some tasks unnecessary?

Do you create additional workload unnecessarily due to mistakes and ineffective forward planning?

(See separate article on productivity).

10

3 Take a step back and review what you’re doing and why?

Are you going after the right markets or customers or are you simply being busy fools? When was the last time that you conducted a SWOT analysis of your business and its competitors? Are there easier ways to make money or more lucrative market segments (such as cruising or touring) that you should be targeting instead?

4 Give staff training the priority that it deserves.

View it as an investment rather than a cost. Welltrained staff will feel more motivated and valued and are also less likely to leave your company to go to a competitor. They are also more likely to sell more and thus deliver a higher return on your initial investment.

5 Meet regularly.

Hold a staff meeting every week — preferably at the beginning of the working week and review the week just past in terms of highlights (best sales), lowlights (biggest problems — particularly if avoidable), and lessons that can be learned from same.

Top Tips Management

Set tone for coming week and delegate specific tasks or projects for the week/period to come.

Such meetings are also a good time to get staff to deliver a presentation to all colleagues on an aspect of the business that they’ve been asked to swot up on/take ownership of in the previous week — e.g. learning about a new product, supplier or destination, especially if just returned from an educational to that destination.

6 Delegate.

Come to the realisation that you simply can’t do it all and that you need to empower other people within the agency to take on some of the responsibility and relieve you of some of the pressure. They will appreciate you for the vote of confidence and will also add additional capabilities to their respective skillsets. (See separate article on the art of delegation).

7 Marketing.

You can have the best travel agency in the world and provide the best service levels for your customers but your business will ultimately be doomed if you cannot continue to acquire new customers whilst retaining the existing ones and the only way that you can do that quickly (as opposed to organically, over time) is to market yourself and your business effectively.

The marketing mix will inevitably include some or all of the following activities: advertising, marketing, PR, promotions, incentives, interviews, writing articles for local publications etc.

8 Motivation & incentivisation.

This does not necessarily mean throwing money at people but it does mean acknowledging when people do a good job or show some initiative.

Of course nothing speaks louder than money but if you do decide to implement some sort of incentive scheme amongst staff, base it on increases in margin per sale rather than just sales themselves.

9 Exploit technology.

Using the right kind of technology for the right reasons can dramatically increase the overall productivity of your agency and lead to higher sales, better margins and less stress all round. If you don’t already utilise CRM software (customer relationship management), do so without delay.

10Prevention is always better than cure and much less costly!

Human error costs travel agents thousands every single year yet rarely if ever is singled out on a company’s accounts so that it can be properly quantified. Take your time and double if not triple-check everything.

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Top Tips Delegation

DEFINITION: Delegation is the assignment of responsibility or authority to another person (normally from a manager to a subordinate) to carry out specific activities. It is one of the core concepts of management leadership. However, the person who delegates the work remains accountable for the outcome of the delegated work.

Delegation empowers a subordinate to make decisions — i.e. it is a shift of decision-making authority from one organizational level to a lower one. Delegation, if properly done, is not abdication. The opposite of effective delegation is micromanagement, where a manager provides too much input, direction, and review of delegated work. In general, delegation is good and can save money and time and help in building skills and motivating people. It is all too easy to try and do every job yourself, particularly if you feel that it would take longer to explain how to do the job to someone else rather than just do it yourself but proper and effective delegation is probably the single most important management skill that any travel agency owner can acquire, if they are to manage their own business in the medium to long term.

1 Decide what to delegate

5 Be patient and understanding

If you’re just dipping your toes in the delegating water, start with a small project, or one that doesn’t have to be completed in a specific way. Don’t assign your most critical, time-sensitive tasks, and leave ample time for mistakes to happen (that means don’t pass off something at 5 PM on Thursday when it needs to be back on your desk first thing Friday morning). Most importantly, never delegate something you’re not willing to do yourself— that’s the fastest way to lose your staff’s respect.

While delegating will take work off your plate in the long run, be prepared to take extra time out of your schedule and answer lots of questions at the beginning. Just be patient—as you learn how your staff work best, and as they learn your expectations, things will get easier.

2 Communicate clearly Open, clear communication from the outset is absolutely crucial to ensuring that the projects you delegate will be done well. From the very beginning of the task/project, be up-front about your expectations, including timeline, and give your staff all of the information they need to achieve those goals. It can be helpful to put everything in writing or provide people with a template or guidelines for the task/ project—the more direction you give them, the more likely they’ll come back with what you’re looking for.

3 Explain the reasons You must explain why the job or responsibility is being delegated. And why to that person or people? What is its importance and relevance? Where does it fit in the overall scheme of things?

4 Check in, but don’t be overbearing Once you delegate a task, give your staff flexibility on how they get it done (unless, of course, there’s a specific protocol or procedure). Dominating a project with an overbearing presence doesn’t encourage anyone to succeed—and certainly won’t win you any ‘Boss of the Year’ nominations. But do check in periodically to make sure everyone is on the right track and to offer to answer questions as needed. Try using systems like shared Google docs and spreadsheets or having periodic team meetings to keep everyone on the same page and moving forward.

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6 Share in rewards and give credit where due Taking all of the credit for a project that others assisted with is a great way to make sure they’ll never want to help you out again. Be sure to recognize and thank anyone who’s helped you out. Give public credit when they succeed. If something goes wrong, withhold blame so they don’t becoming defensive, and instead help them debrief mistakes and learn from them.

7 Don’t take it back.

Require them to first propose their own ideas for solutions when they come to you with a problem. When they ask you for the answer, it is tempting to take on their work. If they have the skills but are lacking confidence or motivation, coach them. Don’t take it back unless it is absolutely clear that the situation has become too complex.

8 Maintain accountability.

Although the person reporting directly to you has the responsibility for seeing the job well done and the authority to make needed decisions, remember that the ultimate accountability remains with you.

9 Delegate consistently.

Delegate consistently — not just when you are overloaded or when tasks are unpleasant.

Top Tips Time Management

DEFINITION: Time management is the act or process of planning and exercising conscious control over the amount of time spent on specific activities, especially to increase effectiveness, efficiency or productivity. It is a meta-activity with the goal to maximize the overall benefit of a set of other activities within the boundary condition of a limited amount of time.

There are only so many hours in a day or week so it is critically important that you maximise the use of that time and in a way that is effective as opposed to being engaged in activity that simply makes you look busy without actually ever getting anything done. Most effective time-management practices are just common sense.

1 The ‘To Do’ list*.

8 Structure your workload.

I am a great believer of the ‘To Do’ list as it helps to quantify what needs to get done and it also helps you to prioritise the relevance and importance of tasks.

Avoid the habit of commencing a task; doing a bit and then putting it back on the ‘pile’. Deal with tasks one at a time and finish each before moving on to the next.

2 Review your workload on a regular basis

9 Don’t let your Outlook ‘inbox’ dictate your workload.

i.e. every day or even several times a day. Is there one task that always ends up at the bottom of the pile?

If you receive 100 emails per day then this equates to 100 potential interruptions per day! Don’t check your inbox every time an email arrives. Switch off ‘instant alerts’ and get into the habit of just checking your emails every couple of hours in order to avoid constant distractions.

If you find that you’re avoiding it, can someone else do it?

Consider delegating whole projects that you don’t need to be involved in or allocate a specific time of the day when you only do your admin work — e.g. between 08.30 and 10.00 for example.

3 Remember the Pareto Principle — i.e. 80 per cent of your work contributes to less than 20 per cent of its value. Focus on the most crucial/important 20 per cent of your workload and your overall performance will still be strong.

4 Prioritise.

Do urgent and important tasks first — not the easy ones!

Efficiency and effectiveness are not the same thing.

Effective people focus on the important tasks.

5 Create habits.

10 Keep multi-tasking to a minimum Starting a number of jobs simultaneously means most of them won’t get your undivided attention. Think of multitasking as dealing with more than one task during the day and not at the same time. That way, you focus on the project in hand.

11 Avoid procrastination.

The best time to do something is usually now. Taking action generates the impetus for further action. Organise your work to meet deadlines and reward yourself for achieving goals.

12 Handle each piece of paper that crosses your desk only once:

Try to undertake tasks at the same time and in the same location each day in order to form habits.

File it; action it or bin it!

6 Set realistic deadlines for your tasks.

• • • • • • •

Look at your ‘To Do’ list and estimate the amount of time needed to complete each task but don’t be over optimistic.

Be realistic in what you can achieve in a given day or week so that you don’t feel overwhelmed right from the start.

7 Allow time for interruptions.

If you’ve set yourself the goal of finishing a certain task by a certain time, only deal with urgent queries during that particular time frame.

Advantages* of using a ‘To Do’ list:

• • • • •

Focuses your mind on important objectives You are less likely to forget to undertake tasks Writing a list helps to organise your thoughts It helps to show the bigger picture You don’t need to hold everything in your head It saves time It helps you focus on priorities; the most important and the most urgent You are less likely to become side-tracked You enjoy the reward of ticking of completed tasks You feel more in control You have an instant record of what you’ve already done You always have something to work on

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Top Tips Selling Travel Insurance

Travel Insurance is a vital part of any overseas trip. It is important that when anyone is travelling abroad that they have a valid and comprehensive travel insurance policy in place. In recent years, international travellers have also seen inflation in overseas medical costs of up to 13%; a rise in airport and airline strikes and who can forget the eruption of that unpronounceable Icelandic volcano, whose ash cloud caused havoc in European airspace!

As your clients’ travel professional, there is no reason why they should not be buying their travel insurance from you. If your client is not buying it from you then they are buying it elsewhere and that represents lost income to your company. The following tips, if implemented by you, will help you maximise your insurance revenue and have already been proven to work.

1 Confidence Be confident in the insurance product that you are selling.

Make sure you have up to date sales training from your insurance supplier and that all staff are confident in selling the product. Feedback given to us has shown that the main reason for a drop off in sales is down to the sales agents’ attitude in selling travel insurance and ‘lack of confidence or knowledge’ in how to sell it. Agents who have received training and improved their knowledge and attitude on insurance product have seen a rise in insurance sales and more income for their respective businesses.

2 The Travel Insurance product Familiarise yourself with the travel Insurance product that you sell. Make sure your sales staff have continuous training from your insurance provider so that they are familiar with the key terms and different cover levels of your preferred insurance policy. Top Tip: Knowledge leads to confidence and confidence leads to sales.

3 Health check procedure Be sure to familiarise yourself with the Health Check procedure on the travel insurance policy your company is selling. Each client must be advised of the Health Check procedure at the time of sale and most commonly this will involve a medical screening facility or in some cases, a fit to fly option where a letter needs to be signed by a GP.

4 Additional covers Offer all clients the option of adding additional covers at the time of booking. Most insurance policies will have additional covers like Travel Disruption, Cruise Connection and Excess Waiver to make the basic policy more comprehensive.

Top tips suggested by Jason Whelan CIP, Blue Insurance

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These additional covers not only provide more protection to your client but also generate additional revenue for your company. Top Tip: Be sure to make families aware that any excess deducted will usually be for each person named on the policy. If a family of 5 are making a cancellation claim for example, they could lose out on 5 times the excess.

5 Personal details Always enter client’s full details on the insurance certificate and not the details of the company. Full details will normally include: • • • • •

Name Age Address Email Home or mobile number.

Top Tip: Entering the clients email address will usually mean the client will receive confirmation of cover straight away, along with the policy document and validation certificate. This is a record that all documents went to the client and will be of benefit to your company.

6 Handling objections You may have clients advise you that they have their own travel insurance and it is important to confirm with them what cover they have. As their travel professional, you should be aware that the likes of EHIC (previously the E111) and Private Health Insurance plans are not sufficient Travel Insurance policies and will not be as comprehensive as a dedicated travel insurance policy. You want your client to be fully protected so be sure they are.

Top Tips Selling Car Hire

2017 should be the year for all Travel Centres members to exploit opportunities to sell and drive fresh revenues. When you learn how simple it is to sell car hire you will find it an easy money maker. All prepaid car hire bookings and extras are commissionable when booked through Affordable Car Hire so don’t miss out.

When your customer is immersed in the holiday purchase experience, let it become standard practice for you and your colleagues to offer car hire rental as part of the sale process. Ask questions — make sensible recommendations on the advantages of booking car hire before travel.

Q Have you thought about car hire instead of booking transfers?

Q How much driving will they be doing?

• At some locations car hire works out cheaper than transfers.

• You can go straight to your accommodation in your hired car, without having to hang around waiting for flights to arrive or coaches to drop off at several hotels.

• Have the freedom to explore the area in your own time and in the comfort of your own hire car.

• If your customer has not decided then give them a quote — it won’t hurt, and schedule a reminder to contact them again before they travel.

• Drivers must hold and produce an original, full, clean drivers licence when picking up the car.

• You must inform Affordable Car Hire of any endorsements when making the reservation.

Tip: Check the Supplier Fuel Policy.

• If they are just driving a short distance then find the supplier that offers Full-Full — they put deposit down for fuel on arrival and return full to get their deposit back. So the customer only pays for the fuel they use.

• Alternatively if they are planning on driving long distances, a good tip is for you to find the supplier that offers Full-Empty. This way they pay upfront for their fuel and will return as empty as possible, not having to worry about finding a petrol station on their journey back to the rental location.

Q How many people travelling and how much luggage is being taken?

This is a great way to instantly upsell bigger cars. Find out how they are travelling to the airport from their home. This is a good way you can get an idea of the car type/size they will require when they arrive.

Q Do they need any additional drivers?

• Search for the supplier on the ACH website that has additional drivers included in the price. Save your customer money on the local additional driver fee by upgrading or changing to a supplier that includes additional drivers.

• Valid Credit Card must be in Lead Driver’s name.

• Be aware that Debit Cards are not generally accepted

by Car Rental Suppliers.

Q Do they require Sat Nav? Tip: Check suppliers charges for Sat Nav, payable locally.

Exception: USA suppliers offer prepaid Sat Nav which works out cheaper than renting locally at desk. **Pre paid items are commissionable*

Q Are children travelling?

Do they require child seat for ages between 4-11 years old?

Tip: Child seats are charged locally. Child seats work out very expensive when payable locally. For example, USA suppliers charge approx $12 per day per seat plus local charges. Instead, offer them our Affordable Car Hire Bubble Bum Booster seat — it’s a once-off price of £29.95 which includes P&P and ACH send it out before travel commences. It’s an inflatable booster seat which deflates when you need to pack it in your suit case or bag and inflate by mouth when needed for the rental. This product is a money saver for your customer and it’s theirs to keep. **Pre paid items are commissionable**

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Top Tips Selling Car Hire

Q Special occasion? customers having a Birthday/Anniversary/ Wedding or Honeymoon?

Why not upgrade your customer to a convertible or a luxury car type, this can be booked and confirmed with Affordable Car Hire before travel (depending on destination).

Travel Agents play a valuable role in selling car hire to travellers.

Encourage your customer to enjoy the freedom and independence of booking car hire as part of their holiday purchase. Take advantage of the strong sales proposition pre-paid car rental offers travel agents at a time when commission opportunities need to be maximised.”

Q Know your customer?

If you know you customer is on a business trip then quote corporate suppliers. Don’t book the cheapest no-frills company. Affordable Car Hire has more than 200 suppliers to choose from in more than 15,000 locations worldwide. All Drivers must have full clean drivers licence.

Q Driver’s between the ages of 21-24 years old for USA bookings?

Save your customer money and book Budget on the platinum package and pre book their Young Driver Package, which works out cheaper prepaid than locally and with any other supplier.

Don’t forget they must be the lead driver and must have a credit card in their name. This is commissionable to you.

Top tips suggested by Joanna Spacey, Affordable Car Hire

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Q Want 100% cover and peace of mind with your insurance?

Pre book Supermax or Maxi Top Up Insurance for your customer, depending on supplier and the excess on the policy.

This insurance covers your customers on items on the car that the Supplier will not cover: Tyres, Wheels, Windows, Undercarriage and loss of keys. Not only do you earn commission from selling this insurance, but Affordable Car Hire offers additional monthly incentives if sold. If you would like more information on this product register for Affordable Car Hire’s A.R.T.S. Training Academy.

Be aware customers can be offered local additional insurance which will cover similar items such as Tyres, Wheels, Breakdowns etc.

This insurance can be quite expensive and is payable locally as an additional extra if your customer signs up for it when picking up the car.

Sensible reasons to PRE BOOK your car hire!

• Avoid the hassle of booking in-resort or at the airport • Receive competitive prices with none of those ‘hidden’ extras, that can occur when booking locally.

• Book early to avoid high season lack of availability which occurs in many locations.

• Know exactly what is included before travelling.

• Save money! For the price of a 1 day excursion you could rent for an entire week or if you tend to take taxi transfers you could save on that too.

• Be free to visit more places and explore more of them in the comfort of your own hire car.

• Affordable Car Hire Price Match Promise ensures you will get the best deal.

• We work with the most reputable car hire companies such as Hertz, Dollar, Avis, SIXT, Budget, Thrifty, Alamo, Europcar and many more.

• 24/ hour emergency phone helpline available 365 days a year.

Top Tips Selling

DEFINITION: Selling is the art of closing the deal where the ‘deal’ in question is the exchange of certain goods or services in return for money.

We are not in the travel business. We are in the selling business. It just happens that what we sell is travel — travel destinations, travel products, travel services and even travel concepts. Whilst some lucky individuals are born sellers, most must learn the skill set and it is a set of skills that can most definitely be learned once one understands the concepts behind it and the psychology of why people buy in the first place. Like all things, practice makes perfect. So, here are our top selling tips. They are not the only ones. They may even differ from what other individuals or companies claim are the best or most effective tips,but they represent a good starting point so you could do worse than incorporate them into your own deliberations.

1 Know your product/service

6 People love to buy

Know your product/service. You need to know your subject matter inside out and that means taking every opportunity to read up on your subject, whether that means brochures, books, magazines, travel articles, trade publications, tourist board marketing literature etc. The more you know, the more comprehensively you can address a client’s needs by answering all their questions and allaying any concerns that they might have. The ultimate product knowledge of course comes from visiting a destination or experiencing a product or service. There is never a substitute for the ‘real thing’ but comprehensive product knowledge comes a good second. Travel Centres recognises this fact by hosting weekly webinar sessions in conjunction with key preferred supplier partners.

People love to buy — but hate to be sold to! Sell what people want to buy and not what you want to sell!

2 Know your client People buy on emotion and later use logic to justify their purchase decision. Listen and learn. The single most important part of any potential transaction is the information gathering phase where you need to ask sufficient questions in order to build up a profile of who your client is and what they want.

3 never sell on price Never sell on price. ‘Real’ selling is all about ‘features’ and ‘benefits’. You need to paint a compelling picture for the client.

4 Be enthusiastic Be enthusiastic. Enthusiasm and passion are infectious human emotions. The more genuinely enthusiastic and passionate you are about the product or service you’re selling, the greater the likelihood that the client will purchase.

5 Don’t guess If you don’t know the answer to some question, admit that you don’t. Clients respect honesty.

7 Pressure is an art Practice F.U.D. (Fear, Uncertainty, Doubt) when addressing a clients’ objections or when, for example, articulating the argument in favour of using an agent over that of booking directly on the Internet — e.g. Trip Advisor rankings have been shown to be manipulated. Search engines direct users to certain sites based on browsing habits etc.

8 Be truthful and never exaggerate Don’t overuse descriptive adjectives. Complaints often occur as a direct result of over-selling rather than any inherent shortcoming in the product or service purchased.

Under-promise but over deliver! Better to lose a sale if you’re not confident that the product/destination is suitable for your client, rather than rationalizing that a sale is better than no sale and risk compromising your reputation and integrity into the future.

9 Don’t give too much away Show a client enough to impress upon them that you know what you’re talking about and that you have the knowledge and expertise that they need and will benefit from but not so much that they will simply go off and book it themselves online. Don’t refer to specific companies or properties. Try to speak in generalities. Use FUD techniques to impress upon the client the pitfalls of doing it themselves.

10 Don’t be afraid to close Many people who are good ‘sellers’ are poor ‘closers’. If a client walks into your agency or calls you on the phone, you must work on the simple premise that they want to purchase something from you so don’t be afraid to capitalise on that assumption. Use strong closing statements like ‘How would you like to pay for that’ as opposed to weak ‘get off the hook’ ones like ‘Take these brochures and go off and have a think about it’! The ‘Pareto’ principle states that 80% of your sales come from 20% of your clients. Make sure that you know who those 20% are.

‘It is not your customer’s job to remember you.

It is your obligation and responsibility to make sure they don’t have the chance to forget you Patricia Fripp

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Top Tips Handling Objections

DEFINITION: When you demonstrate, explain a feature, talk about a benefits or uses a sales closing technique, your customer may well respond in the negative sense , giving excuses or otherwise heading away from the sale.

Main and minor objections

Common objections

Objections are either ‘main’ or ‘minor’ ones. Main objections are deal breakers that, if not overcome, will prevent you from closing the sale. Minor objections are usually beliefs that cause your customer to question something about you, your product, your service or your company. Distinguishing between main and minor objections takes a combination of experience and acuity.

• They say that they do not need your product or service for some reason or another, or perhaps have a need that you cannot satisfy.

• Objections about the price of the product.

• The customer objects to some element of what you are selling, whether it is aspects of a service or details of a product.

• An objection around time, such as the person not being ready to buy.

• The customer questions the source of the product or its credibility.

1 ask for a sale then shut up

6 Be an active listener

While it is important to draw out objections, it is even more important not to help your customer think up more objections. In other words, if the person you are talking with agrees with a statement you’ve made, move on and don’t bring up any additional details. The golden rule of selling applies not only during a close but during objection handling.

Give your prospect your full attention and avoid the temptation to think about your response while they are speaking. Learn to be an active listener. An active listener is not only listening to what their prospect is saying, but is also trying to discover the meaning behind their words. Research indicates that 65% of our communication is nonverbal. Therefore, it is vitally important to pay attention to body language and listen for voice inflections.

In addition to observing your prospect’s gestures, you must also learn to be mindful of your nonverbal signals.

2 Ask questions For ‘customer-owned’ objections, your main focus should be to get as much detail about the objection as possible.

Again, asking questions is more important than talking more about your product, service or self. If you ask enough questions about why your customer objects to something, they will reveal their reasons. If you don’t ask questions, you may very well be fighting a lost battle.

3 Stop and reflect Never rush your response to an objection. Show the customer you are listening! Sales people often respond too quickly in these situations.

4 Recognise the signal Remember that objections are often a “BUYING SIGNAL” because the customer is questioning your offer. If they had no interest, why would they still be talking to you?

5 The 3-5 rule Remember that statistically speaking 3-5 OBJECTIONS are needed before a person will buy. Simply put, an objection is nothing more than a request for additional information.

As a general rule, prospects are hesitant to commit to purchasing a product or service until they have convinced themselves they need it and that they are getting it at a fair price.

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7 Clarify the objection By feeding the objection back in the form of a question it gives your prospect an opportunity to expand upon their concern. This technique reduces the perception of pressure.

By having the opportunity to explain their position, your prospect will frequently answer their own objection.

Another reason it is important to clarify the objection is to make sure you are addressing their exact concern and not creating a new one. Some objections are of greater importance to your prospect than others. After you clarify the objection, you need to ask your prospect how important that concern is to them.

8 Resolving the objection Take the following into consideration: Stay big picture, but be prepared to provide details as necessary. Verify the objection has been resolved.

9 Closing questions You may have to ask for the order several times before you get the sale, so make sure you vary your closing questions.

Remain patient and be persistent without becoming argumentative.

Top Tips Marketing

DEFINITION: Marketing is the process of communicate the value of a product or service to customers.

Where selling is all about one-to-one transactions, marketing is essentially about one-to-many transactions. Many text books suggest that marketing can be distilled down to just five ‘P’s — Product, Place, Price, Promotion, People. The term ‘marketing’ intimidates many people but as long as you can remind yourself that it is simply an extension of the selling process whereby instead of trying to persuade just one customer to part with their hard-earned money, you’re trying to persuade many — and not necessarily all at the same time. Like selling, marketing is as much an art as a science and whilst some people take to it like a duck to water, it is possible to build up your expertise and effectiveness in this discipline through a combination of hard work, repetition, observation, learning from your mistakes and being mindful of some of the following ‘principals’.

1 Know your audience

7 The power of bartering

Successful campaigns get that way because marketers know their audience. They fully understand their needs, how to help meet those needs and how to create demand.

Knowing and understanding your audience through proper market segmentation means a well targeted campaign that generates a profitable return.

This is an excellent tool to promote your business and get others to use services. You can trade your product for advertising space or for another company’s product or service. This is especially helpful when two companies on limited budgets can exchange their services.

2 focus on the offer

No single marketing effort works all the time for every business, so rotate several marketing tactics and vary your approach. Your customers tune out after a while if you always sing from the same hymn sheet. Not only that but you will get bored. Marketing can be fun, so take advantage of the thousands of opportunities available for communicating your value to customers. But don’t be arbitrary about your selection of a variety of marketing ploys. Plan carefully. Get feedback from customers and adapt your efforts accordingly.

A marketing offer is the driving force of marketing promotions that drive results. In fact, market testing has proven that the offer is the most significant criterion for conversion. Focus on your offer if you want to be successful.

3 Split test Never ever run a campaign without testing something.

One of the most common is a split test which allows you to simultaneously test two versions of something. It can be a web page, post card, or email. Split testing is essential for improving performance.

4 High production values Did you know it costs six times more to make a sale to a new customer than to an existing one? You can use newsletters to focus your marketing on past customers. Keep costs down by sacrificing frequency and high production values.

If printed newsletters are too expensive, consider an e-mail newsletter sent to people who subscribe on your web site.

5 Don’t sell on price This can often lead to discounting and lower profitability.

Focus on creating so much value that the perception of price becomes less relevant

6 Create value after sale As a marketer, it’s your job to understand your market segment(s) and build relationships and not simply dump people off at the front door of your agency and walk away.

Focus as much of your energy on building relationships with customers as you do prospects.

8 Rotate marketing tactics

9 Promotional activities Use cross-promotional activities to market your business — e.g. you print some DL or A5 flyers that promote another local business that is complementary to yours and they do likewise. Some examples would be a local camera shop or chemists that you recommend your clients to get their holiday snaps printed at or a local shop or boutique where they can purchase their new bikini-wear or suitcases etc.

The idea is that you get to target a whole new audience that might not otherwise be using your services but who are in that frame of mind. The other partner retailer does likewise in promoting your agency as the preferred choice for people making their travel arrangements.

10 Costless marketing activities Not all marketing initiatives or activities need to cost you money. So why not make reference to some special offer when your staff answers the phone — e.g. ‘Good afternoon.

Thanks for calling ABC Travel. My name is Mary. Would you like me to email our latest offers to you?’ (or words to that effect! This way you can easily build up an email database for use with your CRM policy.

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Top Tips Public Relations

DEFINITION: Public Relations (PR) is the practice of managing the flow of information between an individual or a company and the public.

Put simply, PR is about the ongoing process of always trying to present your company in the best possible light, as far as the general public is concerned. It is also about the practice of protecting as well as enhancing the reputation of any particular organization/firm or for that matter any individual. In today’s world of fierce competition and social media, where every travel agent strives hard to work on its brand image, public relations is more relevant than ever before. It is essential for every organization to communicate well with its public/target audience. Public relations may include a company or individual gaining exposure to their audiences using topics of public interest and news items that do not require direct payment. Common activities include speaking at conferences, winning industry awards, working with the press, and employee communication.

1 Start a blog

5 Include your website address

Establish your authority or expertise by dispensing little nuggets of advice to intending travellers without actually trying to sell them anything. Don’t go into too much detail — just enough to establish that you know what you’re talking about with the inference being that one would do well to have your company looking after their travel arrangements or advocating on their behalf.

Always include your website address on all your press releases and promotional materials. By having your website address on your promotional materials, especially when it can be viewed online, you are driving traffic to your business and making it easy for readers to click.

2 Approach a radio station Offer to do a weekly/monthly ‘spot’ for thirty minutes where you discuss various aspects of international travel, be it up and coming resorts or destinations, common mistakes that travellers often make when planning their trip or indeed anything that you feel might be relevant to a travel-hungry audience. Radio station programmers have a lot of ‘air-time’ to fill each week and you’d be surprised at how easy it often is to get approval for such a suggestion. The same principle applies with regard to local or regional newspaper titles or free sheets. Publishers always welcome the opportunity to fill those column inches with relevant or interesting content. Be prepared to sell yourself by writing your own articles. Local media are more than happy to print because they don’t have to write it themselves! An interesting article is great free publicity.

3 Think of your plan of attack Figure out who you want to reach, and why; when you want to reach them; and how to measure success, or how you will know if your plan is successful. Successful PR is all about targeting the right sources. The more targeted you are, the more successful your chances are of getting a journalist to respond to your pitch.

4 Do a press release Get into the habit of generating regular press releases and submitting them to your local newspaper. It might be about a new member of staff who has just joined the company or a fam trip that one of your staff has just returned from.

Deliver your message in a short media-friendly way. Be brave and whenever you see something to comment on, just send an email.

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6 Generate articles Generate articles that people care about. There has to be more to your message than: I’m here; come buy my product.

Your PR efforts should be engaging and interesting to audiences, because an engaged audience member is more likely to pay close attention to your communication efforts.

7 Word of mouth Provide an exceptionally good service and your customers will love it and talk about it. Word-of-mouth is still one of the most powerful PR tools, and with the significant advances in communication technologies, no business can afford to have a bad reputation. If you offer a professional and efficient service, clients will recommend you to others, and there is no PR tactic that’s more effective.

8 Join the chamber of commerce Join your local chamber of commerce, if there is one in your town/locality. A chamber of commerce is a means for businesses to work together to look out for their common interests. These societies advocate on behalf of the local business community. Apart from promoting your own business interests by getting involved, this is an excellent way to network.

9 Sponsor and get exposure Sponsor an event, local team or deserving charity. It might even be possible to do it in conjunction with one of your suppliers who will also be glad of the additional exposure and public goodwill. Your sponsorship (or cosponsorship) might take the form of a free draw for a holiday. Alternatively and budget permitting, you might consider sponsoring jerseys for a local boys or girls’ GAA, soccer, hurling ore basketball team. The only limitation on the possibilities here is your own imagination. Sometimes you have to spend a little money to make money, and sponsoring an event or supporting a charity through your business is a great way to get your name out there.

Top Tips Customer Retention

DEFINITION: Customer retention is defined as the activity that a company undertakes in order to reduce customer defections. Successful customer retention starts with the first contact a company has with a customer and continues throughout the entire lifetime of a relationship.

Capturing the client is sometimes the easy part. Keeping them can often be where the hard work begins. Some travel agents become so focused on recruiting new customers that they fail to effectively address the need to retain those that they already have. This is counterproductive considering that it’s far easier (about 50% easier according to Marketing Metrics) to sell to existing customers than to capture new prospects. Agents often tend to focus more on customer addition, whereas customer attrition can have a much more negative impact on their business. For those who feel that customer retention plays a relatively minor role in helping their agency grow a healthy bottom line, here’s something that should give you plenty to think about: Attracting new customers will cost your company 5 times more than keeping an existing customer.

1 Earn customer loyalty

6 Get the right on-hold audio

Customers don’t owe you their loyalty. You have to earn it — continually. Having an effective customer retention program in place gives you the ability to identify, track, and custom promote to those customers who are most likely to become loyal, long-term sources of revenue. CRM can help you to keep constantly focused and on message with each of your customers. Loyal customers don’t just come back; they don’t simply recommend you, they insist that their friends do business with you.

More than two-thirds of consumers admit to putting the phone down if they’re placed on hold to silence for more than 30 seconds. Playing music or promotional marketing messages can keep them with you longer. However, on-hold audio can have the opposite effect if it is treated as an afterthought. Repetitive jingles or disingenuous apologies for keeping them waiting don’t always go down well. Think about your customer demographic: who they are, and why they’re calling you. The right onhold audio can keep a customer holding for longer.

2 Fix it!

7 Take care of online customers

Customers don’t necessarily expect you to get it right all the time but they do expect you to fix things (and quickly) when things go wrong. Indeed, the real measure of the quality of a company and its commitment to proper customer retention is how they react when things go wrong.

Socialising with your customers online can build retention if you do it correctly. The key is to tone down the corporate presence and give your customers a voice and a forum to connect with other customers, and then let them build the traffic. As you build your Facebook fans and twitter followers, stay engaged with them and establish ‘alerts’ so that you can react to whatever is being said (both good and bad) about your agency. Always take care of your social media savvy customers, as they can either be your most powerful advocates or your biggest PR nightmares.

3 Identify your profitable clients Hard to believe sometimes but probably 80% of your profits are generated from just 20% of your clients so try to identify them and fulfill their needs by selling them what they want.

Promotions can be a very effective way of retaining customers by keeping them actively engaged with your agency/brand.

The key is to run relevant promotions that reward customers, make them feel good about doing business with your agency, and encourage them to do more of the same.

4 Recognise and appreciate Train and coach your staff to accept the idea that they own a part of the business as if it were their own. Take that attitude to sales and customer service and you will have a person who will embrace the customer as if it were a one-on-one relationship between a proprietor and a customer. This is the old-fashioned grass-roots approach – treat the customer with total respect.

5 Give a differentiated experience Offering something the competition doesn’t (or can’t) is a wonderful way to retain customers. In fact, according to a recent study, the ability to deliver a differentiated experience was the leading factor in maintaining customer loyalty.

8 Contact the client Many agents tend to be paranoid about contacting clients after they return from holiday for fear that they will open a can of worms. Better to take that (minimal) risk and deal with whatever you find than to ignore it and have clients bad mouthing you to their friends and colleagues behind your back.

9 Keep contact with all customers You should also take the opportunity every year to trawl through your customer records in order to see if there is anyone who hasn’t travelled with you in recent times. This serves two purposes: to ascertain as to whether they booked elsewhere or online or to take the opportunity to update them on new/relevant offers that are available. Either way, you’ll invariably find the exercise worth the effort.

10 Under promise and over-deliver Under promise and over-deliver. Don’t make exaggerated claims in order to close a sale. If you’re presented with a complicated quote that you know will probably take two days to put together, tell the client that you’ll be back to them in three and then surprise them when you revert a day earlier than expected. Always try to exceed their expectations.

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Top Tips Handling Complaints

DEFINITION: A complaint is an expression of dissatisfaction whether justified or not.

Nobody likes dealing with complaints but when you come to think of it, they are an excellent way of potentially turning defeat into victory! Isn’t it much better for a customer to tell you what they felt was wrong with their holiday of the service you provided and at least afford you the opportunity to redeem yourself and your company in their eyes, rather than have them never come back to you again and bitch about you behind your back.

1 Have an open policy

6 Learn from every complaint

Have a clear, flexible welcoming and open policy on complaints. A complaint is an opportunity for you to redress a perceived failing in the eyes of the customer who brings the matter to your attention and thus should be capitalised on whenever possible.

Do something! Fix the procedure/protocol; train staff in the issue; eliminate the fault. Wherever possible, let the complaining customer know that they have helped you resolve a problem – they’ll feel great and come back again and again (and will probably tell their friends!)

2Show courtesy

7 Minimise the reasons

Thank the customer for complaining. Say that you are sorry that the problem has happened. This is NOT an admission of guilt on your part, it’s just good manners.

Prevention is always preferable to cure. Do you have a continuous improvement culture? Do you check customer satisfaction regularly? Do you check the quality of the goods/services sold in your agency? Remember it costs at least 5 times as much to gain a new customer than to keep an existing one.

3 Recognise the complaint Start with the view that the customer has a valid point, not that he/she is trying to rip you off. Accepting that the customer may well have a point, (even internally), may well trigger ideas for an acceptable resolution. This will instantly give you an advantage, as you not only will have more empathy with the customer, but also you know your business better than them and so can hopefully see the solution quicker.

4 Get all of the facts first Letting the customer give you all of the information helps you fully understand the situation and, if they are emotional, will give them time to calm down.

5 Don’t opt for easy solution Don’t automatically opt for the ‘credit note/ex gratia gesture solution’. It’s very tempting to give the customer a partial refund, credit note or vouchers, and in many cases, done properly, it makes good PR sense. However, too often it is done INSTEAD of solving the problem, which can lead to more complaints about the same thing because it hasn’t been fixed, and also has a tendency to send out the wrong signals to serial complainers and only encourages and reinforces such behaviour.

8 Maintain regular contact Maintain regular contact with the complainant. For example, if you have to wait a week or more whilst a supplier such as a tour operator waits for a report back from the resort, ensure that you communicate that fact to the customer and even call or email them periodically lest they think that you have forgotten about them. Remember, perception is everything.

9 Avoid further complaints Most complaints tend to occur due to overzealous selling in the first place which results in unrealistic expectations on the part of the customer. Always be careful to remind clients of the old adage that ‘you get what you pay for’.

Most complaints tend to occur not because of some inherent shortcoming in the actual product, destination or service provided but rather the manner in which it was ‘pitched’ to them in the first place. Avoid hyperbole and overuse of adjectives and absolutes such as ‘amazing’, ‘exclusive’, ‘top-notch’, ‘world-class’ and so on and just reserve them for those rare instances when it really does do what it says on the tin!

When complaints are freely heard, deeply considered and speedily reformed, then is the utmost bound of civil liberty attained that wise men look for.”

John Milton

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Top Tips Maximising Profit

Definition: Profit is a financial gain, the difference between the amount earned and the amount spent in buying, operating, or producing something.

There is an old saying that ‘turnover is vanity but profit is sanity’ and it is very true. Too often, people focus on closing a sale at any cost and either spend to much time and effort in chasing an enquiry that delivers very little margin at the end of the day or end up discounting out of that margin in order to capture an elusive booking — rationalizing that any sale is better than no sale at all. All travel agencies represent a team effort where every single member of staff needs to be mindful at all times how their actions (or inactions) impact on overall profitability as they are all stakeholders in the business. Here are some reminders of things that agents can do to help maximise their profitability.

1 Increase your use of/ dependence on preferred suppliers Earn more commission by supporting those suppliers who value your business and have agreed to pay you more for the bookings that you put their way. Typically, you can expect to earn anywhere from 10% to 50% more commission by simply moving such discretionary sales to preferred suppliers without even having to grow your own turnover. The added benefit that you get when you support preferred suppliers is that they’re much more likely to ‘bend the rules’ if mistakes or errors occur as you are seen as a commercially important customer to them.

This ‘VIP’ treatment presumes of course that your figures are both healthy and regular and that you don’t have a record of regularly causing errors/mistakes.

2 Focus on margin Focus more on margin and less on turnover. Margin is the key in our industry and with so many overheads having increased in recent years; the standard 10% commission is no longer sufficient in order to generate profit for a travel agency and so must be increased at every available opportunity.

3 Incentivise staff The one common denominator that seems to single out more successful businesses is that there is a clear focus on growing sales through the use of both regular (i.e. weekly or monthly) sales targets and staff incentives. Incentives work.

4 Reduce costly errors Prevention is always better than cure and nowhere is this more relevant than where mistakes are concerned. Given the nature of the business that we are in, mistakes invariably cost money and in some instances — lots of money — whether that be by way of ADM’s on incorrectly issued tickets; compensation paid to clients because of mis-advice or nuisance money paid to complaining clients in order to diffuse certain situations before they escalate into litigation. Mistakes cannot, of course, ever be eliminated 100% as that is an impossibility given the fallibility of human nature but they can be greatly minimised through a combination of proper training and instruction; well documented internal procedures; adequately qualified people undertaking the right tasks and an overarching philosophy of checking and double-checking everything before ending the transaction.

Ninety to ninety-five percent of all mistakes are avoidable.

5 Cut costs As is explored in more considerable detail in the companion article entitled ’Top cost-cutting tips’, the single most effective

way of maximising your agency’s profitability is by cutting your costs as every €1 saved is roughly equivalent to you generating €100 in gross sales value. Costs can be cut by changing your energy and telecom providers; your credit card acquirer and numerous other initiatives.

6 Use email rather than phone Although the cost of phone calls and telecommunications in general have plummeted in recent years the volume of calls made by travel agents is still significant enough that the annual cost of same is still likely to be a considerable four-figure sum, particularly with the percentage of calls that now have to be made to mobile phones, rather than land lines. Try acquiring clients email details whenever possible and communicate with them via that medium whenever possible as the cost of email is effectively zero. The other major benefit of communicating via email is that you will always have a written record of who said what to whom and when — extremely valuable if/when anything gets disputed down the line.

7 Improve productivity The single biggest overhead of any travel agency is the staff cost, so this is an area that agency owners, managers and supervisors need to look at critically. The more productive all members of staff are, the lower the staff ratio to income level is and thus, the greater the likelihood of operational profitably.

Productivity can always be enhanced through a combination of internal operational procedure, office layout, proper investment in and use of technology; relevant and regular training and staff motivation.

8 Training Good effective selling is all about product/destination knowledge and that can only come about in one of two ways — actual experience and training. One of the most time and cost effective forms of training nowadays are the weekly webinars that Travel Centres conducts every Tuesday morning at 09.30. Each session takes just 45 minutes and can be enjoyed from the comfort of your desk. In the event that you cannot personally attend a given webinar due to being on a day off or away on holidays, each session is recorded and can be shared with upon request.

9 Sell ancillary products/services Focus on margin Overall sales margins can be enhanced by two or three percent by also selling ancillary products/services such as transfers, car hire, attractions, excursions etc.

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Top Tips Cutting Costs

DEFINITION: Thrift is the quality of using money and other resources carefully and not wastefully.

As we know all too well, the retail travel industry works off wafer-thin margins. That 10% gross commission that you earn on the sale of a package holiday usually translates into a net profit of just 1%, after your costs have been factored in. That’s just another way of saying that for every €1 you spend on something, you need to generate €100 worth of sales just to cover that cost and break even! Therefore, cutting your costs (as opposed to growing your sales) can have a disproportionately positive impact on your bottom line. Here are some of the more obvious suggestions for cutting those costs!

1 MAXIMISE ON DEALS

7 Renegotiate your rent

Check out our affinity deal with Barclaycard on credit card processing. Documentary evidence to date suggests that the average agent can make savings upwards of €2,500 per annum on credit card processing costs.

If you do not own the building that you occupy and are not tied in to upward-only rent reviews, consider trying to renegotiate that rent with your landlord in order to reflect the more challenging economic circumstances under which you now have to trade. You won’t get unless you ask! It is not an unreasonable request to make and your landlord might be more accommodating than you think as a paying tenant represents a much better option than a vacant premises. If you are a smaller agency and most of your clients are regular and conduct most of their business over the phone or via email then you might even consider becoming your own home worker and stripping one major cost out of your overheads.

Many before you have managed the switch successfully so you can seek advice from them before you make such a move in order to make yourself aware of the downsides as well.

2 Switch now Switch over to Imagine or Buzz Telecom as part of our deals with both of those Tier 1 telecom providers where you should expect to realise annual savings of approximately 15% or more, depending on who your current provider is and what tari you’re on.

3 Use social media Reduce the cost of your marketing/advertising bill by utilising social media more. The likes of Facebook and Twitter cost nothing, other than your time and effort.

4 Tighten credit control Exercise tighter credit control with your customers/corporate accounts. Money costs money and you should not be acting as someone’s banker.

5 Buy used equipment If you need to replace computer equipment, office hardware or add more desks, filing cabinets etc. then why not consider buying second hand. With all the companies that have sadly gone into liquidation or ceased trading over the course of the past few years, there is an abundance of good quality, keenly priced second-hand office equipment for sale so there’s no need to have to pay over the odds for something that’s brand new.

6 Cut energy consumption Aside from checking if you’re currently enjoying the cheapest electricity rates (see our new affinity deal with Electric Ireland), you should also be taking every opportunity to reduce your energy consumption costs by getting into the habit of turning off the lights in rooms that are not in use; turning off monitors or closing down computers overnight, or even reducing the temperature of your office heating by just a degree or two. Also check out the feasibility of replacing all the bulbs in your office with energy efficient ones which will realise savings over the long run. Don’t pay to have your excess brochure stocks disposed of. Contact Neville Monahan of Carmon Waste (www.carmonwaste. ie) who will gladly take them off your hands for free. Contact Neville on 086 3229542.

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8 Purchase rather than lease Purchase rather than lease office equipment. Technology has moved on so much in recent years that it sometimes doesn’t make sense. Consolidate by investing in a multifunction device that combines the functions of printer, photocopier, fax machine and scanner. It takes up less space in your office and makes three other pieces of office equipment redundant almost immediately. Opt for a laser version rather than an inkjet one as inkjets tend to be more expensive in the long run because of the cost of consumables. Most of the major manufacturers market models in the multifunction range such as HP, Canon, Dell, Xerox, Samsung, Brother, Lexmark etc.

9 Improve productivity Purchase an office mobile(s) and choose the most competitive call tariff and get staff into the habit of using that mobile to call/notify clients whose only point of contact is a mobile phone. This should help to reduce your overall call costs. Use a web-based service to communicate regularly with such clients by bulk-purchasing text bundles. Do an audit of the number of lines you currently have active. If you have reduced your staff numbers in recent years you may now have an excess of telephone lines that you are still paying annual rental charges on.

10 Maximise free webinars Maximise the use of Travel Centres weekly webinar series in order to keep staff up-to-date and current on supplier news on new products, services and destinations. This will help to eliminate all such travel and subsistence costs that would be otherwise absorbed in sending staff to out-of–office workshops and training days.

Top Tips Productivity

DEFINITION: Productivity is usually defined as the measure of efficiency of a person, machine, factory or system in converting inputs into useful outputs. Productivity is a critical determinant of cost efficiency.

Productivity is not rocket science. It is simply about doing more with less and doing it efficiently — cost-wise, time-wise and resource-wise. It is often the one thing that differentiates the companies that succeed from those that do not. Here are some suggestions that can help you and your colleagues improve both your individual and collective productivity.

1 Make lists and finish them

6 Delegate

Make lists! Apart from ensuring that you don’t leave anything to the mercy of your fallible memory, it acts as a visual prompt and reminder of what has yet to be done and forces you to be productive when you otherwise might not!

Delegation is another useful tool if you are to improve your productivity and effectiveness. You do not need to do everything yourself; if you find a task that someone would be able to do as well as you or even better, then delegate that task to that person.

2 Black out communications Black out your communications. Close down Microsoft Outlook. Turn off your mobile phone. Retreat to a back office (if you have one). Do it for just an hour a day or adopt a policy that you don’t open your email before 10.00 a.m. each morning or turn on your mobile phone before lunch time. What these actions achieve is that they insulate you from distractions that can otherwise negatively impact on both your productivity and thought processes. The fewer the distractions; the greater the productivity.

3 Prioritise your work Differentiate between those tasks that are important and urgent; those that are important and not urgent and those that are neither important nor urgent. Get into the habit of prioritizing tasks on the basis of the profit that can be earned on them and react accordingly. Recognise the difference between tasks that make you more effective from those that simply make you more efficient.

4 Complete the big jobs first Start your day with one of the big, important tasks and then go onto smaller and less important tasks. By first focusing on the large tasks you will get them complete in a shorter space of time and then will be able to deal with smaller tasks, whereas if you start with the smaller tasks you will soon find them filling up your day and not having time left to do the larger tasks.

5 Keep your space organised Keep your desk and office organised. A major cause of ineffective time management is disorganization. Keep your desk and office organized, keep everything on hand and keep things in the place you have assigned them and you will never waste time searching for the things you need or have important items go missing.

7 Recognise ‘Tyre-Kickers’ Learn to recognise ‘tyre-kickers’ early on so that you or your colleagues do not inadvertently waste unnecessary amounts of time giving away valuable product information to someone who will ultimately go off and utilise that information to book on the Internet. Guard your knowledge/ expertise zealously.

8 Set S.M.A.R.T. goals SMART stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Rewarding and Timely. By setting SMART goals you know what you are working towards, have a way of measuring when it has been successfully completed and know when you want to complete it by. SMART goals are useful in showing you what steps you need to take in order to fulfill your dreams.

9 Exploit technology Technology, if used effectively can offer a great boost to productivity. A perfect example of this is the automation of customer communications. Your customers need to stay notified of itinerary changes, but do you personally need to send these messages? Programs are available to take these tasks off your hands. Amadeus checkmytrip.com is a free Web portal (available to all Amadeus agencies) where travelers can gain 24/7, real-time trip details and updates.

Both agent and traveler can rely on Amadeus Flight Alerts to send (based on your preference) trip reminders, gate assignments, flight status updates and more. Similar functionality is available with other GDS’s.

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Top Tips Using Google

The indexed web currently contains in excess of 14.93 thousand million pages! The internet is not just a great research source for customers but also for travel agents too. The search engine of choice for most people nowadays is Google but how much do we really exploit all its sophisticated features? Here are just some suggestions and productivity tips that you may not already be aware of.

1 Get local time anywhere

7 Use Google as a calculator

The simplest way to do it is just ask the question on Google.

Simply type in the question ‘What time is it in Bangkok? The first search result will appear in a box showing the local time in the location specified.

Just type in your calculation to Google using the right operands and the talented search engine will do the rest. If you would like to learn more about Google Calculate, check out http://www. googleguide.com/calculator.html

2 Track flight status

8 Use Google as a phonebook

Enter the airline and flight number into the Google search box and get back the arrival and departure times, right inside Google’s search results. The results will appear in a rectangular box at the top of the listing of returned results.

Try it yourself.

Google has a gigantic phonebook directory, their index is one of the largest, if not THE largest, on the Web. Just type in a telephone number and its area code and you should be able to track down the identity of the company that it belongs to.

3 Convert currency

(http://translate.google.com/).

It’s generally reckoned to be the most accurate of all the translation software out there. You can either use it to translate content on foreign websites that don’t have an English language version or you can use it to convert English to any one of the other major languages if you need to send say, an email, to a hotel or company where there’s a chance that English may not be spoken. Very handy. Very accurate!

Refine your Search Results. Most search engines do not consider extremely common words in order to speed up search results or to save disk space. These filtered words are known as ‘Stop Words’. The plus operator (+) tells the search engine to include those words in the result set. Example: tall +and short will return results that include the word and. The tilde operator (~): Include a tilde in front of a word to return results that include synonyms. The wildcard operator (*): Google calls it the fill in the blank operator. For example, amusement * will return pages with amusement and any other term(s) the Google search engine deems relevant.

You can’t use wildcards for parts of words. So for example, amusement p* is invalid. The OR operator (OR) or (|): Use this operator to return results with either of two terms. For example happy joy will return pages with both happy and joy, while happy | joy will return pages with either happy or joy.

5 Check out Google Trends

10 Use shortcuts

(http://www.google.com/trends/ ) Google Trends is a public web facility of Google based on Google Search that shows how often a particular searchterm is entered relative to the total search-volume across various regions of the world, and in various languages. This is separate from the kind of analysis that you would normally go to Google Analytics for if you wanted to find what search terms consumers were using so you could incorporate those phrases into your own website as part of an SEO strategy in order to increase your natural page ranking with the search engine.

There are dozens of different shortcut keys that can be used with Internet browsers. Below are a few of the top suggested Internet browser shortcuts.

• Pressing Alt + D in any major Internet browser will move the cursor into the address bar. This is a great way to quickly enter an Internet address without having to click the mouse cursor in the address bar.

• Hold down the Ctrl key and press the + or - to increase and decrease the size of text.

• Press the backspace key or hold down the Alt key + left arrow to go back a page.

• Press F5 to refresh or reload a web page.

• Press F11 to make the Internet browser screen full screen.

• Press F11 again to return back to the normal view.

• Press Ctrl + B to open your Internet bookmarks.

• Press Ctrl + F to open the find box in the browser to search for text within the web page you’re looking at.

Convert currency. OK, you can always use a dedicated website like www.xe.com but if you’re already in Google, just type in something like ‘How many polish zlotys are in 50 euros’. The result again appears in a rectangular frame at the top of the list of search results. Simples!

4 Use Google Translate

6 Use Google as a dictionary Simply prefix the word that you want explained by the word ‘define’ as in ‘define’ loquacious and voila!

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9 Refine your results

Top Tips Using Facebook for Business

As social media continues to mature, Facebook remains the firm favourite with travel brands for marketing their business. Facebook is the perfect platform for travel agents to build brand awareness, drive website traffic, engage with customers and promote word of mouth referrals and sales.

However, while it has huge potential for business growth, many travel agents are not using Facebook as effectively as they could. With that in mind, listed below are tips to help you become more strategic in how you use Facebook and in turn effective.

1 Determine your facebook strategy You need to know why your using Facebook, what your goals are, what you hope to achieve and within what timeframe.

No goals, no strategy, you’re going to fail.

2 Create a content calendar This can be as simple as putting an excel spreadsheet together and mapping out what content you’re going to post each day e.g. Monday: Travel Tip of the Week, Tuesday: Featured Destination, Wednesday: Our Weekly Deals and so on. You can also have theme weeks e.g. Honeymoons which would be perfect for around Valentine’s Day. With a content calendar in place, you know in advance the content you’re posting which make the process easier and more time efficient.

3 Use promotions to engage fans Create regular promotions on your page to keep fans engaged. You don’t always need large prizes to do this, something small and on a regular basis can work just as well. Prizes such as branded mugs, travel books, luggage tags, and beach towels will get people talking and sharing your page which helps to organically boost your brand awareness with a wider audience.

4 Respond to user queries No one likes to be ignored and yet the average response time on Facebook to a user query is 19 hours. By then, the user has disappeared and checked out your competitor. At a minimum, you should incorporate an end of day practice to check for outstanding Facebook queries and respond to them. You have the option to download the Facebook Page Manager App to your Android phone or IPhone which means you get alerts when users post queries.

5 Schedule out of hours content Not all your Facebook fans are online during the day, in fact many will check-into their Facebook accounts after dinner or when the kids are in bed. Don’t miss out on an opportunity to get in front of these users. Use the scheduling option which is free to use on your Facebook page or from any other social site management tool you may be using e.g.

HootSuite.

6 Get everyone involved Whether you have 2 or 22 staff active on social sites, encourage them to become involved in promoting your brand with their networks.

Ask for suggestions for content and for feedback reports with photos from FAM trips that you can share on your site. Bring the human side of your business to your fans by introducing the team and sharing photos from events you attend, charities you support, awards you’ve won.

7 Use Facebook advertising Facebook is now a pay to play site. Since their IPO, Facebook is a public company with shareholders and the way they make their revenue is through advertising. What that means is brands who want to reach more fans need to buy Facebook ads. There are multiple advertising options on Facebook from the very easy to use ‘Boost’ post to the more complex Power Editor. If not already familiar with the various ad options available, now is the time to check them out.

8 Best practices for Facebook advertising When you create an ad, remember most users are on Facebook to catch up with friends so they don’t want to see hard sell ads appearing in their newsfeed. Instead of directly promoting your business or special offers, promote the benefit or value instead. Using questions in your ad is good as the ad will feel more like a conversation than a sales pitch e.g. ‘Need some sunshine on your bones?’ Keep ads short, snappy, and visually engaging.

9 Re-evaluate your Facebook marketing strategy On a quarterly basis at minimum, re-evaluate progress with your Facebook marketing to see if you’re achieving the goals you set in place for using the site. Accessing the free analytics tools on Facebook called ‘Insights’ will help as you have access to lots of stats about what’s working and what’s not on your page. If what you’re doing isn’t working, it’s time to change it. This gives you the chance to brainstorm new ideas, to get creative about content which will prevent your page becoming stagnant and boring for the user.

10 Don’t put all your eggs in one basket Facebook is a great fit for travel agents, and a really good way of engaging with customers both new and existing.

However, Facebook should never be your only resource for marketing your company. It is not a replacement for email marketing, your website or print ads. Facebook is a complementary tool that allows you to reach out to a growing online community and when integrated with other marketing initiatives brings the best results.

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Top Tips Handling Vat

All VAT returns must be made online to ROS and must be submitted every two months starting in January. When you make this return you must pay the amount owed for January and February, together with the estimated amount you will owe for March and April. From this amount you can reclaim VAT paid on imputs (see below). If you already do this, then don’t forget to deduct advance payments for Jan/Feb made in December.

1 Package holiday If an agent buys a package holiday from an Irish based tour operator originating in Ireland — regardless of the destination — there is a VAT liability. The tour operator will show commission and VAT on the confirmation invoice.

The agent remits this VAT to Revenue. The tour operator will reclaim this VAT from Revenue, so it is very important to get the figures right. Flight-onlies on charter flights are the same as above.

5 Bonus commission

There is no VAT on travel insurance. There is no VAT on service charges except for business house clients (see below).

If you receive bonus commission or overrides these will have a VAT element and they must be remitted to revenue, remembering that the tour operator can reclaim this VAT. This sounds complicated but in reality is it not really. It is always the exceptions that can be difficult. For example: a booking to Palma; one client for 7 nights booked with Falcon VAT on seat only. Client being joined by friend booked with Ryanair — NO VAT. One single room booked with Bookabed —VAT payable. Another booked with Travel Cube — NO VAT( but VIES). So for different components there are different rules.

4 Accommodation

6 Business house

This is a more complicated area. It all depends on who you buy it from and where they travel to. Irish based suppliers who pay commission, and clients travelling to EU destinations: VAT is payable.

If you have business house clients, who are registered for VAT, and you charge a service charge you must charge 23 % VAT on the service charge and remit this to Revenue but your client can reclaim this VAT.

• Irish based suppliers, who pay commission, and client travelling to NON EU destination: — no VAT is payable.

• NON-Irish registered suppliers but who are based in the EU, e.g. — RCCL, MSC, Travel Cube and Holiday Autos etc., to list but a few: — NO VAT payable regardless of destination. You must do a VIES report on these. VIES is VAT Information Exchange System.

You must issue a self billing invoice to these suppliers, listing booking reference numbers, client names and

7 Vat on imputs

2 Schedule flights There is no VAT on schedule flights regardless of origin or destination, whether they are booked by Internet and paid by credit card; booked on GDS and issued on BSP or purchased from a consolidator.

3 Service charges

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commission amounts. These suppliers must account to their own revenue authorities for VAT. This return is every three months so it coinsides with VAT in June and December.

• NON Irish registered suppliers, but based outside the EU: — no VAT payable and there is no requirement to file VIES.

There is VAT payable on audit fees, telephone bills, light and heating bills, stationery, printing, subscriptions and licences and numerous other imputs. You can claim this VAT back in the two month period in which they are incurred when you make your return.

Top Tips as recommended by Peter Dolan, Creation Travel

Top Tips New Year’s Resolutions For 2017

Running a business is never easy and travel agencies are no different — indeed they may be even more difficult to successfully manage — given the wafer-thin margins that necessitate high turnovers in order to make any money and of course the threats and challenges that face owners on a day to day basis. All the more reason to take time out and evaluate how you can start working smarter rather than harder. Clearly, not everything that we do is effective so we need to identify those activities that are and stop wasting time on those that are not, otherwise all we do is continue to perpetuate the status quo.

New Year’s Resolutions are a great way of re-evaluating everything about your business and making them the corner stones of your new, re-vitalised and re-focussed approach to making money because (and let’s be honest here) that’s what business is all about, at the end of the day!

Not all of the following items on the list will necessarily work for you but I suspect most will so just think of them as a reference point — a blueprint, if you will — on which you can base your own business strategy for the coming 12 months.

These resolutions are based on the very simple premise that there are only three ways that you can grow your business: 1.

2.

3.

Get more customers Sell more often to existing customers and/or; Sell more things to existing customers

Since there appears to be ample evidence from multiple sources that acquiring a new customer can cost you up to nine times more than retaining an existing one, it clearly makes more sense to focus (at least initially) on selling more stuff, and more often, to your current customer base. Here then, are our 10 suggestions for what you can do to maximise your sales, your time and your profit:

1 Increase your compliance levels

3 Take on a junior

Make a conscious effort to increase your compliance levels in supporting preferred suppliers. After all, they probably pay you higher commissions than what your agency can earn, delivering discretionary sales to non-preferred ones.

A perfect example is when your agency places cruise sales through tour operators who pay you 10% commission when you can earn anywhere between 12% and 15% (or higher) when you book them directly with our preferred cruise suppliers. The same goes for other industry sectors.

It is becoming increasingly difficult to find experienced staff So take on a junior and start training them up so that they can take the pressure off your more senior staff and thus minimise the incidence of costly mistakes. It also provides you with more coverage when it comes to days off, sick days, holidays, maternity leave etc.

2 Invest in training Spend some money and send your front counter staff on training courses — particularly those that focus on selling skills as it will be the best money that you’ll ever spend.

Consider such expenditure as an investment rather than as a cost.

4 Conduct weekly staff meetings If you don’t already do so, instigate weekly staff meetings on Mondays in order to review sales performances from the previous week; Address mistakes that might have been made or problems encountered and plan for the week ahead. In order to make time for such staff meetings, don’t open until an hour later than normal and put a sign on the door and/or message on your answering machine or night service. It is quite common for most companies to open late one day a week for training purposes so why not travel agencies? Your customers will understand.

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Top Tips New Year’s Resolutions For 2017 5 Delegate more

8 Embrace online

Assign portfolios or specific areas of responsibility to different members of staff, depending on their respective skill sets and years of experience. Everyone can’t become or maintain sufficient levels of expertise in every area of travel agency practice so why even try? Appoint someone with responsibility for cruise product; someone else for long haul; someone else for package/family holidays and someone else for weddings/special events or whatever.

Each person should have the responsibility of keeping all other colleagues up-to-date with relevant market/product information and should be the ‘Go To’ person when any other member of staff has a question or problem. Specialisation is the name of the game.

Like it or not, we now live in an increasingly networked world Where people expect to be entertained and informed on a 24/7 cycle. You therefore need to set time aside in your busy working day for updates to be written in respect of your online presence, whether that be your website, Facebook page, Twitter or Pinterest account or your Blog!

Assign this duty/responsibility (as already alluded to in item 5 above) to whichever member of staff is most adept at navigating the various social media channels that you wish to engage with new and existing clients.

6 Concentrate on the 20% It is claimed that 20% of your customers represent 80% of your profit So it is extremely important that you identify who those 20% are and focus your efforts on keeping them happy and selling them even more stuff. This means that you need to constantly analyse your sales data from your back office system (if you don’t currently have one then you need to invest in one straight away!) or better still, invest in a CRM (Customer Relationship Management) system. Each customer should be viewed in terms of their lifetime value to your agency — not just the value of their last purchase!

7 Start to specialise As traditional markets that were once the preserve of the travel agent get whittled away by changing consumer habits and the onward progression of technology, you need to seriously re-think your long term plan and try to identify a niche that can be exploited or a market that isn’t yet adequately served, whether that be gastronomic holidays, trips abroad for cycling enthusiasts or nature lovers etc. With Google planning to roll out new and more sophisticated search and booking solutions for travellers and recent announcements that Ryanair is planning to get into the package holiday business, current sources of sales and profits will inevitably dry up in time. As travel in general becomes increasingly commoditised, you need to move your business up the value chain in order to cater for a more sophisticated, demanding and discerning kind of consumer who is happy to pay extra for exemplary levels of service and travel expertise.

30

9 Be proactive Don’t wait for the business to walk through your door.

Those days are all but over so you need to be more assertive in letting people know that you exist and provide them with a compelling argument for why they should choose your services over those of your competitors. Set aside a realistic marketing budget but also invest some time in exploiting the media’s insatiable appetite for news by writing (or getting someone else to write) your own press releases as it is a marketing activity that is often overlooked by travel agents and certainly undervalued. No less a person that Bill Gates (founder of Microsoft and arguably the world’s richest man) once famously said that if he was ever down to his last dollar, he would spend it on PR! Be creative in your marketing efforts and don’t exclude the potential to be gained from collaborating with other local businesses to your mutual benefit — e.g. credit unions, banks, pharmacies, camera shops, places that sell luggage, swimsuits etc.

10Stop working for nothing Stop being an unofficial tourist bureau where people wander in to pick your brains, only to wander out again and book it online. If you don’t value your expertise and put a premium on your time, how do you expect other people to?

Be limited in the information that you divulge and seriously consider introducing booking/commitment deposits in order to separate the tyre kickers from genuine customers.

Start a dialogue with your local competitor(s) and ask them to do likewise so that neither of you suffers at the hands of the other.

Top Tips Guarding Against Credit Card Fraud

It is becoming increasingly important for consumers to have the ability to buy goods and services without having to be physically present at the point of sale. Card Not Present (CNP) transactions are an important part of your product/service ordering but this shouldn’t mean that you lose out to the fraudsters who seek to abuse the system.

Criminals now use this type of fraud with complete anonymity, therefore there is more risk involved in accepting a CNP order.

Remember - you can be held financially accountable for a fraudulent transaction, even if the issuer has authorised it. To protect yourself against CNP fraud, there are a number of simple guidelines which, if followed, will help stop fraudulent transactions from the outset. These straightforward steps will allow you to determine whether a transaction, the card and the cardholder are genuine.

1 Security We recommend that you observe these guidelines. CNP orders fall under these categories: INTERNET, TELEPHONE, E-MAIL For all CNP orders, the following details must be obtained: 1. The card number.

2. The cardholder’s name as it appears on the card.

3. The expiry date.

4. The customer’s name and address.

5. Insist on obtaining a land line phone number

2 Internet orders 1.

2.

Check the time of the transaction. A large percentage of card fraud is carried out late at night.

Be wary of orders coming from free e-mail addresses.

It is often difficult, if not impossible, to trace these back to the sender.

3 Telephone orders 1.

2.

Record the time and date of the call.

Does the customer have trouble remembering his/her address and telephone number?

4 Email orders 1.

2.

As with Internet based transactions, be wary of orders coming from free e-mail addresses. It is often difficult, if not impossible, to trace these back to the sender.

Make extra checks about the cardholder as outlined below.

5 Tell tale signs of fraudlent CNP transactions 1.

2.

3.

Transactions from cards issued overseas.

Delivery addresses that are very different to billing addresses.

Orders shipped to a single address made on multiple cards.

6 Responsibility 1.

2.

You should have a detailed understanding of the risks associated with CNP transactions.

If you fail to follow the procedures established by your acquiring bank, you may end up being liable for the transaction.

7 what should you do if you are suspicious?

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Make extra checks.

Check if the delivery address has been used before with different card details, contact names and/or phone numbers.

Call your acquirer (AIB, Bank of Ireland or Ulster Bank) and ask them to check the name and address of the cardholder with the issuer of the card.

If you still feel the transaction is fraudulent do not proceed with the transaction. Remember — you can be held financially accountable for a fraudulent transaction, even if the issuer has authorised it.

If you become a victim of card fraud, contact the police immediately.

31

Resources Website of the Week

The problem with the Internet is its sheer size. Over 600 new websites launch every single minute of every day, 365 days a year so is it any wonder that it is impossible for anyone to try and keep up with this neverending and forever expanding list of online resources?

In our own very small way, Travel Centres tries to keep an eye out for new and interesting websites that we feel might, in one way or another, make your life a little easier and your work day more productive. Where possible, we try to choose travel-relevant sites but we consider anything fair game, as long as it’s work-related. Here is a collated listing of what online resources we’ve shared with you to date!

32

Publish Date

Website of the Week

02/10/16

www.pana.com

12/09/16

http://happyplanetindex.org/

29/08/16

https://bitly.com/

23/08/16

www.thetruesize.com

17/08/16

http://www.oldversion.com/

09/08/16

http://ocw.mit.edu/courses/

01/08/16

https://www.hotelwifitest.com/

24/07/16

https://geoguessr.com/

12/07/16

www.changeupdate.com

04/07/16

https://haveibeenpwned.com/

27/06/16

www.itt.co.uk

19/06/16

https://onlinetraveltraining.com/uk/

31/05/16

https://www.scribblemaps.com/

18/05/16

https://wn.nr/kFkh3h

14/05/16

http://morguefile.com/

14/05/16

https://pixabay.com/

14/05/16

https://stocksnap.io/

14/05/16

https://unsplash.com/

14/05/16

http://raumrot.com/

14/05/16

http://negativespace.co/photos/

14/05/16

http://www.lifeofpix.com/

14/05/16

http://freestocks.org/

06/05/16

https://suitecrm.com/

26/04/16

http://scam-detector.com/

20/03/16

http://www.invoiceto.me/

02/03/16

http://excelexposure.com/

25/02/16

http://www.goodcountry.org/index_intro

15/02/16

www.ereceptionist.ie

06/02/16

https://www.teamsid.com/worst-passwords-2015/

01/02/16

https://www.passportindex.org/

27/01/16

https://www.hotelsbyday.com/en

27/01/16

http://www.byhours.com/en_gb.html

18/01/16

http://www.dayuse.co.uk/

23/12/15

https://pixlr.com/

12/12/15

www.woorank.com

26/11/15

http://www.ticketbis.com/ie/

08/11/15

https://wiffinity.com/

26/10/15

WWW.WHATISMYIP.COM

20/10/15

http://passwordsgenerator.net/

11/10/15

http://www.google.com/safebrowsing/diagnostic?site=xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

28/09/15

http://worlds-exotic-beaches.com/

21/09/15

http://blog.qr4.nl/QR-Code-WiFi.aspx

16/09/15

http://www.ifitweremyhome.com/

28/08/15

https://www.record360.com/

17/08/15

https://www.spinlister.com/

Resources Website of the Week

Publish Date

Website of the Week

11/08/15

https://tinyjpg.com/

06/08/15

https://www.carhood.com.au/

28/07/15

http://pennystocks.la/internet-in-real-time/

22/07/15

https://www.flyvictor.com/flights

13/07/15

http://gofluency.com/

05/07/15

http://whatismyipaddress.com/

23/06/15

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_lists_of_lists

10/06/15

http://www.webflyer.com/

03/06/15

http://travelbydrone.com/

26/05/15

www.scr.im

10/05/15

http://internetdirectory.info/

28/04/15

http://www.printablepaper.net/

17/04/15

http://meerkatapp.co/

17/04/15

https://www.periscope.tv/

07/04/15

http://www.ebizmba.com/articles/search-engines

30/03/15

http://www.mypcbackup.com/#ic

23/03/15

www.eircode.ie

11/03/15

http://matrix.itasoftware.com/

07/03/15

https://www.busbud.com/en/

25/02/15

http://www.goodinfographics.com/

19/02/15

http://virusscan.jotti.org/en

13/02/15

http://www.movie-locations.com/

03/02/15

https://unsplash.com/

20/01/15

http://www.sleepinginairports.net/

14/01/15

www.goodnet.org

05/01/15

http://browsehappy.com/

31/12/14

www.traineo.com

31/12/14

www.stackk.com

23/12/14

http://world-geography-games.com/

11/12/14

https://www.grc.com/haystack.htm

28/11/14

www.faxzero.com

09/11/14

www.spideroak.com

28/10/14

www.travelmath.com

06/10/14

www.sanebox.com

29/09/14

http://copypastecharacter.com/

22/09/14

http://faxzero.com/

15/09/14

www.rescuetime.com

01/09/14

www.wishbeen.com

25/08/14

www.jetlagrooster.com

18/08/14

www.virtualtourist.com

26/05/14

www.anchorfree.com

19/05/14

https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/

28/04/14

www.unrollme.com

22/04/14

www.conversationprism.com

14/04/14

paylesstax.ie

04/04/14

www.vayable.com

30/03/14

www.lastpass.com

18/03/14

www.stepmap.com

10/03/14

https://duckduckgo.com/

05/03/14

http://www.lumosity.com/

26/02/14

www.onebigswitch.ie/campaigns/big-energy-switch?referrer=0549218201

17/02/14

http://kopf.com.br/outlook/

09/02/14

http://habitforge.com/

26/01/14

www.curious.com

13/01/14

www.futureme.org

05/11/13

www.makeitsecure.ie

05/11/13

www.botfree.ie

33

Resources Website of the Week

34

Publish Date

Website of the Week

21/10/13

www.purportal.com

06/10/13

http://www.freepdfconvert.com/

24/09/13

www.seat61.com

19/09/13

www.wheretotraveltonext.com

03/09/13

www.adventure.travel

22/08/13

www.smartertravel.com

14/08/13

www.gapminder.org

08/08/13

www.mediastreet.ie

28/07/13

www.bestmotivation.com

18/07/13

www.jauntlet.com

09/07/13

www.ifly.com

30/06/13

www.bigthink.com

26/06/13

www.yast.com

24/05/13

www.7billionworld.com

06/05/13

skypicker.com

25/03/13

http://www.distancefromto.net/

19/03/13

www.google.com/hotelfinder

07/03/13

www.worldtaximeter.com

27/02/13

www.clipboard.com

20/02/13

www.99u.com

14/02/13

http://www.i-escape.com/

06/02/13

www.penzu.com

28/01/13

www.sanebox.com

15/01/13

www.coursera.com

08/01/13

http://www.typingweb.com/

04/01/13

www.chartsbin.com and www.findthedata.org and backgroundcheck.org

27/12/12

www.filedropper.com

17/12/12

http://www.packagetrackr.com/

10/12/12

http://getairmail.com/

03/12/12

http://www.mywot.com/

26/11/12

https://join.me/

20/11/12

http://www.hipmunk.com/

14/11/12

http://evernote.com/

09/11/12

http://mailinator.com/

01/11/12

http://www.wheretoskiandsnowboard.com

23/10/12

www.quora.com

15/10/12

www.wikihow.com

15/10/12

www.lynda.com

08/10/12

http://www.iwesoft.com/product/34/image-resizer

02/10/12

www.mailchimp.com

24/09/12

http://www.morguefile.com

17/09/12

http://www.similarsites.com/

10/09/12

http://www.msgtag.com/home/

03/09/12

http://www.libreoffice.org/

26/08/12

www.timeanddate.com

20/08/12

www.freecrm.com

13/08/12

http://www.mikogo.com/

07/08/12

www.calluma.com

29/07/12

www.raveable.com

21/07/12

www.5min.com

12/07/12

www.teuxdeux.com

Resources List of Blogs

The travelling public has an insatiable appetite for information and it is often very hard and onerous to keep that appetite satisfied — particularly if you have your own Facebook page or website that needs constant updating.

Therefore, why put yourself under all that stress when Travel Centres is more than happy to let you syndicate our own blog — the only condition being that you credit us with the authorship of same. We publish a blog most weeks on www.travelbug. ie and the following list provides you with a one line description of the subject matter of each blog that’s already been published; its original date of publication and a word count, in case you’re limited by the length of article that you can upload.

Title

Publish Date

Word count

What the Blog is about

Sometimes, perfection is nearer than you think!

09/10/16

443

Cliff house hotel visit

Self-catering or all-inclusive — which represents better value for money?

02/10/16

861

Benefits of all inclusive holidays

Planning a honeymoon abroad?

19/09/16

556

wedding hotels in italy

Out of this world!

12/09/16

411

Seven unique landscapes across the globe

Ready for something a little bit out of the ordinary?

03/09/16

467

Six interetsing museums around the world

Anxious. Scared. Terrified — Tales of an adrenaline junkie — Part 3

31/08/16

970

Safari in Kruger National Park

Anxious. Scared. Terrified — Tales of an adrenaline junkie — Part 2

23/08/16

681

Bloukrans Gorge bungee jump

Anxious. Scared. Terrified — Tales of an adrenaline junkie — Part 1

18/08/16

766

Cage diving with great whites

Are you a tourist or a traveller?

01/08/16

403

Do you embrace the culture or drink in Irish bars and eat in MacDonalds abroad?

The inherent dangers of booking online!

24/07/16

494

Another reason to book with a travel agents

Where's the nicest place you've ever been?

05/07/16

391

French Polynesia

When in Sydney — stay here!

11/06/16

542

Beautiful accommodation in Sydney

Sheer beauty — and the statistics that sit behind it!

08/05/16

514

Abu Dhabi

What do you enjoy most about travelling?

08/04/16

509

Gastronomy

The 'other' Los Angeles

20/03/16

521

My last trip to Los Angeles

It takes 15,000 casualties to train a major general

02/03/16

481

WW1 Battlefields with GTI

Where is the best place in the world to live?

25/02/16

430

The grass isnt always greener on the other side

2016 is not the year to hold off booking your holiday arrangements!

15/02/16

424

Dont always count on 'last minute deals' for your holidays

Take the hassle out of travel

27/01/16

323

Dublin Airport Services

If it sounds too good to be true — it most probably is!

10/01/16

930

Dont be scammed by cheap holidays

Keeping the magic alive!

23/12/15

372

Lapland

Where to go for next year’s holidays?

30/11/15

532

Try a cruising holiday

Now that’s big!

08/11/15

525

MSC Fantasia cruise ship

There’s ‘free’ … and then there’s ‘FREE’!

30/10/15

343

2 countries for 1 with Wendy Wu Tours

554

There is more to Spain than just Lanzarote, Malaga and Majorca. Get out and explore a bit more!

Variety is the Spice of Life

12/10/15

35

Resources List of Blogs

36

Title

Publish Date

Word count

What the Blog is about

Is it just me?

30/09/15

665

Reconsidering the joys and benefits of travelling by car or train

The thrill that is history

16/09/15

450

Sicily and it’s amazing historical treasures

All Travel Doesn’t have to be International

30/08/15

450

Fishing village in the sunny south East called Dunmore East

What, exactly, is value?

17/10/15

1009

Why you get more value for money choosing a travel agent over booking via the net.

Blogtastic — The rise and rise of the travel blog!

10/08/15

352

Travel bloggers to follow

'Life is a journey - not a destination'

29/07/15

687

Why flying with SAS and choosing their "plus" product is worth every penny.

Scandinavia's best kept secret!

23/07/15

568

Trip to Stockholm

The undiscovered France!

13/07/15

592

The Midi-Pyrenees area of France and its delights!

If Toulouse is not on your radar — it should be!

05/07/15

552

Trip to Toulouse

Heaven does exist — and it's located in Tuscany!

23/06/15

530

The delights of Tuscany

The culinary landscape around the world is changing!

14/06/15

494

Peruvian Gastronomy

All aboard for all-inclusive!

31/05/15

677

All inclusive holidays and their value for money

Where should I go on my next holiday?

10/05/15

418

Top 10 countries to go based on visitors per annum

Absence makes the heart grow fonder!

04/05/15

491

Dunmore East - from the perspective of a cruise ship visitor

Why familiarity sometimes breeds contempt!

17/04/15

701

Why Tenerife is a great destination even though it is not "exotic" enough in some people’s opinions

Istanbul — The city with multiple personalities!

02/04/15

450

Trip to Istanbul

Beijing — City of contrasts

24/03/15

526

Trip to Beijing

Finding the best fare between point A and point B — how complicated can it be?

12/03/15

345

Why travel agents can find a better air fare for you than the internet

Why is it always about the price with travel arrangements?

08/03/15

530

How travel decisions can sometimes be based on incomplete information

27/02/15

403

Tripadvisor doesn’t always paint the clearest picture - your travel agent will

Will South America be the next big thing in travel?

17/02/15

577

Brazil

Orange is the new orange

10/02/15

458

Thailand

A great location in London

02/02/15

378

Premier Inn County Hall Central London - Review

Get it in writing

21/01/15

461

Trip to Hong Kong

It's not just great, it's %!$£*& amazing!

14/01/15

376

Great Wall of China

Now that's what I call value!

31/12/14

357

China's subway system

Where is the most visited place on Earth? The answer may surprise you!

11/12/14

455

The Grand Bazaar, Turkey

Hong Kong — New York's alter ego!

28/11/14

561

Fam trip to Hong Kong

Rioja — a little piece of heaven!

09/11/14

623

Rioja - my experience of its vineyards

How good is your geographic knowledge?

27/10/14

404

Bilbao

There's more to life than getting a tan!

06/10/14

402

Winter holidays - Iceland

Glamping — Don't dismiss it until you've tried it!

22/09/14

864

Glamping in South Africa

Where's the best tourist destination in the world?

15/09/14

766

My holiday to South Africa

Resources List of Blogs

Title

Publish Date

Word count

What the Blog is about

Some things are hard to quantify ...

03/09/14

701

Technology on Royal Caribbean Quantum class ships

Macho Peak(u)?

18/08/14

638

My trip to Machu Picchu

What happens in Vegas ...

05/08/14

390

Shopping in Las Vegas

Blue Mountain Resort, Ontario

29/07/14

308

Review of Blue Mountain Resort

The Lost Continent?

06/07/14

484

Why don’t the Irish visit South America more?

A rising tide raises all boats ...

02/07/14

615

My trip to Nova Scotia

The Tip of the Iceberg!

25/06/14

757

Newfoundland

You'll have a cordial time here alright!

17/06/14

640

Review - Cordial Mogan Playa, Gran Canaria

This place is a Zoo!

03/06/14

409

List of world’s biggest Zoos.

Travel Back in Time

19/05/14

242

GTI - War Tours

Food, glorious food!

28/04/14

273

Food in Traders hotel, Kuala Lumpur

Malaysia is in the news these days for all the wrong reasons!

14/04/14

540

My trip to Malaysia

All legacy carriers are created equal — right?

Wrong!

30/03/14

701

What Turkish Airlines can offer you

A little piece of paradise on our doorstep!

18/03/14

256

Review - Mogan, Gran Canaria

And now for something completely different!

09/02/14

540

Krakow

Why you need a travel agent!

26/01/14

391

Self explanatory title

Don't forget the small guys!

31/12/13

341

Artisan type travel companies - Travel Focus, Discover Travel to name but a few…

Grenada or Granada?

21/10/13

385

Grenada, Spain

In praise of the lowly travel agent ...

07/10/13

776

Internet v Travel agent

Food, glorious food!

19/09/13

329

Kerala and its food

Like your wine and looking for a new wine destination to explore?

04/09/13

395

Portland, Oregon

Foodies Paradise!

22/08/13

361

Cruising

Californian Sipping

12/08/13

498

Napa Valley

The bear, unadulterated truth!

31/07/13

599

Driving across the Rockies

Am I unique? I wouldn't bet on it!

18/07/13

503

Las Vegas trip

Does constant travel desensitise us to each new experience?

09/07/13

299

The Grand Canyon

Legroom — worth every penny!

30/06/13

310

Virgin Atlantic's extra legroom option

Don't forget your pills!

25/06/13

371

How costly it is to get a prescription in the states if you lose ,medicine - my experience

Turkey is in the news of late — but for all the wrong reasons!

08/06/13

448

Some news channels chase ratings and blow things out of proportion

Stay here when you've hit rock bottom!

26/05/13

300

Turkey's underground cities

Cappadocia — the undiscovered Turkey!

23/05/13

285

Self explanatory title

The way of the Pilgrim

06/05/13

489

Galicia, Spain

Looking for the hottest place in town? Check out your nearest friendly volcano!

19/03/13

427

Volcanoes around the globe

Going for a walk?

07/03/13

529

5 different walking holidays.

How cultured are you?

01/03/13

637

World Heritage sites

37

Resources List of Blogs

38

Title

Publish Date

Word count

What the Blog is about

The Lingua Franca that is English

22/02/13

379

In what countries is English spoken officially?

The Top 10 Destinations in the World in 2013

14/02/13

332

Top 10 travel places 2013 - according to Facebook

Hungary? Check out Budapest

08/02/13

311

Quick overview of Budapest

Shop 'til You Drop!

28/01/13

306

World’s largest shopping complexes

Check the small print

15/01/13

382

Travel Insurance

Move out of your comfort zone in 2013

03/01/13

331

Why not visit lesser know locations this year when travelling?

New Year Resolutions

28/12/12

566

The Azores

Something for the Bucket List!

17/01/12

440

The Northern Lights

Are you a Christmassy person?

06/12/12

324

Christmas markets

Are you being played?

27/11/12

747

Why the internet isn’t always reliable for booking holidays

Home is where the heart is!

21/11/12

401

Dunmore East

Having a whale of a time!

13/11/12

612

Whale watching locations around the globe

Been to the movies lately?

01/11/12

284

Istanbul

Driving on the left is not the minority sport that you think it is!

22/10/12

306

What countries drive on the left hand side of the road?

Looking for a bit of sun and heat?

15/10/12

1050

Hottest climates in the world

The World of Travel — where misconceptions abound!

08/10/12

716

My adventure holiday experience - The Amazon

Are you a fan of Downton Abbey?

03/10/12

195

The opulance of a bygone age recreated nowadays on luxury cruise lines such as Silversea

When paying more money can cost you less!

25/09/12

382

Value vs. Price

So you think you know your amusement parks?

17/09/12

448

Best amusement parks around the world

Do you actually know what a travel agent does?

13/09/12

633

Travel agents do more than just book package holidays

Choose your holiday based on value for money rather than price alone!

04/09/12

576

The value of cruising

Breaking out of your comfort zone — Part 2

27/08/12

368

Autumn/Winter sun destinations

A bitter pill to swallow?

21/08/12

336

Book early for the best deals

€249 for a round-trip airfare to the Far East — where's the catch?

07/08/12

393

Azamara cruise line

How charter holiday pricing works — Part 2

30/07/12

319

Scheduled airline fares v Chartered

How charter holiday pricing works — Part 1

23/07/12

542

Supply and demand - by season peaks

Familiarity Breeds Contempt — Part 2

18/07/12

386

London

Familiarity breeds contempt — why clichés become clichés!

11/07/12

379

Mobile home holidays

Paradise — and where you can find it!

04/07/12

244

The Maldives

Don't forget the humble ferry!

30/06/12

349

Ferry Travel

Disneyland —for the eternal youngster in all of us

25/06/12

305

Disneyland Paris

The Travel Agent Renaissance

11/06/12

435

Leave booking holidays to the professionals

When is the best time to visit Spain or Portugal?

06/06/12

196

Visit Spain or Portugal in June, because…

The Isle of Calypso

28/05/12

255

If in Malta, visit the Isle of Calypso

Resources List of Blogs

Title

Publish Date

Word count

What the Blog is about

Malta — proof that the best things sometimes come in small packages!

21/05/12

461

Malta

Day 4 in Puglia

17/05/12

438

Puglia - my diary

Day 3 in Puglia

15/05/12

195

Puglia - my diary

Day 2 in Puglia

12/05/12

335

Puglia - my diary

Puglia — and the Santa Claus connection!

09/05/12

539

My first impressions of Puglia

May Day, May Day!

02/05/12

197

Royal Caribbean Cruises offering great deals

Get ready to experience the 'hidden' Italy

24/04/12

130

Puglia, the hidden Italy - coming soon

How the role of the humble travel agent has changed in recent years.

16/04/12

438

Simplify your booking by using a Travel Agent

Summer has arrived!

12/04/12

1093

Travel checklist

Some Travel Advice

09/04/12

1237

A lot of Travel Advice!

When's the best time to rent a car — before you travel or after you arrive at your destination?

06/04/12

545

Self explanatory title

What's the difference between a published and a consolidated fare?

04/04/12

184

Self explanatory title

Five Great Destinations for Foodies

02/04/12

168

Self explanatory title

Fancy travelling business class?

28/03/12

165

SAS Promotion

When is the best time to go on holidays?

27/03/12

230

Some simple rules of thumb

Don't be afraid to stretch your boundaries a little.

26/03/12

363

Adventure travel for everyone

Comparing like with like!

22/03/12

204

Cruising v land based package holidays - overview

40 is a nice round number

21/03/12

199

Disney land anniversary

Move out of your comfort zone

19/03/12

260

Visit somewhere new

You never need travel insurance — until you need travel insurance!

19/03/12

254

Why to buy travel insurance

Value for money is more important than getting the cheapest deal.

19/03/12

187

Why cruising is value for money

Avoid making the classic mistakes!

19/03/12

198

What to book early & what to book last minute

Istanbul — Here I come!

05/02/12

128

"Going to Istanbul tomorrow"

Cruise Bargains

05/02/12

128

Cruising deals to be had after Costa Concordia tragedy

Hanmer Springs

05/02/12

241

Chilling in Thermal Springs in New Zealand

Kaiteriteri

05/02/12

200

Quick overview - my stay here

Punakaiki

05/02/12

368

Hiking up to a glacier

Hokitika & Fox Glacier

05/02/12

260

My stay here

Queenstown — Day 2

05/02/12

301

B&B in Queenstown, bungee jumping & jet boat ride

Queenstown — Day 1

05/02/12

299

My first night in Queenstown - and a fab meal I had

Milford Sound

05/02/12

341

Quick overview

Te Anau

05/02/12

250

Quick overview

Aoraki — Mt. Cook

05/02/12

611

Mt Cook Glacier - a must see in NZ

Twizel

05/02/12

254

Road trip to Twizel through NZ countryside

39

The market leader for travel accommodation bookings Hotels, apartments and homes in 4,000 destinations worldwide Plus tickets, transfers & car hire Supplying demand through a network of excellence with customer service 24/7

All this & more on

Accommodation Bedsonline

Bedsonline are part of the Hotelbeds Group, so both you and your clients can have peace of mind when booking with us. We are one of the largest accommodation, ticket and transfer suppliers in Europe and 99% is directly contracted. Our head office is located on the sunny island of Mallorca. We have over 10,000 staff supporting travel agents worldwide and your local Sales Manager is Thomas McNally. www.bedsonline.ie

Bedsonline is the ideal choice for your dynamically packaged holiday components. We now offer over 80,000 hotels and apartments worldwide in over 4000 destinations all at excellent prices meaning there is little reason to book elsewhere. Our extensive range includes all of your favourite chains in all of the most popular destinations and many destinations you might not have heard of! We work very closely with chains like Hilton & Accor to ensure that you have access to some of the best rates & hotels in the market.

Travel Centres agents will earn 15% commission on most of our hotel product and occasionally 10% on some of the chain hotels like Hilton and Accor.

Why book with Bedsonline?

There are many reasons why Bedsonline should be your first choice when booking but the main ones are • ZERO deposit to pay • Flexible cancellations: most bookings can be cancelled FREE up to 3 days prior to arrival and with only a one night charge if cancelled on the arrival day • FREE amendments or modifications all managed online • Over 80,000 hotels & apartments worldwide many from less than €1 PPPN • Bedsonline has offices in over 110 destinations worldwide unlike our competitors • Bedsonline has a designated call centre for UK & Ireland agents • 100% live availability - no waiting around for suppliers to confirm or decline requests • Vouchers generated instantly • Invoiced for payment several days after clients arrival in resort • Centralised payments all after travel • We have direct contracts with hotels • Specially negotiated “Product For Packaging” rates online • Exclusive “Pay at Hotel” rates also available We now offer 2 new additional ways to book with us: Product for Packaging: When you search for a hotel you have the option to tick the “product for packaging” tab. If your client is taking another component such as flight, transfer or ticket then always click the tab to search for even cheaper rates than normal on many hotels.

Pay at hotel: If you have a customer who is not keen to pay in advance and they want a rate where they can pay on checkout, then select one of our “pay at hotel” options. You book this as normal for the customer but input their credit card details at the time of booking.

A voucher is generated as normal with all of the booking details but the customer pays the hotel directly. You will receive your normal commission within 30 days of arrival.

All bookings can be cancelled or amended online via the Bedsonline website should you need to contact us then please use the information below.

Ireland Sales Manager Thomas McNally M 086 020 3753 E tmcnally@bedsonline.com Call Centre T 01 437 2384 E amendments@bedsonline.com Opening Hours: Monday to Saturday 9:00am until 6:00pm 24Hr Emergency in resort number: + 34 971 178 729

Tickets, Transfers & Car Hire In addition to hotels, Bedsonline is also a specialist in transfers, attraction tickets and tours. Our newly created division, Transfer & Activities Bank, allows us to offer an excellent range of product with Global coverage.

Transfers: Over 20,000 routes in hundreds of countries.

We have a range of transfer options available including shuttles, private taxis, luxury & adapted vehicles. We provide all options from airport to hotel, port or railway station.

Tickets & Tours: Over 20,000 unique attraction tickets are now available at Bedsonline. Ranging from all of the most popular Florida tickets to something a little bit different: Vegas, West End & Broadway shows, football matches in Barcelona, Segway tours in San Francisco to a wedding package in Vegas! It’s all covered!

Plus, with Bedsonline we won’t take any deposit when you book attraction tickets so you can help your customer to budget without having to pay for tickets in full!

Car Hire: Over 20,000 car hire pick up points worldwide working with the best car hire providers available.

Our entire product is bookable online at Bedsonline.com.

41

Accommodation Bookabed.ie

About us: Bookabed is Ireland’s award winning accommodation online wholesaler providing global content exclusively to the travel trade. We pride ourselves on our outstanding customer service, which is all backed up by our Irish call centre staff and our Business Development Team who are always on hand to assist you with any of your needs. www.bookabed.ie

What’ new for 2017:

Sales/Marketing

2016 was a very successful year for Bookabed which resulted in our best sales year to date with significant increases in the Irish, UK and Northern Irish markets.

Additions of low deposit long haul flight+hotel packages proved hugely popular and with certain changes made to the site has resulted in some fantastic rates at a low deposit of 100 per person. Our IT fares with the majority of major airlines has now increased and allows our long haul flight+hotel packages to be one of the most competitive rates in the market and with the addition of our dedicated flight and hotel reservation section allows you to dynamic package any destination including multi stops booked by our hugely experienced team of which we have now added more staff.

As a B2B supplier we only advertise pricing and promotions by the use of banner adverts on our site or email /e-zines to our agency database.

We have enhanced the booking experience by adding a print/email quote feature to the site, this will allow you to send clients on a full itinerary with final price featuring your own company logo/telephone number and hotel images.

The deal finder on our website allows agents to search for some great flight and hotel offers worldwide. This feature then allows you to print out the offer with your logo and “From” price for the agent to put into their shop window.

New additions for 2017 will be a facility to book multicentre longhaul holidays via our website and to do a top ten search for flight and hotel to any destination.

Unique Selling points: We support the trade! Our wholesale rates are only offered to travel agents. We do not compete against travel agents in the b2c environment.

Destinations served Global hotel, flight and transfer content.

Target Audience We only operate in the b2b environment.

CO-OP Policy Bookabed are happy to work with agents on regional promotions whereby we will co-sponsor targeted destinations or hotel campaigns. Campaigns must be agreed in advance.

Pricing Policy We constantly strive to provide the most competitive pricing policy and offer pricematching where possible.

Staff Incentives

Reservations: T 01 485 2580 Groups: E groups@bookabed.ie Accounts: E accounts@bookabed.ie Administration: E info@bookabed.ie Customer Service: E complaints@booked.ie F 01 285 0649

Voucher promotions, concerts and fam trips.

Please ensure that you check our site or sign up to our newsletter for more info.

Agent Concessions We offer all Travel Centres members discounted rate on their own bookings.

Training/Fams Bookabed partake in any Travel Centres training programmes where possible. Individual training can be arranged with our Business Development Team when required. We also endeavour to do a number of fam trips each year.

Cancellation Policy As per our agency Terms and Conditions and are stipulated at time of booking and on your confirmation documentation.

We will always do our best to assist in cancellation charges where possible.

Credit Terms: Post Departure as per agency terms with Travel Centres based on a Sepa Direct Debit Core scheme which entitles Travel Centres members to recall their last payment up to 8 weeks after it has been taken. (Speak to Lee for more details).

General Information: Bookabed enjoys a long established working relationship with Travel Centres and feel that the value proposition is mutually beneficial for all members. We feel our standards, pricing and best practices are fully in line with Travel Centres ethos. We offer generous commercial terms of which the details can be provided on request or can be accessed through the Travel Centres agent Intranet system.

Our commercial terms are strictly private and confidential and we ask that you do not provide any third party any access to its content or access to our password protected booking engine. Failure to adhere to this confidentiality may result in these enhanced commercial terms being withdrawn without notice.

43

CONTACTS: www.expedia.ie/TAAP

EMAIL: taexpediaie@expedia.com

PHONE: (01)

517 1525

Accommodation Expedia Travel Agent Affiliate programme (TAAP)

The Expedia Travel Agent Affiliate programme (TAAP) allows travel agents to earn commission by booking directly on the Expedia.ie website, taking advantage of the best online fares & vast inventory of the world’s largest online travel provider.

New features

www.expedia.ie/TAAP

• Filter your hotel search by preferred payment method (ESR, EEM).

• Check your commission amount prior to booking a room.

• Log in and take advantage of 10% discount in an “Agent Discounts programme”.

• Look out for Expedia TAAP newsletters for further updates and news.

Contact details: Sales & Marketing T (01) 517 1525 Option 1 E taexpediaie@expedia.com Opening hours: Mon - Fri 9:00 - 17:00

Tips and hints:

Booking assistance: T (01) 517 1525 Option 2

Find out how to get the best deals available at Expedia.ie or simply ask for booking tool tips by contacting (01) 517 1525 Option 1. Alternatively, you can email: taexpediaie@expedia.com

Training

Why Expedia TAAP

• Dedicated Webinars • Breakfast Club

• Free registration - complete sign up in 5 minutes and start earning commission • Book with one of world’s largest online travel providers • Same prices as seen on Expedia.ie • Unrivalled product choice • Hundreds of thousands of bookable properties, +400 airlines, Activities, Tailor Made Packages, Car Hire • Capability to book up to 8 rooms in one reservation • Dedicated local support office and local telephone number for travel agents • Expedia TAAP is a Silver Magellan Awardwinner in 2015

For further information about registering or agent commissions please contact our business development partner in Ireland:

ATTS Travel Representation Solutions Tel: (01) 517 1525 Option 1 or taexpediaie@expedia.com

45

www.GlobeHotels.ie

is an exclusive Irish travel trade website offering worldwide hotels, apartments and transfer deals online in an instant!

Over 100,000 properties online.

Budget to 5 star luxury properties instantly available.

Instant confirmation and vouchers online.

Exclusive “trade only� deals in popular destinations.

Dedicated Account Manager.

Tel: 01 256 9529

34

Email: sales@globehotels.ie

Accommodation Globehotels

GlobeHotels is a trade only accommodation and transfer supplier offering outstanding value on a wide range of worldwide accommodation and transfer options. We are proud to enter our 10th year as a Preferred Supplier to the Travel Centres Group.

What’s New for 2017?

Directly contracted quality properties in key resorts for the Irish market including: • Canary Islands - The Cordial Group, Gloria Palace Hotel Group, Princesa Yaiza, Sandos & Fariones Group • Corfu - 5 star Marbella Beach Resort.

• Crete - 5 star Pilot Beach Resort, Domes of Elounda & Vasia Resort • PortAventura - Onsite hotels including theme park tickets • Additional apartment options for NYC, BOS & YYZ. • Holiday villa and city apartment options.

• Additional suppliers covering the Middle East.

Unique Selling Points • • • • •

Over 12 years experience selling to the Irish Travel Trade.

Huge range of worldwide properties Competitive rates offering great value for money.

Friendly Sales Support Team offering great service.

We have a 24 hour Emergency Contact number available to agents & clients in resort.

Destinations Globe Hotels have a worldwide reach and we are particularly strong in key destinations for the Irish market e.g. Spain, Lanzarote, Tenerife, Gran Canarias, Fuerteventura, Greece and the USA.

Target Audience All segments of the travelling public.

CO-OP Policy Globe Hotels is happy to work with agents who proactively promote our product range. Proposals can be sent to jeff@globehotels.ie

Pricing Policy Globe Hotels are continually developing our product and accommodation partners to offer the most competitive rates in the market. We are happy to consider any price match provided the comparison is on a like-for-like basis.

www.globehotels.ie Contact Details Office 1, The Paddock, Main Street, Dunshaughlin, Co. Meath

M.D. Owner E jeff@globehotels.ie Accounts E accounts@globehotels.ie

T 01 256 9529 F 01 696 1241 E sales@globehotels.ie

Opening hours Mon - Fri 9.15am - 6.00pm and Sat 10.00am - 4.00pm

Staff Incentives Globe Hotels will also offer ad-hoc staff incentives

Agent Concessions Staff discounts on all travel agent accommodation bookings.

Training / Fams We participate in the Travel Centres webinar programme and also conduct on site training at member agents. From time to time, we will operate educational trips/site inspections and agents will be invited to participate based on agent sales over a specific time period.

Cancellation Policy Cancellation T&C’s apply at 4 days before check-in unless otherwise advised. Non-refundable rates are within cancellation terms from time of booking. Some Apartment/ Villas require a 10% non refundable deposit which will be advised at time of booking.

Credit Terms Agents on direct debit receive up to 7 days credit. Payment is required. 10 days before check-in if agents paying by bank transfer or cheque.

General Information Globe Hotels agree to partner with Travel Centres in respect of their annual conference and supplier workshop.

Sales/ Marketing We have a busy year of promotions lined up for 2017 with focus on adding value e.g. on selected properties free upgrade to half board or stay 4 nights pay for 3. Watch the www.globehotels.ie home page for current offers.

47

A holidAy home for every seAson With over 33,000 self catering holiday homes across europe, the UsA and Africa, interhome has a holiday home for every one of your customers – Whether it’s a mountain chalet, a villa with pool, a city apartment, a cottage or even a castle.

ü established since 1965 ü swiss quality guaranteed

ü Personal local service ü Trusted star rating system

on sale on Traveltek, dolphin dynamics, multicom and intuitive platforms.

24/7 sales and operations line: 1431 1086 | www.interhome.ie

L7890

Accommodation Interhome

This winter season sees Interhome enter its 52nd year of operation, having started off in London as Swiss Chalets in 1965, Interhome is now the European leader in holiday home rental, with over 34,000 chalets, apartments and villas to rent in hundreds of destinations.

Interhome guests can rely on us to provide them with great choice across their favourite holiday destinations, and unlike many others in the holiday rentals space, we provide service offices in a large number of our destinations (over 200), as well as a 24/7 operations and sales office with guaranteed English-speakers around the clock.

What’s New for 2017?

www.interhome.ie

This year we have added product in new long haul destinations, Mount Baker and Oman, while continuing to add around 700 units per month to our existing destinations.

We continue our strategy of increasing the number of Local Service Offices, giving our customers even better support and service when they get to resort.

Contact: Adam Walsh E Adam.Walsh@Interhome.co.uk T +447947528477

This year we opened new offices in St Aygulf on the Cote d’Azur and Carnac in Brittany. We also opened our first Local Service Office in Portugal in the Algarve, and expect to see an increase in our available properties in this area over the next year. Finally, we opened new offices on the Belgium coast and are looking at a second Local Service Office here, which would come with 60 new accommodations.

We continue to see good growth from the Irish market and look forward to welcoming your customers to an Interhome property summer and winter.

Whatever the winter season brings each year, whether guests need to go high, or there is snow down to the valley floor, skiers will find something at Interhome to suit them, from 2 person studios to 5 bedroom chalets, all available with the freedom to holiday just the way you like.

Choice is no stranger to our beach and countryside destinations, with a huge range of villas with pools and chalets across key summer gateways; you’ll always find something to suit. We also do cities! Why not think ‘apartment rental’ for a city break, instead of being cramped into a hotel room, give your customers the space, facilities and freedom they are used to at home.

Lisa Sly E Lisa.Sly@Interhome.co.uk T +44 1483 863513 24/7 Sales & Operations Centre E Info@interhome.ie T 1431 1086

Why book with Interhome?

• Easy to use partner website • Detailed information, location maps, and transparent costs.

• Create tailor-made offers for your clients • Real-time availability • Local Service Offices in many locations • Prices are fixed for the entire market • Favourable conversion and commission • Options can be held for up to 3 days

Local Service Office • • • •

Easy key collection Local information Quality checks on holiday properties Available at over 200 destinations

Facts & Figures

Discounts for Travel agents

• • • •

• 20% partner discount available on all our rental prices for own use • Available all year round • Can be combined with special offers

34,000 Properties 500,000+ Clients per year 15,000 Holiday rental owners 31 Countries

49

Accommodation Travelcube

The new TravelCube website makes selling easier….

TravelCube’s new website has been designed in collaboration with travel agents to help them sell easier and sell more! The result is a website that helps agents quickly search, find and book exactly what their customer needs.

How will TravelCube help you sell easier and sell more? The new TravelCube website has been built to be easy to use and helpful. The site assists with the specific tasks and challenges facing today’s travel agent – providing genuine added value and inspiration for the traveller – helping you to secure the sale!

trade only site www.travelcube.ie

A SMART WEBSITE • SIMPLE, INTELLIGENT SEARCH Auto-suggest search by hotel name, code, location, number of people/rooms • CLEARER DISPLAY OF SEARCH RESULTS Key hotel details, cancellation dates and maps all shown within search results • EASIER TO USE FILTERS Refine results by star rating, location and facilities • WORK ON ANY DEVICE Access the website on your tablet, smartphone or in the office

Regional Account Manager: Peter Friedrich

AN INSPIRING WEBSITE • CROSS-SELL TRANSFERS AND ACTIVITIES Add on quickly, easily and helpfully to travellers bookings • ITINERARY BUILDER Create itineraries with booked, non-booked items as well as third party content (e.g. airline booking information) • SHARE ITINERARIES WITH TRAVELLERS Send draft and confirmed itineraries via email, PDF or online link - viewable by travellers on any device

Customer Services T 01 275 0211 E clients@travelcube.com

T 00353 (0) 87 695 3792 E peter.friedrich@travelcube.com

A HELPFUL WEBSITE • POWERFUL GOOGLE MAPS Accurate maps showing address, location and local amenities • LIVE CHAT SUPPORT WITH REAL PEOPLE Solve issues quickly using live chat with real people or raise issues using an online query tool • COMPREHENSIVE LEARNING CENTRE View demo training videos and access comprehensive documentation on our online knowledge base • INFORMATIVE CLIENT VOUCHERS New design featuring comprehensive information and great maps

51

H A L I F A X 329 â‚Ź

*VATincl.

DIRECT FLIGHT FROM

DUBLIN

ASL Airlines France is back from Dublin to Halifax in 2017!

Great fares, great service!

For more info, please contact ATTS: 353 1 882 8680 / sales@atts.ie

@ASLAirlinesFr

www.aslairlines.fr *from 329â‚Ź, one way, VAT included, in economic class, baggage included (within the authorized baggage allowance). Subject to availability at time of booking. Free onboard service.

Formerly known as Europe Airpost

Airlines ASL Airlines France

About Us: ASL Airlines France, formerly known as EUROPE AIRPOST, is the French subsidiary of ASL Aviation Group. It has a dual activity of passenger transportation (scheduled and charter flights) and cargo transportation. ASL Airlines France is the heir to L’AÉROPOSTALE and has built its reputation on a flawless quality of service in favour of its clients. ASL Airlines France is headquartered in Paris Charles de Gaulle and operates a fleet of 17 Boeing 737.

What’s new for 2017?

Info & Booking:

ASL Airlines France renews its route between Dublin and Halifax for Summer 2017. The flights will be operated with a Boeing 737-700 configurated in two classes: Economy and Economy premium.

www.aslairlines.fr/en Register for your agency login T + 353 1 882 8680 E sales@atts.ie Amadeus: code 5O

Flying Economy Class: • • • • •

1 piece of checked in luggage up to 20kg per person Child discount Free meals onboard (meal + snack) Free drinks onboard Inflight entertainment

Flying Premium Economy Class:

• • • • •

Priority boarding Free meals onboard (meal + snack premium) Free drinks onboard Inflight entertainment (iPads provided for free) Free newspapers and magazines

Destinations served:

• Middle seat blocked for comfort • 1 or 2 pieces of checked in luggage up to 25kg per person (in total) • Child discount • Dedicated check in counter

Dublin to Halifax (direct) 1 rotation per week from June 2017 Final schedule to be advised contact ATTS .

From

To

Flight n°

Departure time (LT)

Arrival Time (LT)

DUBLIN

HALIFAX

FPO901R

14h25

16h45

HALIFAX

DUBLIN

FPO902R

20h10

06h00

For any additional information, please contact our GSA in Ireland ATTS Travel Representation Solution

55

Airlines KLM

KLM offers flights from Dublin and Cork to an extensive and ever-increasing worldwide network via Amsterdam. With an all-new World Business Class cabin, an award-winning hub and friendly, reliable service both on the ground and in the air, KLM is truly the airline of choice to the world.

Why fly with KLM? Seamless connections Amsterdam Airport Schiphol’s oneterminal concept ensures simple connections.

www.klm.com www.AgentConnect.biz Trade support: T 0818 762 922

Reach the world KLM’s extensive network includes over 140 destinations worldwide, and even more with partner airlines.

Greater cabin choice Choose from Business and Economy, with extra legroom in Economy Comfort.

Your comfort, our priority We look after you: from our friendly crew, to our 24/7 customer service on social media. Visit our dedicated travel agency website, AgentConnect.biz, for all your queries and updates.

Flying Blue Join our award-winning frequent flyer programme.

57

Airlines Scandinavian Airlines

About Us: Scandinavian Airlines celebrates over 50 years of flight service between Ireland and Scandinavia and offer up to 23 direct flights a week from Dublin to Copenhagen, Stockholm & Oslo. SAS offer fast and simple connections to destinations in Scandinavia, Finland & The Baltic Region.

OUR VISION IS TO MAKE LIFE EASIER FOR SCANDINAVIA’S FREQUENT TRAVELERS “With SAS you are part of a community experiencing easy, joyful and reliable services, delivered the Scandinavia way”

What’s new for 2017:

www.sassalesinfo.com

MORE flights than any other airline from Dublin to Copenhagen, Stockholm & Oslo.

NEW: SAS GO LIGHT fares (hand baggage only) NEW: Copenhagen – Boston, Miami & Los Angeles routes NEW: Refurbished Intercontinental fleet

Customer Services T Agent Support 01 844 5888 T Group Sales 01 844 5037 or E groups.ireland@sas.dk

Unique Selling Points: SAS GO – For a Great Deal • 1 piece of baggage up to 23kg per person • Internet check-in, by SAS app, SMS or at the airport • Newspaper, coffee and tea included • 24-hour money-back guarantee • Child discount • Choose your seat free of charge up to 22 hours before departure during check-in • Free breakfast before 9am on Nordic domestic flights • Food and drinks on board for purchase • Tickets can be changed for a fee • 100% EuroBonus points

SAS sales in Ireland are handled by Airline Sales & Marketing Ltd managed by Alan Sparling Keep up to date with SAS information on www.facebook.com/airlinesales

Destinations Served: Direct flights, as per Summer 2017* Dublin - Copenhagen: up to 7 flights per week Dublin - Stockholm: up to 10 flights per week Dublin to Oslo: up to 6 flights per week *subject to seasonal adjustment

SAS PLUS – For A Great Deal More • 2 pieces of baggages up to 23kg per person • Choose your seat free of charge (front of aircraft) • Food and drinks, Newspaper, coffee and tea included • Breakfast always included • 200% EuroBonus points • Access to Lounges & Fast Track where available • Tickets can be changed and refunded for free • 24-hour money-back guarantee • Child discount • Internet check-in, by SAS app, SMS or at the airport • Mobile boarding pass

59

Car Rental Services Affordable Car Hire

About Us: At Affordable Car Hire we operate in more than 30,000 locations worldwide and work with ‘on airport’ (no transfers) premium suppliers to provide an all inclusive product across the globe.

Our suppliers include well known companies such as Hertz, Avis, Sixt, Dollar Thrifty, Europcar where we can offer amazing extras like free upgrades, zero excess and free additional drivers. Within the U.S we work with Budget Rent A Car on an exclusive basis, which allows us to offer free additional driver and special young driver’s tariff. We welcome Sixt in North America with a fleet of both American and German vehicles. www.affordablecarhire.com

What’s New For 2017:

Contact Details

• New update website showing more useful tips and tricks for booking car rental • Free cancellation and free amendments (T&C’s apply) • Over 30,000 locations • Dedicated Irish telephone number • New Car Hire Clinic training programme • New Suppliers to include Keddy by Europcar, Interent, Routes Car & Truck Rentals – a new USA Product coming for end of 2016 and a new Hong Kong product - Hawk Rent A Car • Most competitive US rates • More suppliers offering Value added extras to include free additional drivers

ATTS Travel Representation Solutions 93b Lagan Road, Dublin Industrial Estate, Glasnevin, Dublin 11.

Reservations: Reservations T (076) 6801164 E reservations@affordablecarhire.com ATTS T+353 1 882 8679 E sales@atts.ie

Destinations Served:

Training / Fams:

30,000 locations in over 192 countries.

We offer a comprehensive online training academy on our agent’s website to include training modules that include the introduction of car hire into your sales process and overcoming customer objections. We also now have downloadable reference guides that include FAQ’s on Supermax and Maxi Top Up Insurance Policies and fleet guides.

Target Audience: All markets suited.

Pricing Policy: We provide a fast and efficient search of all worldwide and local suppliers to offer the best possible price and value for money for your clients. Our comprehensive results page is sure to help you book the best option available.

Sales / Marketing: We can offer in store merchandise including window posters and Brochures please contact us to place and order or discuss bespoke options further.

Agent Concessions: Affordable Car Hire will offer concessions on a case by case basis dependent on travel dates, car types and requirements.

Please contact the office for further information.

Cancellation Policy: Free Cancellation up to 72 hours prior to pickup except for Europcar bookings no cancellation and no amendments.

No fees for amendments. Cancellations must be made in writing to Affordable Car Hire UK Reservations email: reservations@affordablecarhire.com

Credit Terms: Unless otherwise stated, Affordable Car Hire will issue a statement six weeks prior to departure and all outstanding balances must be paid in full and cleared, at least four weeks prior to departure.

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Car Rental Services Flexible Autos

What can Flexible Autos offer?

Low cost, high value, fully inclusive worldwide car rental across global source markets. Access to a wide range of suppliers including brand leaders such as Enterprise, Alamo and Sixt, through to smaller localised companies offering a product to cover all clients needs and requirements Efficient offline experience through a UK based call centre. Dedicated and experienced trade account managers. Comprehensive and regular training for trade staff.

What’s new for 2017?

Premium product available in more locations.

Location details and maps. More destinations.

Unique Selling Points • Trade only – we only work with the trade • Competitive prices • Supplier transparency – choose which supplier you want to book • Fuel icons – displays suppliers fuel policy • On/Off airport icons – displays if supplier has a desk in terminal or a courtesy bus • Quality reputable suppliers – Alamo, National, Enterprise, Europcar, Sixt, Hertz

USA & Canada • One way rentals bookable online • Choice product – clients can choose their car from the group they have booked • Gold product – includes fuel and additional drivers • Young driver product – bookable for drivers between the ages 21-24 yrs.

• 24 hour customer satisfaction guarantee • Exclusive on-site locations at Disney • New and low mileage fleet

Destination Served Flexible Autos offer a worldwide product in over 100 countries.

Target Audience All markets suited

Pricing Policy We provide low cost, high value, fully inclusive car rental across the globe.

Sales/Marketing We are happy to provide marketing support to all Travel Centre members on an ad-hoc basis. Please contact us directly for further information.

Staff Incentives In addition to our commercial terms with Travel Centres we also offer various incentives/promotions on a tactical basis from time to time.

www.flexibleautos.com Flexible Autos Suites 3 & 4, Mill Studio Business Centre Crane Mead, Ware Hertfordshire, SG12 9PY T 021 601 9067 E Reservations@flexibleautos.com Sales: E Sales@flexibleautos.com Account managers: Andrea Elwell E Andrea.elwell@flexibleautos.com Patrick Devonshire E Patrick.devonshire@flexibleautos.com

Training/Fams Look out for our webinar training sessions plus you will also see us at the Travel Centres conference. If you require in house training then please contact your sales manager.

Cancellation Policy Free cancellations on all bookings up until 24 hrs before collection date unless otherwise stipulated in the supplier’s terms and conditions.

Credit Terms Full payment is required 14 days prior to the collection date. For further information please contact our accounts department.

General Information Why Choose Us: • Trade only • Dedicated account manager • Emergency helpline • Quality suppliers • Free cancellation & amendments • Excess Refund Product • Open 6 days a week

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Car Rental Services Hertz

Hertz operates the Hertz, Dollar and Thrifty car rental brands in more than 11,000 corporate and licensee locations throughout 140 countries in North America, Europe, Latin America, Asia, Australia, Africa, the Middle East and New Zealand.

New for 2017

www.hertz.ie

Net Tour rates We are delighted to offer Travel Centre agents exclusive net tour rates with some great inclusions such as Sat Nav, additional driver, first tank of fuel, additional insurance etc.

Options vary by country but will really help you to up sell car hire with car hire options that consumers can only get through you, the travel agent.

Contact Details Eamonn Roche T 053 915 0505 E eroche@hertz.ie

Customer Service T 053 915 2500 E customerservices@hertz.ie

Shauna Mullery T 053 915 2553 E smaullery@hertz.ie

www.hertz-gsa.ie T 053 915 2500 E traveltrade@hertz.ie

We are the largest worldwide airport general use car rental company with more than 1,700 airport locations in the U.S. and more than 1,300 airport locations internationally.

Product and service initiatives such as Hertz Gold Plus Rewards, NeverLost®, Carfirmation, Mobile Wi-Fi and unique vehicles offered through the Adrenaline, Dream, Family, Fun, Green and Prestige Collections set Hertz apart from the competition.

Unique Selling Points Hertz has the experience and dependability that your customers look for overseas. We offer local support to help you with any queries that may arise and employ over 1,200 people in Ireland through our rental network and our European Services Centre in Swords, Co.Dublin.

We are proud to be preferred suppliers to Travel Centres and aim to work together with members to ensure that you clients enjoy the best Car Hire has to offer.

Unique Selling Points • • • • • • • • • • •

On Airport locations for your customers convenience.

Instant confirmation.

Unlimited Mileage.

Inclusive rates such as Hertz Business Plus No upward age limit.

Transparent pricing with no hidden extras.

Modern fleet.

Local support.

Pricing Policy Our rates include all taxes and location charges.

North America Rentals are fully insured with a ¤0 excess leaving your customer only responsible for tyres, keys, fuel and windscreen.

• Canadian rentals are subject to a non waivable excess, normally in the region of $300 to $500 • EMEA rentals include Collision Damage Insurance and Theft Insurance with a typical excess of between ¤1,000 to ¤2,000. Extra insurance is available at the counter to reduce this excess but is NOT mandatory.

Cancellation Policy Prepaid Rentals: • ¤0 if cancelled within 7 days of initial booking.

• ¤45 if cancelled after 7 days unless cancelled to rebook for alt dates.

• ¤95 (No Show Fee) if not cancelled at all.

• ¤0 Refund for early return.

Pay Local Rates: • ¤0 if cancelled within 1 Day of actual rental.

• ¤65 (No Show Fee) if not cancelled at all.

• Only charged for days used in the event of early return.(Plus ¤8 admin fee) • Business Plus rate include Supercover and a second driver.

Credit Terms Prepaid Rentals booked through Hertz-gsa.ie will be invoiced on a monthly basis.

Pay Local Rentals will be invoiced once the rental has closed, in your monthly statement.

Staff Incentives We will run various Staff Incentives throughout the year.

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WHY WOULD YOUR CUSTOMERS CRUISE WITH US? HERE ARE OUR TOP 5 REASONS. MULTI-AWARD-WINNING SHIPS We like to push boundaries. That’s why each of our 10 multi-award-winning ships is fitted out to the highest standard and delivers an unrivalled level of comfort, with beautiful, intimate spaces designed by some of the world’s most famous architects and designers.

SPA AND WELLNESS BLISS Looking and feeling wonderful is easy on a Celebrity cruise. After all, we are home to the world-famous Canyon Ranch SpaClub®, which offers an overwhelming array of signature services and spa treatments. So mind, body and soul will be fabulously refreshed; always.

DESTINATION INSPIRATION Where next? With a choice of over 270 destinations across seven continents, we have the world covered. Plus we have Signature Event Sailings that immerse guests in world-class major events; and Celebrity Exclusives shore excursions to explore like never before.

TANTALISE THE TASTEBUDS What’s on the menu? Up to 13 restaurants serving globally inspired, awarding-winning cuisine; an ice-topped Martini Bar offering vodka and caviar pairings; and a Gastrobar that offers over 40 boutique craft beers – an exquisite culinary adventure is waiting.

WHERE THE GRASS IS GREENER No one does relaxation like us.

Take our exclusive Lawn Club for example.

Over half an acre of real, freshly cut grass for guests to while away the hours – picnic, play croquet or simply unwind with a good book and savour those spectacular sea views. Bliss.

FOR MORE REASONS TO CHOOSE A CELEBRITY CRUISE, VISIT CRUISINGPOWERUK.IE

USEFUL CONTACTS For all our latest news and to sign up to trade comms visit cruisingpower.ie

Reward yourself. Register at celebrityrewards.com

Need more brochures? Email salessupport.uk@rccl.com

Celebrity Cruises Trade Support: call us on 44 (0) 1932 834 379 (option 2) Or email us at tradesupportuk@celebritycruises.com

Dedicated UK-based Reservations free phone number 1800 932 611

VISIT CRUISINGPOWER.IE FOR MORE DETAILS

Cruising Celebrity Cruises

Where every day is different, but always indulgent. Modern luxury lives here.

Our holidays are far from ordinary. They are shaped by our award-winning cuisine, which is perfectly paired with exemplary service, and one of the largest (and rarest) wine collections at sea.

Then there’s our choice of destinations; diversity of shore excursions; and whole new level in luxury accommodation. Our world is extraordinary…

Because we do things differently

www.cruisingpower.ie Call Centre T 1800 932 611 Contact Trade Support: T +44 1932 834 379 Option 2

We don’t believe in doing things by halves. That’s why our ships offer up to 13 deliciously different, globally inspired restaurants – so even if our guests aren’t travelling the world with us, their tastebuds will be.

Account Manager Mandy Burrie Regional Sales Manager, Scotland & Ireland M 00 44 7834329700 E mandyburrie@celebritycruises.com

And you could say that our accommodation is the sweetest at sea – Suite Class, with its extensive range of privileges, luxurious VIP Lounge and unlimited speciality restaurant dining, is everything that a more discerning guest could ever want to feel right at home.

Celebrity Cruises Building Three, The Heights, Brooklands, Weybridge, Surrey, KT13 0NY

With us, ‘me time’ is anytime. And the perfect day begins at our world-famous Canyon Ranch SpaClub® – where guests can choose from 20 Celebrity Signature Treatments, all exclusive to Celebrity Cruises®, to fully revive mind, body and soul.

Speaking of rewards, Celebrity Rewards is another programme we created to inspire and incentivise agents. Through turning bookings into points, they can then exchange their points for prizes. And the more you book, the better the prize.

Better brand knowledge?

But it’s not just our guests we spoil… It’s as easy as CFE. Of course, we love our agents just as much. That’s why we came up with The Celebrity Commitment – a programme designed to increase bookings, give round-the-clock support, help entice more customers and offer exceptional rewards.

And if our agents need to brush up on their knowledge of everything Celebrity Cruises, then they need look no further than our award-winning learning programme, Cruising for Excellence – to boost your selling power, visit cruisingforexcellence.co.uk.

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discover the World’s most extraordinary places in 2017 Our spacious, mid-sized ships accommodate far fewer guests. Everywhere you look you feel a sense of elegance and history... gleaming brass, precious art and antiques, sweeping staircases... all combined with comfortable furnishings and state of the art modern amenities.

Your clients will relax in large, comfortable staterooms, most with ocean views, many with private balconies; They will dine in restaurants that sparkle with chandeliers, crystal and conversation – including the intimate “Pinnacle Grill” the informal Italian Canaletto and the Pan-Asian “Tamarind”~ They may try out a new skill at our Culinary Arts demonstrations and Digital workshops, learn to paint with experts from the Rijksmuseum at Sea, or discover the natural world through an BBC Earth’s Frozen Planet experience.

with Holland America Line Via a new and exciting partnership with BBC Earth and AFAR magazine, guests with Holland America Line will enjoy access to the most immersive destination experiences both before and during their cruise, customized to their own personal taste.

• Nearly one crew member for every two guests • Spacious staterooms, many with private balcony • Fine dining with casual to formal options • Culinary Arts Centre, presented by Food & Wine magazine • Greenhouse Spa and Salon • Enrichment at sea and explorations on land. ~ available on select ships

A L A S K A • A S I A • AU ST R A L I A & N E W Z E A L A N D • CA N A DA & N E W E N G L A N D C A R I B B E A N • E U R O P E • H AWA I I • M E X I C O • PA N A M A C A N A L • PA C I F I C S O U T H A M E R I C A & A N TA R C T I C A • G R A N D V OYA G E S

Cruising Holland America Line

At Holland America Line we are pleased to be working with Travel Centres and aim to ensure you are equipped with as many resources possible to sell our premium brand.

We will continue to offer webinar training, provide you with offers and materials in Euros and we aim to offer further opportunities for agents to visit our ships in an Irish port in 2017.

During 2017 guests can enjoy elegant surroundings and immersive destination experiences onboard mid-sized ships that sail to Alaska, Asia, Australasia, Bermuda, Canada & New England, the Caribbean & Panama Canal as well as South America, Hawaii & Mexico. Closer to home are leisurely Mediterranean and Northern Europe cruises, which offer long days and overnights in key cities such as Venice and Barcelona.

New ms Koningsdam is the very latest evolution of Holland America Line featuring stunning dĂŠcor and innovations in dining and entertainment, alongside classic features and comforts the company has long been associated with. During the winter ms Koningsdam will offer 4-11-night Caribbean cruises, each including a day spent at award-winning private island Half Moon Cay. In spring 2017 the ship will return to Europe, homeporting from Amsterdam and Civitavecchia (Rome).

Holland America Line Travel Agent Resources Polar Online You will now be able to register for Polar Online where you will be able to book and manage your bookings online 24/7. Polar Online is the fastest and easiest way to make a booking. You can check availability, fares and view itineraries.

To register, please go to the Travel Agent HQ Section of the Holland America Line website.

Website:

www.hollandamerica.com Reservations: T +44 843 374 2300 Groups Team: E groups@hollandamerica.co.uk T +44 844 338 8603 Holland America Line Agency Sales: E lucy.harris@hollandamerica.co.uk T +44 2380 656 750

HAL Academy HAL Academy offers an in depth educational programme designed to provide you with all the tools and sales techniques to achieve greater sales success. There are six core courses, and using video and the latest technology, you can work through at your own pace. Go to: http://www/ hollandamerica.com/halacadeny/Main.action

Promotional Materials: For promotional materials such as brochures, posters and DVDs please contact Lucy (contact details above).

Image Library: Holland America Line images are available to download via the Travel Agent HQ section of the hollandamerica.com website.

https://www.hollandamerica.com/ travelAgentHQ/Main.action

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Antarctica | Amazon | Brazil Canada | Iceland | Greenland Norway | Svalbard

Cruising Hurtigruten

About Us: With 123 years of maritime exploration, we are the largest voyage operator in polar regions Arctic and Antarctica. But our journey doesn’t just stop there. Our next destination is to be the world leader in exploration travel. We invite you to come aboard and join our adventure.

Hosts of the stunning Norwegian coast, Hurtigruten operates a daily service to 34 ports along ‘the world’s most beautiful voyage’. Whether under the magnetic Northern Lights in winter or summer’s glorious Midnight Sun, we have become as much part of Norway’s coastal culture as the breathtaking fjords themselves. Beyond Norway, Hurtigruten’s horizons extend from the top of the world with voyages to Svalbard, Iceland, Greenland, and Canada, to the other end of the earth in Patagonia and the pristine white continent of Antarctica.

What’s New: • New ship MS Spitsbergen embarks west across to Iceland, Greenland, and new destination Canada.

• Famous explorer ship MS Fram explores the Amazon River as well as the sunny coast of Brazil.

• MS Midnatsol joins MS Fram in Antarctica, taking in the Chilean fjords and Cape Horn, and equipped with a new Young Explorers Programme plus onboard science lab and optics centre.

• Two more expedition vessels have been announced for completion by 2019 with a further two ships planned.

www.hurtigruten.com Contact Details Bedford House, 69-79 Fulham High Street, London, SW6 3JW.

Reservations: T 01 607 4420 Groups T 00 44 (0)208 8462633

E uk.sales@hurtigruten.com Irish Sales Manager: Danny Giles Agents Site: T 00 44 (0) 7824 505283 E Daniel.giles@hurtigruten.com www.agents.hurtigruten.co.uk Any quote will be valid for the duration of call. Pricing will be available in Euros.

Sales and Marketing: 50/50 advertising opportunities are available. All activity must be agreed and confirmed in advance. Local consumer presentations and webinars are available. Videos covering a range of our products can be downloaded from here: http://vimeo.com/hurtigruten/videos.

USPs:

Staff Incentives:

• Direct departure from Dublin to Tromsø, Norway 25 Feb 2017 for a 6-day itinerary to northern Norway in the Arctic Circle, prime territory and time for the northern lights.

• The smaller size of our ships allows us sail to areas larger cruise lines cannot reach, bringing our guests closer to the landscapes, wildlife, and communities that we explore.

• For Norwegian coastal voyages, ingredients of the food served on board are seasonal, fresh, and locally sourced from the surrounding sea and scenery.

• Hundreds of exciting excursions add special experiences to each voyage, such as our award-winning husky dog sledging, whale watching, and mountain hikes.

• We have a dedicated Irish reservation number.

There are often ad hoc incentives run throughout the year.

Destinations:

Cancellation Policy:

• Antarctica • Amazon River • Brazil

• Canada • Europe • Iceland

• Greenland • Norway • Svalbard

Target Audience: Singles, Couples & Groups of all ages. Adventurers, coach, lakes and mountain and river cruise customers fit our profile perfectly but anyone can travel with Hurtigruten.

Pricing Policy: From prices quoted are per person, based on full occupancy of an inside two-berth cabin, unless otherwise specified.

Hurtigruten operates a flexible pricing system and prices are capacity controlled, correct at the time of booking.

Agent Concessions: We operate concessions on both the Norway & Explorer product, please contact agency sales or visit the agent website for details.

Training/Fam Trips: Our online training site: https://onlinetraveltraining.com/free-courses/providers/ hurtigruten. In store training can be arranged with Danny.

Training Webinars will take place throughout the year.

Familiarization trips will be on an invitation basis.

This we be as per our published booking conditions.

Credit/Payment Terms: As per the 2016 commercial agreement.

Brochure Distribution: Brochures are only produced in GBP and can be ordered via TradeGate.co.uk. PDF versions are available in both GBP and Euros.Sterling and Euros.

General Information: If you have any opportunity to promote Hurtigruten then please don’t hesitate to contact Danny Giles via the details above.

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Cruising Royal Caribbean

At Royal Caribbean we take the ordinary and make it extraordinary. We are the pioneers of many firsts at sea, offering a playground of incredible experiences.

From the beaches of Barcelona to the glaciers of Alaska, our 25 ships cover all corners of the world. Whether we’re wow-ing you with our robot bartenders, dazzling you with a world class ice show or thrilling you with our breath-taking 10-story slide. It’s the unimaginable that sets us apart.

Let the Adventure Begin No matter what kind of holiday your customers are looking for, they’ll find it – and more besides – with Royal Caribbean.

We boast some of the world’s most innovative ships, with fantastic onboard features that can’t be found anywhere else in the world. Our guests can surf the waves without leaving the ship at the fast-paced FlowRider® surf simulator, work up a sweat on the full-sized sports court, or even take a spin on the first ever dodgems at sea!

Seek thrills or chill?

Whether you’re an adrenaline lover, culture vulture, foodie or family with so many onboard activities to choose from, it’s up to you to decide if you want exhilaration or relaxation.

Your guests can surf the waves without leaving the ship at the fast-paced FlowRider® surf simulator, work up a sweat on the full-sized sports court, or if it’s relaxation they want, they can indulge in some luxurious treatments at our blissful onboard spa, or take time out at one of the many pools. For families, our award-winning kids’ and teens’ clubs provide exceptional activities and entertainment for children of all ages, so they can have their perfect holiday too!

The world is waiting From Caribbean coconuts to Santorini sunsets, from walking in ancient footsteps along China’s Great Wall or marveling at Norway’s wondrous fjords. Near or far, visiting over 250 destination worldwide Royal Caribbean can take you there.

We’re the memory-makers, the movers and shakers; we’re your key to a world where the extraordinary is around every corner.

Whichever holiday destination your guests choose, magical moments are waiting to be shared. They can explore their way, as well as get involved in our extensive onshore excursions.

Useful Contacts Trade Reservations: T 1 800 932 607 Jennifer Callister, Head of Ireland T +353 (0)86 822 7010 Michaela Banks, Regional Sales Manager T +353 (0)86 189 5339 Holly Wilkinson, Royal trading support executive T +44 (0)1932 834 379 royalcaribbean.irelandagents Order your brochures at tradegate.co.uk

Turn bookings into fun!

Club Royal, our award-winning loyalty programme gives you at least £5 for every Royal Caribbean booking you make, loaded straight onto a pre-paid MasterCard so you can use it almost anywhere, as well as giving you access to a variety of exclusive benefits, and the chance to attend money-can’t-buy events. If you’re not a member yet, what are you waiting for?

Becoming a Club Royal member couldn’t be easier: • Become a Cruising for Excellence Captain at cruisingforexcellence.com • You’ll receive an email within 48 hours—you need this to become a Club Royal member • Head over to myclubroyal.ie and sign up today to start enjoying the Royal treatment.

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Your clients may discover Seabourn’s extraordinary worlds in 2017 The world’s finest small-ship cruise line

And as always with Seabourn, your clients will enjoy: ●●

Unique itineraries to must-see cities and hidden

●●

gems.

suite bar stocked with your clients preferences.

●●

Intimate ships with no more than 300 suites.

●●

All dining venues complimentary with gourmet dining experiences that rival the finest

●●

Spacious, all-suite accommodations with ocean views - many with verandas.

●●

restaurants anywhere. ●●

Complimentary welcome Champagne and in-

Open bar throughout the ship, and fine wines poured at lunch and dinner.

Intuitive, gracious service provided by a staff passionate about pleasing

●●

Tipping is neither required nor expected, service simply to delight.

your clients.

Africa & Arabia | Alaska | Asia | Australia & New Zealand | Canada & New England | Caribbean | Europe South America & Antarctica | Extended Explorations

Cruising Seabourn

At Seabourn we are pleased to be working with Travel Centres and aim to ensure you are equipped with as many resources possible to sell our six star luxury brand. We will continue to offer webinar training, provide you with offers and materials in Euros and be available to help you grow your business with Seabourn!

During 2017 guests can discover the all-inclusive, all-suite Seabourn Difference with worldwide itineraries to the Mediterranean and Northern Europe, Arabia & India, Asia, Australasia and the Americas - including an immersive and luxurious Antarctica & Patagonia programme. New for 2017 are more exotic China, Japan & Korea itineraries, while Seabourn Sojourn will offer a summer season of immersive Alaska cruises. Seabourn’s partnership with UNESCO continues to offer guests “behind the scenes” access to many of the world’s most precious monuments.

In December 2016 we welcomed the 600-guest Seabourn Encore to the fleet, offering all verandasuites and innovative new concepts in dining and entertainment.

Seabourn Travel Agent Resources Polar Online You will now be able to register for Polar Online where you will be able to book and manage your bookings online 24/7. Polar Online is the fastest and easiest way to make a booking. You can check availability, fares and view itineraries.

To register, please go to the Travel Advisors Section of the Seabourn.co.uk website: http://www.seabourn.co.uk/travel-agentcentre/Main.action

www.seabourn.co.uk Reservations: T +44 843 373 2000 Groups Team: E groups@seabourn.co.uk T +44 844 338 8689 Seabourn Agency Sales: E lucy.harris@seabourn.co.uk T +44 2380 656 750

Seabourn Academy Seabourn Academy offers an in depth educational programme designed to provide you with all the tools and sales techniques to achieve greater sales success. There are six core courses, and using video and the latest technology, you can work through at your own pace.

Go to: http://www.seabournacademy.co.uk/

Promotional Materials For promotional materials such as brochures, posters and DVDs please contact Lucy (contact details above).

Image Library Seabourn images are available to download via the Travel Advisors section of the Seabourn.co.uk website.

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THE SILVERSEA DIFFERENCE Explore the world’s most fascinating destinations, whilst indulging in a luxurious, all-inclusive lifestyle. Experience a blazing Mediterranean sunset, glimpse a spouting whale in Alaska, or explore the gamelands of Africa. Intimate cruising and ultimate luxury has never been more accessible.

For the curious traveller, Silversea Expeditions offer unique, awe-inspiring journeys to some of the world’s most exotic destinations, from the unspoilt Galápagos Islands to the remote frosted wilderness of Antarctica.

SILVERSEA’S ALL-INCLUSIVE LIFESTYLE • • • • • • • •

Intimate ultra-luxury ships for 100 to 596 guests Spacious, ocean-view suites with butler service in every suite Crew-to-guest ratio of nearly one to one Fine gourmet cuisine, open-seating dining and room-service Champagne, wines and spirits served in-suite and throughout the ship In-suite bar stocked with your preferred beverages Onboard gratuities Free WiFi throughout the ship

Due to local regulations, some services and selections are limited or not available on Silver Galapagos. Terms and conditions apply, call for details.

Cruising Silversea

ABOUT US: Silversea offers all-inclusive, ultra-luxury cruises on their fleet of 9 ships. They offer cruises to all 7 continents including expedition cruises to Galápagos Islands, South Pacific, Russian Far East, Arctic and Antarctica. www.silversea.com

Silversea is a family run company, established in 1994 with offices in Monaco, Florida, London, Frankfurt, Singapore and Sydney. Silversea is recognised as a leading luxury cruise line, winning accolades throughout the world.

Partnerships: Silversea Cruises is the only sea partner to Relais & Châteaux, defining their high level of service, luxury accommodation and superb dining. We are in a landmark partnership with the Royal Geographical Society providing guests with information and engaging resources to learn more about their expedition cruises.

Contact Details Silversea Cruises, 3rd Floor The Asticus Building 21 Palmer Street London SW1H 0AD UK Reservations T 01 611 0560

Sales Manager Amanda Middler T 0044 7961 997 561 E amandam@silversea.com Inside Sales Support Sabrina Thayaparan T 0044 20 7340 0740 E sabrinat@silversea.com

Sales Support T 0044 20 7340 0740

What’s new for 2017:

Sales/Marketing:

Silversea’s brand new flagship, Silver Muse, will set sail in April 2017. The new ultra-luxury ship will feature with a maximum capacity of 596 guests, will boast the highest number of large suites in their fleet, the most flexibility in accommodations, and eight dining options.

Silversea pricing is the same through all our booking channels.

We do not allow agents to promote fares at a discounted rate – all marketing produced by agents will be proofed to ensure that this is complied with. This policy is designed to stop rebating from agents and to ensure all agents can trade fairly.

In 2017, Silver Cloud will undergo extensive refurbishment to be one of the most comfortable ice-class expedition ships sailing to Antarctica. She will carry up to 260 guests, but when in polar waters will be limited to 200. There will be 18 new Zodiacs and a team of 19 expedition guides, allowing all guests to go exploring at the same time.

My Silversea:

Unique selling points: Silversea offers all-inclusive cruises with the fares inclusive of beverages in-suite and throughout the ship (including premium brands), open-seated dining, all gratuities and butler service. With their boutique style ships, they are able to call into secluded, lesser-known destinations that larger ships cannot visit offering a range of ports unique to Silversea Cruises throughout the world.

Designed to make travel planning easier, the My Silversea portal enables you to view and manage bookings, customise your guest’s onboard experience, arrange activities prior to your guest’s voyage, and access a host of additional trade friendly features such as marketing tools and our agent rate.

Register at my.silversea.com.

Staff incentives: Silversea Cruises offer tactical incentives throughout the year. Details of these incentive campaigns will be sent to all agents when available. Concessions are available at www.traveltis.co.uk

Cancellation policy:

Silversea Academy:

Cancellation penalties are outlined in our Terms & Conditions published in our voyage atlas.

A new online training course for travel agents, tour operators and homeworkers is coming soon.

Payment terms:

Target audience: Average age group is 50-60; Retired couples, single travellers and professional couples. Adventure travellers would also be suited to the Silversea Expedition voyages.

Pricing policy: Silversea offer ‘Silver Privilege Fares’ guaranteeing the best fares to those who book early, prices may increase but will never be reduced.

Deposits of 25% are payable at the time of booking with final balances due 120 days prior to sailing. For bookings made within 120 days of sailing, full payment will be due at time of booking.

Brochure distribution: Automatic supplies of brochures will be sent on product launches. At all other times, please order brochures through salesuk@silversea.com.

Reservations: Our Ireland reservations number is 01 611 0560 or through our own online booking system. For log in details, please contact Amanda Middler at amandam@silversea.com 77

Cruising Thomson Cruises

New discoveries over every horizon.

Here at Thomson, we understand how precious your time away is. That’s why we combine nearly 50 years of experience with constant feedback to bring you cruises like no other. We’ve added a whole new collection of itineraries to the line-up, meaning we tick off an even wider range of destinations - our customers can experience anything from a day in Italy’s San Remo, to the bustling streets of Istanbul. Back onboard, our crew are renowned for going the extra mile, no surprise then that last year 99% of our customers ranked onboard service as ‘good’ or ‘excellent’ -what’s more, we don’t believe tips & service charges should cost extra, so we include them in the price.

What’s new for 2017?

Introducing TUI Discovery 2 - New for summer 2017. Hot on the heels of the launch of TUI Discovery, we’re excited to introduce TUI Discovery 2, bringing our fleet up to a total of six. These two latest additions are sister ships, which is why they bear such similar names. Having more than one vessel means you can pair their contemporary interiors and impressive facilities with an even wider choice of itineraries. TUI Discovery 2 will embark on its first voyage with us from May 2017, first setting sail from Malaga ticking off highlights like the Portuguese capital of Lisbon, Gaudi’s iconic Barcelona and Vigo. TUI Discovery 2 will also set sail from Tenerife stopping off at destinations like Madeira’s capital city in Funchal, Las Palmas in Gran Canaria and San Sebastian on the island of La Gomera.

Unique Selling Points Close to Home Departures We offer flights direct from Dublin, Cork & Shannon, so our customers don’t have to travel miles before their holiday gets started.

Smaller Ships Our smaller ships have bigger personalities. Our crew go the extra mile to make our guests feel at home and deliver nothing but the very best service. In fact, last summer 99% of them rated it as ‘good’ or ‘excellent’.

Tips & Service Charges Included Our friendly service doesn’t come with a price tag. Unlike most cruise lines, we don’t think tips and service charges should cost extra, so we’ve included them in the price. That means our guests are not expected to tip any of our crew unless, of course, they want to.

www.thomson.co.uk/cruise Trade Relations Manager Leila McCabe E Leila.mccabe@falconholidays.ie T 01 486 2667

All Inclusive Drinks In a Thomson Cruises first, we’re introducing All Inclusive as standard on TUI Discovery and TUI Discovery 2, from summer 2017. But, if our customers have a budget to stick to when it comes to drinks on our other ships, they can also take advantage of our All Inclusive drinks package. Not only does it give peace of mind they won’t overspend, it’s really good value, too.

Destinations Served: Direct from Dublin, Cork and Shannon visit the Eastern and Western Mediterranean. Homeports: Palma, Malaga and Corfu Town. Our itineraries take in destinations including Dubrovnik, Monaco, Santorini, Venice, Seville, Ibiza plus many more! Check our latest brochure for details.

Cancellation Policy Cancellation penalties and procedures are as per our published booking conditions which can be found in our latest brochure.

Credit Terms Unless otherwise stated a deposit will be required per person when a booking is made unless this is within 12 weeks of departure when the full amount for the booking is payable. Within two weeks of booking, we will send a Confirmation Invoice.

Brochures Brochure drops will be made at regular intervals and will be outsourced to a third party. Brochure supplies will be proportionate to previous years’ sales.

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A Perfect Voyage for Every Traveller Uniworld proudly offers more itineraries and choices in Europe than any other river cruise line, with 30 expertly planned all-inclusive European boutique river cruises sailing the continent’s greatest waterways.

All of our cruises include award-winning all-day dining, unlimited beverages, all onboard and shore gratuities, the highest staff to guest ratio in the river cruise industry, fully hosted shore excursions including VIP access and exclusive experiences, all onboard local entertainment, luxuriously appointed riverview staterooms with beds by Savoir of England including a pillow menu and marble clad bathrooms featuring L’Occitane en Provence bath and body products, free Wi-Fi, all arrival and departure day transfers and more!

For more information and our current offers, visit uniworld.com.

You deserve the best BEST SPECIALIST CRUISE COMPANY

We are fully licensed and bonded by the Commission for Aviation Regulation TA 0713

Cruising Uniworld

About Us: Uniworld Boutique River Cruises offer all-inclusive, ultra luxury river cruises on our fleet of 20 ships. We have over 500 departures and 40 itineraries and offer voyages on more than a dozen of the world’s most scenic rivers, including itineraries in over 20 countries in Europe, Russia, Egypt and Asia. Our award winning ships have the highest staff to guest ratio on the rivers and are renowned for their food and beverage standards.

Unique Selling Point We are the only truly all-inclusive river cruise company on sale within Ireland, even including gratuities in the overall price. As the world’s only authentic boutique river cruise line, Uniworld is renowned for its one-of-a-kind ships, stylish décor, thoughtful personal touches, welcoming ambiance, superb cuisine, and gracious service.

Target Audience Our target audience is primarily 45 years plus on our cruises, we have a number of dates that take in multi-generation cruises. We sell mainly to the English speaking world, so you won’t have any other languages repeated on-board.

www.ttc.com www.uniworld.com Contact Details The Travel Corporation, Travel House, 27 Merrion Square, Dublin 2 Reservations Call us free phone T 1800 98 98 98 and select option 2 E reservations@uniworld.ie.

Sales & Marketing office Business Development Brian T 01 775 3804 E brian.hynes@bookttcie.com Sales & Events Egle T 01 775 3803 E egle.g@bookttcie.com

Our all-Inclusive concept includes

Marketing & PR Country Manager Lainey Sharon Jordan Once you are on the ship you do not need to worry T 01 775 3805 M 086 782 3911 about anything. The river cruises are all inclusive E lainey.quinn@bookttcie.com E Sharon.jordan@bookttcie.com and include everything from the gratuities onboard and onshore, all meals onboard, unlimited beverages onboard, carefully crafted daily shore excursions, all scheduled airport transfers, Payment terms entertainment and cultural enrichment programs onboard The deposit of €250 must be paid within the 7 days of as well as the Internet and Wi-Fi access onboard. booking or the reservation will be automatically cancelled.

The full payment must be received at least 45 days prior to the cruise departure.

Sales and marketing TTC provides strong commercial terms and override commission possibilities. We are also delighted to work Brochure distribution with any travel agency on the individual basis for any inBrochure distribution is via RTS. To order any of our house marketing strategy. We offer a full and dedicated brochures please email: egle.g@bookttcie.com sales support team based in Dublin and on the road.

Agent Concessions We offer an ongoing promotions and incentives for all agents. Any personal holiday requests should be emailed to Sharon Jordan at: sharon.jordan@bookttcie.com, and discounts will be offered on an individual basis. We strongly encourage agents to take our holidays and experience them first hand for themselves.

Training & Familiarisation trips Travel centres’ agents will be offered places on all fam trips and training sessions.

Video library: http://uniworld.ie/media-center/videocenter

General Information

TTC agrees to partner with the Travel Centres in respect of its annual conference and supplier workshop.

The company also agrees to maintain a dedicated phone line 1800 98 98 98 for reservations and 01 775 3803 for internal sales and support.

Members are reminded that our negotiated commercial terms are strictly private and confidential and their contents may not be revealed to any third party under any circumstances. Failure to adhere to this confidentiality may result in these enhanced commercial terms being summarily withdrawn without notice. Please make all cheques and payments out to The Travel Corporation Ireland Limited.

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FRANCE 2017 NOBODY DOES IT BETTER.

With more crossings and the most convenient arrival times, nobody offers a better crossing to France than Irish Ferries. We look forward to offering your clients the best value and service in the months to come.

For help and more information: Visit www.irishferries.com click on Agent Online Call 0818 300 400 - Press 8

L345

Or email us: tradesupport@irishferries.com

Ferries Irish Ferries

Agent online bookings

Contact Details

• Book on-line for our lowest online fares – Guaranteed!

• No telephone service fees • Real time information on departures & arrivals – with our 24hr Sailing Update • Easily accessible information on routes, vessels (including cabin types & facilities) and all special offers • All your service questions answered on-line • Latest offers and deals from Irish Ferries Holidays • A hugely simplified booking process • Recall, Change or Cancel a booking online • Order brochures on line

Telephone Republic of Ireland Travel Agents T 0818 300 400

If you are not registered to use Agent Online facility you will first need to logon to www.irishferries.com/ agent-online Irish Ferries Agent Credit Account is required to register.

• Provide us with your full details - Agency Name, Address, Contact Telephone & Agency Manager • Provide us with your existing Irish Ferries Agent Credit Account Number and Trade Reference Number • Provide us with a current e-mail address.

Note that all booking confirmations and correspondence will be sent to this address.

We will verify this e-mail address prior to setting up your Agent Log-In. • Choose a password to enable you and your colleagues to access our system.

You’re nearly there! Once these steps are complete, we will e-mail you your access details and then you can login!

Northern Ireland Travel Agents T 00353 818 300 400 Lines Open: Monday – Friday Saturday

09.00 -19.00 09.00 – 16.00

Note – dial 8 to access our Travel Agents Priority Line 24 Hour Sailing Update: Call 0818 300 400 (Choose Option 5) Email Ferry Bookings Ferry Information Holidays in Britain & France Agent Support Group’s enquiries

bookings@irishferries.com Info@irishferries.com holidays@irishferries.com tradesupport@irishferries.com groups@irishferries.com

Postal Address Dublin Head Office & Customer Support T +353 1 6075700

Irish Ferries P.O. Box 19, Alexandra Road Dublin 1

Dublin Port T +353 1 607 5519

Irish Ferries Terminal Road South Ferryport Dublin 1

Rosslare Port T +353 53 913 3158

Rosslare Harbour County Wexford

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Be st Holidays in ITALY www.bestholidaysinitaly.com

Ground Arrangements Best Holidays In Italy

About Us: Best Holidays in Italy is a team of dedicated travel specialists, who are native of the various regions of Italy and have detailed knowledge of our territories to provide the best recommendations for a truly unforgettable holiday in Italy. From Italy’s great classics such as Rome, Venice, Florence, the Amalfi Coast and the Lakes District, to its best kept secrets, such as the stunning mountains of Abruzzo and Le Marche, the enchanting beaches of Sardinia and Sicily, the rustic ambiance of Puglia, just to name a few, we have them all covered.

What’s New For 2017: Best Holidays in Italy has put together an extensive range of travel services featuring selected accommodation to suit all budgets and unique activities, such as: • Pre and post cruise packages from all Italian ports of call of major cruise companies (MSC, Costa, Royal Caribbean) • Guaranteed-Departure excursions and activities (rickshaw tours, segway tours, citybike tours, street food tours, guided city tours, shopping tours) • Vintage FIAT 500 and Vespa tours • Guaranteed-Departure Escorted Tours • Cherry-picked hotels in all major Italian cities • Extensive selection of villas and self catering properties in Sorrento and Amalfi Coast • Active holidays • Ski holidays • Opera and music breaks • Food & wine experiences from North to South • and much more.

www.bestholidaysinitaly.com General info: info@bestholidaysinitaly.com Sales email: sales@bestholidaysinitaly.com T 01 254 4280 M 087 917 0517 Skype: bestholidaysinitaly Twitter: @be_italy Facebook: www.facebook.com/bestholidaysinitaly We offer holidays to cater for couples, families, over 50s, solo travellers, honeymooners, wedding parties and so much more.

Co-Op Policy: Best Holidays in Italy is happy to assist agents who proactively promote our product range. Campaigns must be agreed in advance and must relate to either online, print or radio media.

Staff Incentives:

All our products are tailored to offer authentic experiences and to provide an insight to how the locals live: cookery classes, truffle hunting, traditional festivals, seasonal activities like the grape harvest, visits to off-the-beaten-track destinations.

In addition to the enhanced commercial terms that Travel Centres members enjoy with Best Holidays in Italy, Best Holidays in Italy will also offer additional individual incentives on a performance basis throughout the year.

Why Book with us?

We offer excellent rates of commission and every part of every holiday sold is commissionable, meaning great value for you, as well as your customers.

• Unique and authentic holiday experiences selected by Italian travel specialists • 100% insured and protected • Team of onsite regional experts • Unrivalled knowledge and unparalleled expertise of the Italian territories • Excellent value for money • Bespoke and flexible holiday solutions for your clients.

100% Commissionable:

Training/Fams: We participate in Travel Centres Webinar programme but can also provide one-to-one and one-to-many training on site with specific agents. Travel Centres’ agents will be offered places on all FAM trips and training sessions.

Destinations Served:

Payment Terms:

the whole of Italy, all regions from North to South.

Payment terms and cancellation penalties and procedures are as per our Booking Conditions (on www.bestholidaysinitaly. com and on our brochure).

Target Audience: All people who love Italian culture, architecture, scenery and especially food & wine; people who are looking for something different, like active & sport holidays; people who like exploring and travelling independently to discover authentic spots.

Brochure Distribution: To order our brochures please email: info@bestholidaysinitaly.com.

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Your PUGLIA travel specialists in Ireland www.discoverypuglia.com

Ground Arrangements Discovery Puglia

ABOUT US: Discovery Puglia is the specialist of holidays in Apulia, the heel of the Italian boot; we provide any ground arrangements for individuals and groups. Our range of services includes accommodation (from budget to luxury, from self-catering to all inclusive), transfers, guided tours, cookery classes, food & wine tastings, bike tours and outdoor activities such as grape harvest, golf and water sports.

What’s New For 2017: • Pre and post cruise packages from all ports of call of major cruise companies (MSC, Costa, Royal Caribbean) • Vintage FIAT 500 and Vespa tours • Guaranteed-departure escorted tours • Guaranteed-departure excursions and activities (rickshaw tours, street food tours, guided city tours, shopping tours) • Extensive villas and self catering properties collection; • Cherry-picked seaside resorts, ideal for families, with flexible stays and within walking distance to cities and villages; • Shared transfer services from Bari and Brindisi airports; • Expanded range of active holidays such as walking tours, self guided bike tours and ebike tours, including guaranteed-departure escorted bike tours; • Selection of cross-regional itineraries to discover Matera, UNESCO World Heritage Site, European Capital of Culture for 2019 and filming location for “The Passion of Christ” by Mel Gibson.

Our extranet allows agents to make bookings directly on our website with their own account. Agents are welcome to register their account by clicking on the “Extranet Login” link in the footer of our homepage.

Why Book with us?

• Unique and authentic holiday experiences selected by the only Apulian travel specialists in Ireland; • 100% insured and protected; • Live like a local; • Unrivalled knowledge and unparalleled expertise of the Apulian territory; • Excellent value for money; • Bespoke and flexible holiday solutions for your clients.

www.discoverypuglia.com General info: info@discoverypuglia.com Reservations email: reservations@discoverypuglia.com Support email: support@discoverypuglia.com T 01 254 4280 M 087 917 0517 Skype: discoverypuglia Twitter: @discoverypuglia Facebook: facebook.com/discovery.puglia

Co-Op Policy: Discovery Puglia is happy to assist agents who proactively promote our product range. Campaigns must be agreed in advance and must relate to either online, print or radio media.

Staff Incentives: In addition to the enhanced commercial terms that Travel Centres members enjoy with Discovery Puglia, Discovery Puglia will also offer additional individual incentives on a performance basis throughout the year.

100% Commissionable: We offer excellent rates of commission and every part of every holiday sold is commissionable, meaning great value for you, as well as your customers.

Training/Fams: We participate in Travel Centres Webinar programme but can also provide one-to-one and one-to-many training on site with specific agents, subject to availability/eligibility.

Travel Centres’ agents will be offered places on all FAM trips and training sessions.

Cancellation Policy:

Puglia or Apulia in the south-east of Italy.

Cancellation penalties and procedures are as per our Booking Conditions (on www.discoverypuglia.com and on our brochure).

Target Audience:

Brochure Distribution:

All people who love Italian scenery, history, culture, architecture and especially food & wine; people who are looking for something different, enjoy cookery holidays, wine and organic produce; also people who like exploring and travel independently to discover authentic spots. Some areas of Puglia are perfect for those into walking holidays, bike tours and wild life. We offer holidays to cater for couples, families, over 55s, solo travellers, honeymooners, wedding parties and so much more.

To order our brochures please email: info@discoverypuglia.com

Destinations Served:

General Information: Discovery Puglia agrees to partner with Travel Centres in respect of its annual conference and supplier workshop.

87

Ground Arrangements Do Something Different

Rail travel allows you to truly experience a place while avoiding baggage allowances, airport security and long waits in departure lounges. Book with Railshop.ie today and enjoy the journey.

t 01 882 8679

| e railshop@atts.ie | w www.railshop.ie

Ground Arrangements RailShop.ie

ABOUT US: RailShop is Ireland’s leading Award winning International Rail provider. An Irish company (a division of ATTS Travel Representation Solutions Ltd). We specialize in the sale of International Rail tickets, Rail Passes and Luxury Trains for travel worldwide.

Why book with RailShop : • The only International Rail Reservations company in Ireland • Amtrak, DB Bahn, Eurostar, SBB, SNCB Europe, SNCF Voyage, Thalys, Trenitalia, Renfe, UK Rail, Heathrow Express, Via Rail and many more Rail Operators.

• Luxury train market – Belmond Orient Express, Rocky Mountaineer, Golden Eagle Luxury Trains • Scenic rail journeys throughout Switzerland, Austria, France and other European countries • Special Group rates • eticketing and TODs (paper tickets for some destinations) • InterRail Global and one Country passes in Europe, Rail passes for the UK, Scandinavia, Japan, China, Australia, the USA and Canada • Competitive prices • InterRail Pass, itinerary planning and reservations all in one • Travel Agents nationwide use our service • Voted best Rail Company ITTN Awards 2015 • Fast turnaround, response same business day for enquiries

Let’s build business together in 2017: We are passionate about International Rail ! Our expert team can take the pain out of finding the best train options for your clients. Time is money, within a month, savvy travel agents can save 10 times more of their time by using RailShop for all their International train journey enquiries. Don’t shy away from selling International Rail, RailShop can partner you to success in 2017.

“Time is money, let RailShop save it for you”

www.railshop.ie Contact : RailShop 93b Lagan Road Dublin Industrial Estate Glasnevin Dublin 11 T 01 882 8680 E railshop@atts.ie W www.railshop.ie

Destinations Covered: Our experienced staff can offer customers point to point rail tickets for extensive destinations in the USA, Canada, Russia, UK and Mainland Europe and a comprehensive range of rail passes.In addition to InterRail Global and one Country passes in Europe we can provide rail passes for the UK, Scandinavia, Japan, Australia and the USA, all at competitive prices. Whether you are booking your clients for business or pleasure RailShop can provide you with the rail product you need. If your tickets cannot be issued as etickets or tickets on departure we will issue and post your tickets to you.

If you have a specific product or journey that you cannot easily book on our website fill in our Journey request form and we will come back to you within one working day or email railshop@atts.ie or call us directly and a member of our Rail Team will be happy to assist you.

Agents Training: • •

Join our Breakfast Club Request a webinar

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AGIAdvert 25072016 V2.indd 3

9/15/2016 1:34:28 PM

Insurance Accident & General

Accident and General would like to thank Travel Centres for a great first year! Your warm welcome and support over the last 12 months is very much appreciated. We are proud of the quality of our travel insurance and the fact that we are trade only. For those who have used us this year, you know of our great service – why not spread the word? www.accidentgeneral.ie

What makes us special?

• No Upper Age Limit • Cancellation cover for relatives pre-existing medical conditions (Platinum Plus) • Claims dealt with in 5 working days • Zero Ombudsman Complaints • Sales support, medical screening and claims all based in Ireland • Trade only – Exclusive coverage not available online • Travel Supplier Failure (Covers the Travel Agents) We fully understand that Travel Centres reputation is of the utmost importance. That is why we offer an inclusive product range that has Gadget, Winter Sports, Hazardous Activities, Golf & Business and of course zero excess all in our core Platinum policy.

Upgrade to our Platinum Plus policy, and you get the same fantastic cover, with higher levels and the added advantage of cancellation and curtailment cover due to a relatives Pre-Existing Medical Condition. Feedback from agents has suggested that this policy actually helps to sell the holiday!

All Travel Insurance is the same – isn’t it?

Quite simply – No. A comparison of benefits tables gives an incomplete picture. The true worth of a travel insurance policy is found within the policy wording and at the time of a claim.

A&G have learned a lot since we started selling travel insurance in 1969 and we believe our extensive coverage provides superior protection. Our customers agree as we have received zero ombudsman complaints in the last number of years.

Why is an inclusive policy important to you?

It means that at point of sale you are confident in the cover you are providing to your client and that the policy you are selling contains the necessary cover they require. It also minimises the amount of questions that need to be asked of the client at point of sale to ensure adequate coverage. This is the hallmark of A&G- making sure your client is covered, with a straightforward sales journey supported by excellent after sales service.

Product Range • Single Trip (3 Levels of cover – Gold, Platinum, Platinum Plus) • Multi Trip (3 levels of cover, as above) • Explorer (Backpacker) (3 levels of cover, Silver, Gold, Platinum) • European Motor Breakdown

Accident & General IB Distillery Court 537 North Circular Road Dublin 1

Telephone: T 01 874 8458 E sales@accidentgeneral.ie

In addition to the core travel products, we can offer:• • • •

event cancellation cruise connection non operation of flight (travel disruption) natural disaster and much more . . .

Did you know?

Accident & General innovate by constantly analysing claims and sales data while recognising the changing needs of Travel Agents and their clients. This helps us to tailor our policies to suit those needs. For example, this year we extended cancellation cover in relation to the Zika virus – at no additional cost. We have also introduced a new Travel Supplier Failure policy which covers the Travel Agent.

Here are some further examples:• Platinum Plus - cancellation cover for relatives preexisting medical conditions • Platinum- Included in the price :• No excess, winter sports, hazardous activities, golf and business all included • Extensive personal property sections – e.g. mobile phones are covered and high single article limits • Family insurance – Children are Free on family policies.

• Excess - No excess on Platinum or Platinum Plus. No increased excess for hazardous pursuits or winter sports.

• And much more…

Technology A&G’s issuing system is straight forward and easy to use. The sale price can be changed and it protects both the agent and their clients by sending a clear medical warranty questionnaire and full policy documentation at the time of sale.

Interested and would like further information?

Simply contact Craig – 01 874 8458 or email cdonnelly@accidentgeneral.ie

93

Travel Disruption & Excess Waiver included on Premier Plus policies!

Travel Insurance COVER DETAILS INCLUDE:

• Cancellation up to €10k • Medical Expenses up to €10m • Personal Money and Documents

• Third Party Supplier Insolvency • Strike Cover • & More

Ireland’s Favourite Travel Insurance

A Volkswagen POLO MAGNIFICO

Visit www.blueinsurance.ie/AgentLogin for Details, Terms & Conditions.

Insurance Blue Insurance

About Us: Blue Insurance Ltd is the industry’s leading supplier of Travel Insurance and also the preferred supplier of Travel Centres. We were once again voted Best Travel Insurance Supplier in 2016 with thanks to the support from all of our agents.

Staff Incentives:

www.blueinsurance.ie

We offer a 25% discount on all Travel Insurance policies.

We will also offer Travel Centres members a discount on our other insurance products including Home and Motor Insurance. A full list of our insurance products can be seen on our website.

Address: Plaza 255, Blanchardstown Corporate Park 2, Blanchardstown, Dublin 15

Key Selling Points: • Always ensure that the policy is issued at the time of the booking or deposit being paid.

• Always advise clients of the terms and conditions relating to health check and ensure you keep a copy of the signed health check form on file for each client.

• Capture clients private health insurance details where possible to ensure a cheaper quote for clients and remove the need to phone health check.

• Offer all clients the option to add all the additional covers.

• Be sure to enter clients full details when booking a policy including mobile number and email so that they will receive their confirmation by text and email. Top Tip: The email record will give you proof the client received full documentation.

Policy Age Limits: • • • •

Single Trip – 86 Years Annual Multi Trip – 75 Years Backpacker – 49 Years Winter Sports – 65 Years

Key Additional Covers: Travel Disruption Summary (Now free on our Premier Plus policy) • If a flight is cancelled or delayed for more than 12 hours it covers additional accommodation and travel costs up to €1,000. (Do not have to be checked in).

• If a flight is cancelled or delayed for more than 12 hours then you can claim back up to €1,000 for irrecoverable unused travel and accommodation costs should you cancel. (Do not have to be checked in) • Claim back up to €1,000 for accommodation if you have to be moved from your current location or cut your trip short because of Flood, earthquake, volcanic eruption etc.

• Covers cancellation or curtailment charges should the Foreign & Commonwealth Office or World Health Organisation advise against all but essential travel to the country or specific area you are travelling to.

• Gives control of the situation and the added security should an airline cancel, delay or redirect a flight after take-off.

Telephone: T 01 247 8900 F 0818 484 485 E info@blueinsurance.ie

Clients Services and Product Manager Jason Whelan E Jason@blueinsurance.ie Admin Support: Brian Geraghty E Brian@blueinsurance.ie Jackie Coughlan E Jackie@blueinsurance.ie

N.B. 1. There is a 7 day moratorium period. The Travel Disruption extension is not valid until 7 days after the additional premium is paid.

2. Cannot claim for anything existing or being publicly announced on the date you purchase the cover or book the trip. (e.g. Strike, Closure of Airports etc.)

Cruise Connection Summary Covers additional onward travel and accommodation expenses in reaching the next available embarkation point of the cruise itinerary if you fail to arrive at the original embarkation point in time due to failure of any scheduled public transport, the failure of your booked cruise ship, strike, industrial action or adverse weather conditions.

N.B. You must allow sufficient time between schedule transports.

Training: Throughout the year if you require any additional training on our products or if you have new members of staff that require training then please contact Jason on 01 247 8900 and he will be happy to arrange training for a time that suits you. Blue Insurance Limited is also happy to provide sales training on how to sell the insurance product and how to maximise your sales.

95

IT Specialists for the Travel Industry

We provide for all your IT needs:    

Sourcing the perfect hardware.

Installing and maintaining your IT Systems.

Setting up and monitoring your IT Security solutions.

Office 365 email and other collaborative solutions for your team.

Technology

Tec support are a leading Irish Managed IT Service provider with over a decade of TecSupport experience working with travel industry clients including transportation companies, travel agents and even an airport !

Our services: Managed IT Our Managed IT service can be tailored to suit any budget and built to cater to your individual needs. Your package could include any of the following :       

A managed helpdesk Onsite and offsite support Monitoring and maintenance checks Data and IT security Cloud Computing Hardware Networking to include wireless solutions

Why choose tec support?       

Microsoft Gold Certified Partners.

Team of Microsoft certified experts.

Dell Preferred Partner.

Working to ISO standards.

Always at the cutting edge of technology.

Best practise in IT Security and software solutions.

Best value hardware options.

IT Security: Back up and Disaster Recovery: Looking after your IT security and having a disaster recovery (DR) or business continuity plan (BCP) in place for your IT network is one of the most important investments you can make for your business. We will guide you through our broad range of online security products and services such as anti-virus, antispam, firewall, encryption and backup solutions to find the fit that works best for your business.

Galway

Carrick-on-Shannon

Hardware:

Innovation House,

Hartley Business Park,

Make tec support your local partner for the supply of all brands of IT related hardware.

Whether you are looking for a large server or piece of network equipment right down to a PC, laptop or printer, simply contact our sales team and we will provide you with a competitive quotation for all.

Ballybrit Business Park,

Carrick-on-Shannon,

Galway,

Co. Leitrim

Phone: 091 477600

Phone: 1800 987900

E: sales@tecupport.com

E : sales@tecsupport.com

Dublin, Unit K18, Drinan Enterprise Centre, Swords Enterprise Park, Feiltrim Road, Swords, Co. Dublin Phone: 01 5545980 E: sales@tecsupport.com

Travelport Smartpoint

We’re

redefining

your selling experience Travelport Smartpoint enables travel agencies to take advantage of new content and technologies to move their business forward.

This clever desktop is packed with rich travel content and smart features that result in immediate productivity gains, reduced costs and improved customer service.

For more information speak with your Travelport Account Manager or email sales.ie@travelport.com

Technology Travelport

Travelport is a leading Travel Commerce Platform providing distribution, technology, payment and other solutions for the global travel and tourism industry. We facilitate travel commerce by connecting the world’s leading travel providers, such as airlines and hotel chains, with online and offline travel agencies. Our proprietary business to business (B2B) Travel Commerce Platform combines state-of-the art technology with industry leading features, functionality and innovative solutions. Since 2012 we have strategically invested of $580m in our Platform to help meet the unmet needs of the travel industry which is continually evolving.

Travelport Smartpoint…

Travelport Smartpoint is our award-winning point of sale solution which is successfully driving higher productivity and increasing profits for our travel agency customers.

This product provides agents with real-time access to Travelport’s unrivalled content, including some of the world’s leading airlines and low cost carriers, today we offer 190+ airlines and over 650,000 hotel properties and 35,00 car rental locations. This has particular relevance to the travel agency community in Ireland, while global airline participation is mandatory, it must also have local relevance. Today Travelport’s Branded Fares & Ancillaries platform has been adopted by all carriers flying directly out of Irish airports (with the exception today of three carriers).

This enables Irish travel agents to compete with airline.com websites directly, offering their clients the best possible service and quality product available in an easy to search and book platform. No other platform today, can offer the same content, so it’s easy to understand why Travelport customers have become more productive and efficient in the Irish marketplace.

Search Control Console is a web based solution which offers the latest innovation in flight search, enabling agents to centrally control and fine tune search relevancy. Enabling the travel agent to control their traveller’s needs and capture business opportunity themselves is critical to a fast moving industry like ours; for example prohibiting extended stopover results, cross town connections and irrelevant content can be just a distraction. Furthermore, SCC enables the agent to promote specific sale fares or removes the need for writing labour intensive code.

A suite of products on offer via Travelport can further enhance the Smartpoint selling experience. Take a look at Queue Control Console, a powerful behind the scenes product which focuses on automation within the travel environment. Removing manual intervention cuts down on margin for error and increases agent productivity across a range of areas. From queue actioning and distribution to an automated ticketing solution; QCC makes life easier and more productive.

ENett is our payments solution system which generates a Virtual Account Number which can be used to make supplier payments, a unique number is generated for every transaction which makes that transaction safe and secure.

Using ENett couldn’t be simpler, it’s a 3 step process and is open to all travel companies regardless of the core platform.

Why would you choose not to eliminate risk, redeem rewards for transactions and provide your accounts team with a much easier reconciliation process?

Trip Quote enables travel consultants to systematically deliver quotations to clients in a fast, effective and consistent manner. The quotation can be branded with agency logos and creates a streamlined approach to delivering that all important first step in sales engagement.

www.travelport.com/ie Travelport Ireland Sales: E sales.ie@travelport.com Sales Team: T 01 602 0444

Dedicated Agents Line: (01) 607 9999 Email: admin@breakaway.ie

Tour Operators Breakaway

About Us: Breakaway is an Irish owned family business, serving Irish Travel Agents since 1968. Breakaway is the Official distributor for Disneyland Paris since 1992 Disneyland Paris 2017 • • • • • • • •

25th anniversary Two parks, Disneyland and Walt Disney Studios Over 50 world class attractions It’s not just for kids! You’re never too old to experience the magic 7 themed hotels Over 50 restaurants in the hotels, the parks and in Disney Village Pre-purchase meal plans Disney Village – shopping, bars and restaurants

Seasons and Events 2017 • Season of Force (Star Wars): 14th January to 26th March • Swing into Spring: March to May 2017 • Extra Long Summer Days: June to September 2017 • Halloween Festival: October 2017

www.breakaway.ie Dedicated travel agents line: T 01 607 9999 E admin@breakaway.ie

Targeting Audience: Families, Teenagers, Couples

Sales/Marketing: Breakaway are happy to work with our agents by supplying sales material, brochures, posters and flyers and assistance with advertising.

Brochure Distribution: Brochures are distributed 3 times during a year.

Stocks of our brochures are held by RTS, please contact us if you wish to order more brochures

Unique Selling Points:

Training:

• Breakaway’s Disneyland Paris Online booking engine • Live availability and easy to view discounts • Dedicated Trade Support • Renowned for our service excellence • White label and API options available for your website

Breakaway can provide online or onsite training for your staff

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affordable luxury

PERSONALISED HOLIDAYS tailor-made for your clients

AWARD-WINNING AFFORDABLE LUXURY HOTEL HOLIDAYS SINCE 1988 Classic Collection Holidays is an award-winning tour operator whose success is based upon its relationship with travel agents, its flexibility and expert staff who tailor-make holidays to include flights from any airport, on any airline, for any duration, to any of our hand-selected 4 and 5 star hotels.

50 travel industry awards 98% of our customers would recommend us and travel with us again 120 dedicated and knowledgeable staff 2400 travel agent partners Flights from Dublin Cork Kerry, Shannon & Knock 100% financial protection Private transfers included Price promise guarantee

SPAIN I BALEARIC & CANARY ISLANDS PORTUGAL I MADEIRA I ITALY I CROATIA MALTA & GOZO I GREECE I TURKEY

Call 01 541 3000

www.classic-collection.ie Classic Collection Holidays, 3-4 Merrion Place, Dublin 2, Ireland

TA0649

Tour Operators Classic Collection Holidays

We’ve been selling tailor-made holidays through the UK travel trade for more than 25 years and have won more than 50 travel industry accolades including Northern Ireland Travel and Tourism Awards, AITO, SPAA, Elite, Advantage, The Travel Network Group and Travel Bulletin Stars, a coveted Travel Weekly Globe, Travel Trade Gazette and prestigious British Travel Awards. We’re proud of these awards. They endorse our brand and our high levels of service. Our award-winning luxury hotel holidays are now available with flights from Dublin, Cork, Shannon , Knock and Kerry.

Our Destinations Balearic Islands, Canary Islands, Costa Del Sol, Costa Blanca, La Manga, The Algarve, Lisbon and Estoril Coast, Porto and Douro Valley, Madeira, Sorrento and Amalfi, Naples Capri and Ischia, Sicily, Lakes Maggiore, Como and Garda, Malta, Gozo, Croatia,Corfu, Rhodes, Crete and Turkey

Our service We’re open until 10pm 7 days a week and even when our phones are busy we usually answer within sixty seconds. Our website www.classic-collection.ie provides comprehensive hotel and resort information and photographs and links to a brochure ordering and booking enquiry service.

Discussing your clients holiday requirements in detail with our experienced call centre staff insures we can provide you with our award winning level of service.

We get very positive comments about our reservations team, overseas staff, and all our support staff. We’re not perfect, but we’re not afraid to apologise and to fix things should they go wrong. We like to be the operator that says YES.

Our holidays All our hotels are hand- picked and contracted directly by us, we don’t use any third party providers. We’ll fly your clients from any airport with any airline for any duration.

We include private transfers, unless car hire offers better value. We’ll guarantee interconnecting rooms when and where necessary, and include complimentary Bubblebums (inflatable booster seats) for youngsters. Single centre, twin centre, multi centres, city breaks…we’re happy to discuss any combination of our featured hotels.

www.classic-collection.ie Classic Collection Holidays 3-4 Merrion Place, Dublin 2, Ireland.

Niall McDonnell t 01 541 3004 e niall.mcdonnell@classic-collection.ie Reservations 01 541 3000 Administration 01 541 3001 Accounts 01 541 3002 Office & press enquiries 01 541 3004 sales@classic-collection.ie

Our affordable luxury and what it means for you.

We offer 100% financially protected, luxurious hotel holidays. We pay full commission on all elements of every booking. Incentives are available with the agreement of your manager/head office. Our price promise guarantees that our holidays are competitively priced. Many Classic Collection Holidays’ guests are repeat bookers and so it’s lucrative for you to nurture them. We’re pleased to work with you on joint promotions, and if you’d like additional copies of our brochures you can order as many as you want directly from us. We are happy to provide staff training at any time that is convenient for you.

Each holiday is individually tailor-made and private airport transfers in resort are automatically included so your clients arrive feeling refreshed and relaxed.

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UNIQUE EXPERIENCES EXCLUSIVE FOR 18-35s

For more information visit: contiki.com/agents

Tour Operators Contiki

About Us: Contiki invented group travel for young people in 1962 and have spent the past 53 years perfecting it. Contiki offers tours that explore amazing destinations with groups of 18-35 year olds from around the world who share a passion for adventure and wish to travel with likeminded travellers. Contiki offers over 270 trips around the world and plenty of departure dates and destinations to choose from.

Unique Selling Point We know that no traveller is the same, which is why we offer eight travel styles to choose from to create a trip that is perfect for you. While creating the tours we strive to discover new things in every nook and cranny of the world. Contiki is well known for solo travelers, which means you do not need to travel as a couple or with friends, meaning you will have a ton of opportunities to make new friends.

Target Audience Contiki is all about exploring the world with likeminded people, which is why we only run trips for 18-35 year olds. As the tours are so diverse you can expect to join a group of travellers from around the world on our trips to Europe, Australia, North America, New Zealand, Asia and Latin America.

Sales and Marketing

www.ttc.com www.contiki.com Contact Details The Travel Corporation, Travel House, 27 Merrion Square, Dublin 2

Sales & Marketing office Business Development Brian T 01 775 3804 E brian.hynes@bookttcie.com

Reservations Call us free phone T 1800 98 98 98 and select option 3 E reservations@contiki.com

Sales & Events Egle T 01 775 3803 E egle.g@bookttcie.com

Country Manager Sharon Jordan M 086 782 3911 E Sharon.jordan@bookttcie.com

Marketing & PR Lainey T 01 775 3805 E lainey.quinn@bookttcie.com

TTC provides strong commercial terms and override commission possibilities. We are also delighted to work with any travel agency on the individual basis for any in-house marketing strategy. We offer a full and dedicated sales support team based in Dublin and on the road.

Agent Concessions We offer an ongoing promotions and incentives for all agents. Any personal holiday requests should be emailed to Sharon Jordan at: sharon.jordan@bookttcie.com, and discounts will be offered on an individual basis. We strongly encourage agents to take our holidays and experience them first hand for themselves.

Training & Familiarisation trips Travel centres’ agents will be offered places on all fam trips and training sessions.

Payment terms The deposit of â‚Ź100 must be paid within the 7 days of booking or the reservation will be automatically cancelled.

The full amount payable must be paid within 45 days of your departure.

Brochure distribution Brochure distribution is via RTS. To order any of our brochures please email: egle.g@bookttcie.com

General Information TTC agrees to partner with the Travel Centres in respect of its annual conference and supplier workshop.

The company also agrees to maintain a dedicated phone line: 1800 98 98 98 for reservations and 01 775 3803 for internal sales and support.

Members are reminded that our negotiated commercial terms are strictly private and confidential and their contents may not be revealed to any third party under any circumstances. Failure to adhere to this confidentiality may result in these enhanced commercial terms being summarily withdrawn without notice. Please make all cheques and payments out to The Travel Corporation Ireland Limited.

Video library: http://www.contiki.com/videos

105

YOUR GUIDE TO THE MOUNTAIN Bursting with ideas, inspiration and expert knowledge to help you plan your next ski trip

WINTER 2016/17

FIND YOUR MOUNTAIN Whether you’re an Après Animal, Powder Hound or Mile Muncher, we’ve got the right resort for you.

RESORTS REVEALED

From the number of lifts to the price of a coffee plus insider tips from our local experts. https://agent.crystalski.ie

https://agent.crystalsummer.ie

Tour Operators Crystal

Crystal are one of Ireland’s leading Tour Operators, providing both Ski and Summer Holidays. During the summer season we have handpicked a range of beach destinations that are intentionally away from the mainstream resorts, alongside your favourite lakes and mountains.

Crystal Ski are an award winning Ski Operator and for us, the mountain is everything. We love it as much as you do. We ďŹ nd the best places to ski and the most exciting mountains to spend time in.

Unique Selling Points: We have a holiday to suit every pocket.

Destinations: Crystal Ski offer holidays to Austria, Andorra, Italy, France, Slovenia, Switzerland, USA and Canada, Crystal Summer offer holidays to Austria, Italy, Switzerland, Germany, Slovenia,

Target Audience: Ski: Singles, Groups, Families, Summer: Walkers, Families, Honeymooners, Couples,

Co-Op Policy: Crystal Holidays will match any price that you or your clients come across from time to time as long as the comparison is on a like-for-like basis.

Co-Op Policy: Contact your local Travel Agent is featured on all our Press Advertising.

Sales/Marketing: In addition to the enhanced commercial terms that Travel Centre members enjoy with Crystal Holidays. Crystal Holidays will also provide an additional 10% discount for Travel Centre agents and partner on our Ski and Summer Products.

Agent Concessions: Voucher promotions run on all products throughout the year.

Training/Fams: We participate in Travel Centres Webinar programme but can also provide one-to-one and one-to-many training on site with specific agents, subject to availability/eligibility.

Crystal Holidays may operate small escorted fam tours from time to time and invitations to participate will be based on agent sales for the current season.

Address: 18-19 Duke Street, Dublin 2

Operations: T 01 433 1039

Dedicated Reservations Line: T 01 433 1028

Website: https://agent.crystalski.ie https://agent.crystalsummer.ie

Cancellation Policy: Cancellation penalties and procedures are as per our published booking conditions.

Credit Terms: Unless otherwise stated, all outstanding balances must be paid in full and cleared, at least ten weeks prior to departure. Crystal Holidays reserves the right to cancel any bookings for whom a balance remains outstanding beyond the recommended time deadline.

Brochure Distribution: Brochure drops will be made at regular intervals and will be outsourced to a third party. Brochure supplies will be proportionate to previous years’ sales.

General Information: Crystal Holidays agrees to partner with Travel Centres in respect of its annual conference and supplier workshop.

The company also agrees to maintain a dedicated telephone line 01 433 1028 for reservations in order to streamline the services levels provided, particularly during the busiest booking periods.

Full details of our commercial terms with Travel Centres are contained within a separate document that can be accessed through Travel Centres agent intranet, the link to which can be found on the Travel Bug web site. Members are reminded that these negotiated commercial terms are strictly private and confidential and their contents may not be revealed to any third party under any circumstances.

Failure to adhere to this confidentiality may result in these enhanced commercial terms being summarily withdrawn without notice.

107

TourOperators Operators Tour Eurocamp

It’s the start of a different kind of holiday…

At Eurocamp, we want to set your customers free from the daily grind and discover a different kind of holiday. We’ve spent over 40 years helping families and couples find their ideal active, cultural or relaxing holiday – this all begins with our choice of locations…

Location, location, location Your customers can choose from over 160 specially selected parcs across Europe. You’ll find our parcs directly on the beach, at the foot of the mountains or close to capital cities –from the Costa Brava, French Riviera and the Italian Lakes, to Holland, Germany and Croatia.

Parc life We offer a wide range of locations – from traditional campsites to large holiday villages or resorts – which we call our parcs. Lots of parcs are packed with a variety of topnotch facilities including huge pool complexes, free kids’ clubs, sporting activities and even spas!

www.eurocamp.ie Address: Eurocamp, 78-80 South Mall, Cork

Accounts: T 021 425 2310

Camping, reinvented

Reservations: T 021 425 2300

Agent Website: W www.eurocamp4agents.ie

We offer a range of accommodation you won’t find anywhere else, including Holiday Homes, Lodges, Classic and Safari Tents, as well as Tree Houses and Lake Houses. All customers will have their own outdoor space or decking and enjoy the feeling of stepping out onto grass, not concrete.

Flexible travel and timings We want customers to enjoy their holiday, their way. That’s why we we’re happy for them to arrive any day of the week, stay as little or as long as they like, and even stay at more than one parc. We can help with the getaway, too and will organise flights, ferry crossings and car hire to any of our parcs.

Designed for every stage of life • Preschool families – Guide your younger families towards our Little Eurocampers Paradise Parcs. These 20 special parcs have been designed for families with little ones; offering free baby and toddler clubs, safe accommodation and lots of toddler-friendly extras like safety gates and toilet steps.

• Families with school & teenage kids – Let them know about our parcs that are great for Full on Fun or Explore and Adventure. Each is packed with activities and nearby locations that offer customers the chance to experience one or both of those kinds of holidays. Think vibrant resorts and beaches on the doorstep, or new water sports and stunning natural spots.

• Adults –Show adults of all ages the top cultural locations we offer – we like to call these our Authentic Europe experiences. Here, they’ll find lots of local culture, wonderful flavours and chances to discover famous or even undiscovered sights.

• Not forgetting Rover – Dogs aren’t just pets, they’re part of the family too. That’s why four-legged friends are welcome on all of our parcs from as little as €4.50 per night.

Savings just for you Sound like your kind of thing? You can save up to 20% on your holiday with our special concessions for travel agents.

Call us on (021) 425 2300 to find out more.

Eurocamp training We’re happy to come in and arrange in-house training for you and your team. Just give us a call: (021) 425 2300

Need more brochures?

We’ll drop brochures off with you regularly, but if you need anymore, call: (021) 425 2300

Tickets Travel Agents can now download your customers tickets from your website www.eurocamp4agents.ie 4 weeks prior to your customers departure.

What to do if there’s a cancellation You’ll find our cancellation policy in our booking conditions, listed in our brochure and on our website: www.eurocamp.ie/information/booking-terms-conditions

119 109

GTI

The Group Travel Specialists

WORLDWIDE ESCORTED HOLIDAYS SOLD EXCLUSIVELY TO THE IRISH MARKET SMALL FRIENDLY GROUPS

BATTLEFIELD

CULTURAL

CYCLING

AGRICULTURAL

ǁǁǁ͘ŐƟͲŝƌĞůĂŶĚ͘ĐŽŵ

01 843 4734

ŝŶĨŽΛŐƟͲŝƌĞůĂŶĚ͘ĐŽŵ

Tour Operators GTI

GTI are an Irish owned and operated travel company, established in 2003, providing diverse and interesting escorted itineraries to unique destinations across the globe. From cultural holidays to top European destinations including Portugal, Austria, Greece and Slovenia to long haul adventures visiting Vietnam, Myanmar & Nepal, GTI has a wide range of holidays to suit all budgets & requirements.

What we do GTI specialise in escorted holidays, selling exclusively to the Irish Market. We provide high quality itineraries to unique destinations across the globe.

www.gti-ireland.com Contact Details Park House, Donabate, Co. Dublin.

T 01 843 4734 f 01 843 4736 E info@gti-ireland.com

Our specialist staff are experienced, passionate and the best in their field. The professional sales and operations staff at GTI delight in working with you to ensure clients needs are provided for.

Commission For Agents

Our diverse categories include Cultural Holidays in Europe and Worldwide, Historical & Battlefield Tours, Agricultural Tours, Sports Tours, Activity Tours and Special Interest Holidays.

GTI are delighted to offer our fellow Travel Centres members a special commission rate of 10% of the base price per package sold (less taxes and charges) on all of our incredible tours for the first five bookings made, with a special rate of 11% per package thereafter.

Some holidays we are operating this year include: WW1: Flanders & the Somme, Cycling in Riccione, Six Nations Rugby, Riches of Vietnam & Cambodia, Pearls of Puglia, Basque, Bilbao & La Rioja and The Culture of Crete.

Why book with us?

• • • • • • • •

Irish owned & operated Selling exclusively to the Irish Market Fully licensed & bonded (T.A.0533) Small, friendly groups Professional & innovative team We provide window flyers, tour information and other promotional material Fully inclusive prices

How to book • An initial non-refundable / non-transferable deposit is required to confirm (as per tour details) payable by cheque / bank draft or over the phone with a debit or credit card • Passenger names must be provided as per passport at time of booking • Balance payments are due 10 weeks prior to departure on receipt of invoice (note there is a fee of 2% on balance payments made with credit card) • Our cancellation penalties are outlined in our terms and conditions, which can be found online and on our official booking forms • Please see our website for full terms & conditions

What’s included in our holidays?

Sales & Marketing

• • • • • •

GTI work closely with a number of media outlets to advertise and promote the growth of our brand. We promote our tours online on both our website and social media pages.

We also advertise through national publications including The Irish Times, The Sunday Times and The Farmers Journal.

Return flights from Dublin including taxes All internal flights Executive coach transfers Professional guides Hotel accommodation A selection of great guided tours & excursions

Target Audience GTI cater for clients across the board, with small friendly groups suitable for couples, friends, family and solo travellers alike. While our average age group would vary depending on the tour type, it is generally mid-forties upwards.

Keeping in touch We provide window flyers and other promotional material on request so just ask! For weekly updates on new holidays and special promotions you can sign up to our dedicated Travel Centre Agents newsletter. Just let us know you would like to be added to our list. We can also connect with us on Twitter and Facebook. We also participate in webinar sessions and attend the annual Travel Centres Conference.

111

MAGIC MAGIC isn’t imaginary isn’t imaginary

It’s just very well planned It’s just very well planned

VACATIONS REIMAGINED AUTHENTIC DISCOVERIES . SIGNATURE HOTELS . REGIONAL FLAVOURS

INSIGHT VACATIONS INSIGHTVACATIONS.COM

Tour Operators Insight Vacations

About Us: Insight Vacations are a leading luxury escorted tour operator and experts in touring Europe and the Eastern Mediterranean and offer the same legendary high standards and perfectly planned touring itineraries to guests travelling to USA, Canada, South America, India and Nepal. Insight Vacations include signature experiences and dining on all their luxury escorted tours.

Unique Selling Point Insight offers vacations to 43 countries in Europe, more than any other tour operator and there are also tours to the USA, Canada, Hawaii, Peru and the Indian sub-continent. Our luxury escorted tours include coaches with business class legroom, signature experiences and priority access, local guides, legendary routes as well as smaller group sizes.

www.ttc.com www.insightvacations.com

Target Audience

Reservations Call us free phone T 1800 98 98 98 and select option 1 E reservations@insightvacations.ie

Sales & Events Egle T 01 775 3803 E egle.g@bookttcie.com

Country Manager Sharon Jordan M 086 782 3911 E Sharon.jordan@bookttcie.com

Marketing & PR Lainey T 01 775 3805 E lainey.quinn@bookttcie.com

Insights luxury escorted tours include certain meals excursions and entrance fees (as detailed in itineraries), all scheduled airport transfers, and Wi-Fi access is available in the majority of Insight hotels and is available on touring coaches.

Our all-Inclusive concept includes Insights luxury escorted tours include certain meals excursions and entrance fees (as detailed in itineraries), all scheduled airport transfers, and Wi-Fi access is available in the majority of Insight hotels and is available on touring coaches.

Contact Details The Travel Corporation, Travel House, 27 Merrion Square, Dublin 2

Sales and Marketing TTC provides strong commercial terms and override commission possibilities. We are also delighted to work with any travel agency on the individual basis for any inhouse marketing strategy. We offer a full and dedicated sales support team based in Dublin and on the road.

Agent Concessions We offer an ongoing promotions and incentives for all agents. Any personal holiday requests should be emailed to Sharon Jordan at: sharon.jordan@bookttcie.com, and discounts will be offered on an individual basis. We strongly encourage agents to take our holidays and experience them first hand for themselves.

Training & Familiarisation trips Travel centres’ agents will be offered places on all fam trips and training sessions.

Sales & Marketing office Business Development Brian T 01 775 3804 E brian.hynes@bookttcie.com

Brochure distribution Brochure distribution is via RTS. To order any of our brochures please email: egle.g@bookttcie.com

General Information TTC agrees to partner with the Travel Centres in respect of its annual conference and supplier workshop.

The company also agrees to maintain a dedicated phone line 1800 98 98 98 for reservations and 01 775 3803 for internal sales and support.

Members are reminded that our negotiated commercial terms are strictly private and confidential and their contents may not be revealed to any third party under any circumstances. Failure to adhere to this confidentiality may result in these enhanced commercial terms being summarily withdrawn without notice. Please make all cheques and payments out to The Travel Corporation Ireland Limited.

Payment terms Deposit of â‚Ź100 must be paid within 7 days of booking.

The final payment must be made 45 days prior to departure.

Video library: https://www.insightvacations.com/eu/ community/video-gallery

113

EXPERTLY CRAFTED DESTINATIONS

European & Worldwide

Escorted tours & River Cruising 2016

R

iviera Travel endeavours to exceed the expectations of travellers with our fascinating and innovative European and Worldwide fully escorted tours. We also offer a wide variety of Luxury European River Cruises, all led by our outstanding tour directors.

We are passionate about creating an experience that delivers on all counts for our clients in terms of quality, value, experience and service. This may seem obvious, but we genuinely think we do this better than anyone else in our market and we back this up with the testimonials of our clients. We have holidays which vary in price according to destination, from €399 with an average spend of over €900 per person.

Repeat bookers are now in excess of 30% each year and still growing which is a clear endorsement from our clients that the quality and value we offer is working. Also working with our quality media partners should also reassure you, as effectively they endorse what we do on a daily basis.

• The UK’s largest Overseas Escorted Tour Operator Carrying over 110,000 passengers a year • Escorted Tours by air from only €399pp with Dublin/Belfast departures • Luxury River Cruises starting from only €1,559pp for eight days, including flights • Fully Bonded • Price Promise – No Surcharge Guarantee • Award winning service • Carefully designed itineraries • Excellent tour managers

• Typically four-star standard • Exceptional Value for Money • Much more included – no selling of additional excursions on holiday • A real passion for places and people • Very low complaint ratio • We listen to our customers feedback and adapt • Unbiased advice • High commission levels • No discounting

For reservations contact our Dublin Office on 01-9056300 E-mail enquieries: help@rivieratravel.ie Tel: 01 905 6300 Fax: 01 905 6301 www.rivieratravel.ie

Tour Operators Riviera Travel

We offer our trade partners: • Competitive commission levels • No direct discounting • Dedicated agency support • Bulk brochure distribution • Agents online booking facility • Online training module Cancellation policy In accordance with our booking conditions the following cancellation charges apply based on the period before departure when cancellation notice is received more than 56 days - deposit only; 56 - 31 days - 50%; 30 - 15 days - 95%; 14 days or less - 100%. Please note for European cruises, the cancellation charges are as follows: more than 56 days - deposit only; 56 - 31 days - 80%; 30 - 15 days - 95%; 14 days or less – 100% (charges shown as a % of the holiday price).

Cancellation of certain transport arrangements, typically flight upgrades, connecting flights and train tickets can result in up to 100% cancellation charges regardless of the notice of period given to us.

Brochure Distribution Both River Cruise and Escorted tours brochures are distributed regularly during the year by RTS. Extra brochures can be ordered at travelagents@rivieratravel.ie RIVIE EL

THE FINEST E U ROPE A N & WOR L DW I DE E SCORT E D T OURS 2 0 16 / 17

The Escorted tours Brochure contains 35 handpicked tours covering 22 countries across the continents of Africa, America, Asia and Europe.

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Riviera Travel Chase House City Junction Business Park Malahide Road Northern Cross, Dublin, D17 AK63 Holidays organised by and subject to the booking conditions of Riviera Travel, Chase House, City Junction Business Park, Malahide Road, Northern Cross, Dublin D17 AK63. Fully licensed and bonded

by CAR (T.O. 257). Per person prices based on two sharing a twin cabin. Single cabins available at a supplement. Additional entrance costs may apply. Images used in conjunction with Riviera Travel.

Licensed and Bonded No: TO 101

Ireland’s

AWARD WINNING Holiday Company Voted Best Sun Holiday Tour Operator • Best Specialist Tour Operator • Best Long Haul Tour Operator • Best Agent Friendly Company

Summer Sun

fr.

€399pp*

Winter Sun

fr.

USA & Canada

fr.

€595pp*

Escorted & Adventure Tours

fr.

€1519pp*

€175pp*

fr.

Fly/Cruise

fr.

€579pp*

Club Med & Beach Clubs

fr.

€960pp*

City Breaks

Flexible Holidays

fr.

€369pp*

Lapland

fr.

€199pp*

€899pp*

Worldwide

fr.

€755pp*

River Cruising

fr.

€1615pp*

Christmas Markets

fr.

€219pp*

Prices are per person based on twin share. Summer & Winter sun holidays include flights, 7 nights’ accommodation, taxes, transfers, 20kg bag and services of a Sunway Rep. Lapland price is based on 1 night including flights, transfers, accommodation, 20kg bag & local representative. Flights are included in Cruise, USA, Worldwide, River Cruise, Escorted / Adventure tours & Club Med/ Beach clubs. Flexible holidays, City Breaks & Christmas Markets include return flights and hotel only. Inclusions vary depending on product – call our sales team for full details. Subject to availability.

Contact your local Travel Agent | www.sunway.ie | 01 2311800

Tour Operators Sunway

About us: Sunway Holidays is Ireland’s largest Irish owned tour operator with over 70 destinations worldwide including: Summer and Winter Sun, Worldwide, USA & Canada, Cruise, River Cruise, Sunsail, Neilson, Mark Warner Beach Clubs, Club Med, Escorted Tours, Adventure Touring Holidays, Weddings & Honeymoons, Turkey, Lapland, Flexible Holidays, City breaks and Christmas Markets. www.sunway.ie What’s New For 2017:

Co-Op Policy:

Sunway are now selling Flexible Duration Holidays to your favourite Wintersun destinations, so if your clients are looking for 3,5,10 nights etc. to Gran Canaria, Lanzarote, Tenerife, Fuerteventura, Portugal and the Costa del Sol, call Sunway now!. We are also offering short breaks to some of Europe’s most popular Christmas Markets, such as Vienna, Prague & Budapest. Sunway are 51 years in business and we aim to provide good value quality holidays at the best price. We are a fully bonded travel company under license no. 101. We offer an extensive range of USA based holidays including Fly Drives, Escorted Tours, Adventure seeking trips and family favourites to Orlando. Along with our very competitive portfolio in our Worldwide tailor made program, Sunway are excelling in the Cruise market. Our award winning reservations team are specialists in selling the world’s leading cruise lines and with our new cruise section of our website allowing agents to view cruise itineraries in the Mediterranean and Europe, Caribbean and Mexican Riviera, Alaska, Canada and New England, Transatlantic, Dubai, Abu Dhabi and the Arabian Gulf, Sunway have a cruise to suit everyone . New to Club Med’s expanding program of Luxury Villas and Chalets is The Finolhu Villas in the Maldives. Opened at the end of 2015 this eco all-inclusive resort for couples only, provides the perfect balance between modern luxury and the natural charm.

Sunway will be happy to assist agents in joint promotions for advertising or shop sales. This must be agreed with agency sales in advance and is on a case by case basis.

Unique Selling Points:

We offer an Agency Staff Concession Scheme yearly. This is based on a required amount of passengers booked beginning with €100 off per booking based on 50 plus heads up to a maximum of €1500 off for 750 plus passengers. We have a separate scheme for Summer, Winter and Turkey bookings. These cannot be taken in conjunction with any special offers. Agency specials are excluded in high periods (i.e. Christmas, Easter, mid-terms etc.) and bank holidays. Please contact agency sales for full details.

We are an Irish owned and operated business unlike many other operators. We have 51 years of travel experience, we have survived many booms and busts, ash clouds, strikes and political situations. We create jobs with 60 people in Ireland and a further 50 staff overseas. We are renowned for our outstanding representative service in our European resorts, we understand what Irish holidaymakers want and deliver it all the time, as our loyal customers show through testimonials and their repeat bookings year after year with Sunway.

Award Winning: Sunway are a multi award winning holiday company, winning top travel industry awards throughout the year.

Destination: Lake Garda, Menorca, Morocco, Turkey, Bulgaria, Sicily, Sorrento, Lisbon Coast, Algarve, Madeira, Fuerteventura, Lanzarote, Gran Canaria, Costa Del Sol, Majorca,Lapland, South Africa, Kenya, Tanzania, Zanzibar, Mauritius, Maldives, Sri Lanka, India, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Jordan, Israel, Russia, Scandinavia, Vietnam, Malaysia, Borneo, Thailand, Bali, Hong Kong, Singapore, Barbados, St. Lucia, Jamaica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Mexico, Australia, New Zealand, USA, Canada, Antarctica, China, Japan, Nepal, Australia, South America, River Cruises in Europe, Vietnam, Myanmar and Africa. New for 2017, Christmas Markets in Prague, Budapest and Vienna and City Break destinations such as Rome, Malaga, Prague, Budapest and Vienna.

Target Audience: As we have a broad range of products as our target audience varies. We offer holidays to cater for couples, families, singles, over 55s, groups, honeymooners, wedding parties and so much more.

Pricing Policy: We have made our best efforts to provide you with competitive pricing across all products. We will price match on all like for like products.

Sales/Marketing:

SUNWAY Head office: Sunway Travel Limited, Marina House, Clarence Street, Dun Laoghaire, Co. Dublin E info@sunway.ie European Reservations: (01) 2311 800 Longhaul: (01) 2311 856 Accounts: (01) 2311 804 Ticketing Longhaul: (01) 2311 810 Ticketing European: (01) 2311 839 Agency Sales: e agencysales@sunway.ie t 086 236 8583 / 01 231 1839

Sunway will support agents with promotional materials as requested.

We are very keen to support agents in every way we can so we can work together to build sales.

Agent Concessions:

Training/Fams: Sunway offer a variety of educational trips across all products throughout the year. These are offered on a performance basis. We also offering training on any of our products, and as well as participating in the Travel Centres webinar program, we also run our own webinars. We will be happy to arrange agency or one to-one trainings or webinars at any time.

Cancellation Policy: Please refer to the Booking Conditions on the back pages of each of our brochures for a full listing of our cancellation penalties and procedures.

Credit Terms: All agents must be signed up on Direct Debit.

Brochure Distribution: Brochure drops will be made at regular intervals and will be outsourced to a third party. Brochure supplies will be proportionate to previous years’ sales. To order an additional supply of brochures please email brochures@sunway.ie 117

A one stop shop for Domestic, Cross border, British, European and Worldwide packages We offer a range of transport options including Ferry, Flights, Rail, Eurostar and Mini Cruise Breaks Theatre Breaks in London, Dublin, Edinburgh, New York and more, Attractions including LEGOLAND, Harry Potter, Alton Towers, Disneyland Paris

Hotels

Theatre

Call (01) 695 0000

Attractions

Open 8 am – 10 pm, 7 days a week

Events

Rail

Flights

Ferry Breaks

www.superbreak.ie

Tour Operators SuperBreak

About Us: SuperBreak is a specialist short break operator offering a ‘onestop-shop’ solution for domestic, cross-border, British, European and worldwide breaks that can be packaged to include flights, ferry crossings, rail, self-drive and a host of key attractions. SuperBreak has been a short break specialist in Britain for over 30 years with a wealth of knowledge, experience and passion powering everything we do. We are an award winning company including Best Short Breaks Operator at the Northern Ireland Travel Awards and Globe Awards 2016.

Unique Selling Point: Your one stop shop. Over 30 years’ experience selling Short Breaks. We support the trade. We do not compete against travel agents in the b2c environment

What we do: • A wide range of accommodation ranging from 2 – 5* Hotels worldwide • Flights, Ferry, Rail and Self Drive • Theatre Breaks in London, Dublin, Edinburgh, New York and more, • Attractions including LEGOLAND, Harry Potter, Alton Towers, Disneyland Paris • Concert & Event Breaks including Edinburgh Tattoo • Sporting Events including Wimbledon, British Grand Prix, Grand National and more • Golf & Spa Breaks • Christmas & New Year Breaks

Target Audience: All markets suited.

Why Book with SuperBreak?

• A one stop shop for Domestic, Cross border, British, European and Worldwide packages • We offer a range of transport options including Ferry, Flights, Rail, Eurostar and Mini Cruise Breaks • A dedicated Short Break brochure • Online bookable web site www.superbreak.ie/agent • Local Telephone number to our contact centre open 8am – 10 pm, 7 days a week • Fully CAR licensed and bonded • Dedicated Business Development Manager • No credit card or booking fees • Over 50,000 customer reviews • 97% independent Feefo customer rating

How to book: Making a booking with us couldn’t be easier with our online bookable website www.superbreak.ie/agent. Or alternatively via our Contact Centre with local number (01) 695 0000.

Website: www.superbreak.ie Agent Site: www.superbreak.ie/agent Reservations : t (01) 695 0000 Open 8 am – 10 pm, 7 days a week Address: SuperBreak, Eboracum Way, York, Y031 7RE, UK. Ireland Sales Manager: Wendy Cameron t 00 44 (0) 7932 617645 e wendy.cameron@superbreak.com Facebook: Superbreak for travel agents - Ireland

Groups: For groups of 5 rooms or 10+ adults call 01904 420 454

Staff Incentives: We will run ad hoc incentives throughout the year.

Agent Concessions: 10% discount available on all our products and applied to all bookings.

Brochure Distribution: Automatic supplies of brochures will be sent on product launches with regular top ops. For additional supplies please email sales@superbreak.com

Sales/Marketing: In store Training can be arranged with Wendy. Flyers and posters can be printed from the agent web site, for further POS, offers etc., please contact Wendy. We send out weekly emails advising agents of our best offers. For weekly offers, updates and special promotions, agents can connect with us on Facebook, search for SuperBreak for Travel Agents - Ireland.

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Offering Offering10% 10%commission commissionon ontotal total Offering 10% commission on total price, price,including includingtaxes taxes price, including taxes BALKAN BALKANSKI SKI BALKAN SKI   Ireland’s Ireland’s only only tour tour operator operator offering offering skiing skiing holidays holidays to Bulgaria Bulgaria  to Ireland’s only tour operator offering skiing holidays

toDirect Bulgaria   Direct flights flights from from Dublin Dublin  Direct flights from Dublin   Over Over thirty thirty years years ofof experience experience

Over thirty years ofthe experience  We We can can offer offer you you the best best holiday holiday experience experience atat the the most affordable affordable prices prices  most We can offer you the best holiday experience at the

most affordable prices   Hotels Hotels featured featured have have been been inspected inspected byby a senior a senior member member of our our team team && offer offer great great value value && a full a full range range ofof facilities. facilities.  of Hotels featured have been inspected by a senior member of our Full team &Pack offer value &&a& full range of facilities.   Include Include Full SkiSki Pack &great & SkiSki Lessons Lessons Half Half Board Board basis basis  Include Full Ski Pack & Ski Lessons & Half Board basis

BALKAN BALKANSUN SUN BALKAN SUN   Sunny Sunny Beach Beach Resort Resort - popular - popular with with Irish Irish holidaymakers holidaymakers  Sunny Beach Resort - popular with Irish holidaymakers   Direct Direct flights flights from from Dublin Dublin with with Aer Aer Lingus Lingus  Direct flights from Dublin with Aer Lingus  A A choice choice ofof personally personally inspected inspected hotel hotel && self-catering self-catering toto suit suit allall tastes tastes and and budgets budgets  options Aoptions choice of personally inspected hotel & self-catering

options to suit all tastes and budgets   Best Best value value holiday holiday location location inin Europe Europe  Best value holiday location in Europe   Services Services ofof a Travel a Travel Solutions Solutions Sunny Sunny Beach Beach based based Rep. Rep.  Services of a Travel Solutions Sunny Beach based Rep.

JERSEY JERSEY JERSEY   Fantastic Fantastic deals deals from from short short break break options options toto 7 night 7 night  holidays Fantastic deals from short break options to 7 night holidays

holidays

  Ideal Ideal forfor adults adults oror a family a family holiday holiday - safe - safe clean clean beaches, beaches,  country Ideal for adults or a family holiday safe clean beaches, country walks walks && attractions attractions that that will will appeal appeal toto allall ages ages

country walks & attractions that will appeal to all ages

Jersey Battle Battle ofof Flowers Flowers && Tennerfest Tennerfest festival festival featured featured   Jersey  Jersey Battle of Flowers & Tennerfest festival featured   Direct Direct flights flights toto Jersey Jersey from from Dublin Dublin between between April April  and Direct flights to Jersey from Dublin between April and October October 2017 2017 and October 2017

Contact Contactour oursales salesrep repDon DonClarke Clarkeon on048 0489073 90736522 6522orordon@travel-solutions.co.uk don@travel-solutions.co.uk Contact our sales rep Don Clarke on 048 9073 6522 or don@travel-solutions.co.uk

To Tobook booktel: tel:048 0489045 90455030 5030 www.travelsolutions.ie www.travelsolutions.ie To book tel: 048 9045 5030 www.travelsolutions.ie

Tour Operators Travel Solutions

2017 is an important year for Travel Solutions as we celebrate twenty one years in business, we are proud that during this period we have introduced many new holiday ideas to the market. Travel Solutions – Balkan Ski your only tour operator to operate from Dublin and Belfast to the top ski resorts in Bulgaria during the winter months and NEW for 2017 Balkan Sun will offer Sunny Beach direct from Dublin.

Unique Selling Points:

www.travelsolutions.ie

• 10% commission on every part of every holiday.

• Balkan Ski is the only tour operator to operate from Dublin and Belfast to Bulgaria.

• We make winter ski holidays more affordable!

3 Hillsborough Business Park 2a Hillsborough Gardens Belfast, BT6 9DT.

Destinations: • Balkan Ski - the ski division of Travel Solutions - is Ireland’s only tour operator offering skiing holidays to Bulgaria from Dublin and Belfast • Balkan Sun – the sun division of Travel Solutions offering sun holidays to Sunny Beach • Travel Solutions offer holidays to Jersey, UK, Europe and UEA

Target Audience: Balkan Ski – Singles, Groups, Families, Couples Balkan Sun – Singles, Families, Couples Travel Solutions - Singles, Groups, Families, Couples

Travel Solutions Policy: Contact your local Travel Agent is featured on all our printed material

10% Commission: We offer excellent rates of commission, and every part of every holiday sold is commissionable – meaning great value for you as well as your customers.

Sales/Marketing: In addition to the commercial terms that Travel Centre members enjoy with Travel Solutions, we are also happy to work with travel agencies on an individual basis for marketing and promotional support. Call 048 9073 6518 for further assistance.

Agents Concessions: Agent promotions run on all products throughout the year.

Training & Support: We participate in Travel Centres Webinar programme but can also provide individual training, onsite training, agent support or marketing materials. Travel Solutions may operate escorted educational visits from time to time and invitations will be based on agent’s sales for the current season.

Cancellation Policy: Cancellation penalties and procedures are as per our current published booking conditions.

Ireland Sales Manager: Don Clarke t 048 90736522 E don@travel-solutions.co.uk Agent Support: t 048 90 736518 E colin@travel-solutions.co.uk

Credit Terms: We can only confirm your holiday on receipt of a nonrefundable deposit of €200 per person. This deposit will secure your holiday and guarantee your price. The balance will be due no later than 8 weeks before you travel - the date will be shown on your holiday confirmation.

Brochure Distribution: Brochures will be delivered on regular intervals, but they can be ordered by emailing colin@travel-solutions.co.uk or call marketing support on 048 9073 6518.

General Information: Travel Solutions agree to partner with Travel Centres in respect of its annual conference and supplier workshop. The company also agrees to maintain a booking phone line 048 90 455030 for reservations and 048 9073 6522 for internal sales support. Members are reminded that our negotiated commercial terms are strictly private and confidential and their contents may not be revealed to any third party. Please make all cheques and payments out to Travel Solutions.

Financial Protection: It is important that you feel confident your money is safe.

We offer our customers flying from Dublin 100% financial protection, and in the unlikely event that we cease to trade, arrangements are in place for you to either continue your holiday or receive a full refund of monies paid to us. For all our flights from Dublin we hold a CAR licence issued by the Commission for Aviation Regulation. For holidays departing Belfast you have 100% financial protection with our ATOL licence covered by the UK Government, so rest assured your money is safe with Travel Solutions 121

Tour Operators Wendy Wu Tours

Award winning escorted tours worldwide. Giving you more - more expertise – more inclusions – more added value. China, Tibet, Hong Kong, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Burma, Thailand, Malaysia, Borneo, India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Mongolia.

At Wendy Wu Tours we really know Asia; every vibrant, fascinating and incredibly rich corner of it. That’s why we are the UK’s & Irelands leading specialist tour operator to China, Japan and Southeast Asia. You can trust that we are dedicated to expertly guiding you through your Asian adventure, wherever you choose to explore.

2017 /2018 - New Tours Beyond Asia Australia, New Zealand , Namibia, Costa Rica, Russia, Peru & Galapagos & Patagonia After the successful launch of our new tours to South America and South Africa, we’re excited to announce that we’ve extended our award winning tour programme to even more corners of the globe.

Perhaps you’ve dreamt about soaking up the cosmopolitan atmosphere of Sydney and Melbourne, exploring the jungles, waterways and natural landscapes of Costa Rica, journeying through imperial Russia or meeting the Galapagos Islands’ astounding wildlife?

These unique experiences and much more are all waiting for you on our new tours to Australia, New Zealand, Namibia, Costa Rica, Russia and South America; all with the same award-winning service we have become known for in Asia.

Products We Offer Fully Inclusive Escorted Tours all over World • International Flights from Ireland • All domestic transportation, departure taxes and current fuel surcharges • All accommodation in 3 / 4 * Hotels which have been handpicked.

• 3 Meals Every Day – Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner • Entrance fees, guides and daily tours • Visa fees for EU passport holders are included and taken care of.

www.wendywutours.ie Address: Wendy Wu Tours Ltd. Unit 105, 3 Lombard St. East, Dublin 2 , Ireland

T 0818 776 380 Reservation Opening Hours Mon - Fri: 9.00am - 5.30pm Sat - Sun: 10.00am - 4.00pm

John Booty Ireland Manager T 0831 701 860 E john.booty@wendywutours.ie

5* Exclusive Collection Fully Inclusive Escorted Tours.

• Chauffer pick up to Airport in Ireland • International Flights from Ireland • All domestic transportation, departure taxes and current fuel surcharges • All accommodation in 5* Hotels & River Cruises • 5* Dinning with Meals Every Day – Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner • Private Tours with Entrance fees, guides and daily tours • Visa fees for EU passport holders are included and taken care of.

• you can be sure that ASIA Inspirations can create the perfect holiday for you.

Tailor Made Tours Across Asia for individual clients and Private Groups.

ASIA Inspirations offers tailor-made holidays to China, Southeast Asia, Japan and the Indian Subcontinent. With individual itineraries, local expertise and exceptional service you can be sure that ASIA Inspirations can create the perfect holiday for you.

Note - Any of the product above can be booked as a complete package or land only content.

Booking Terms and Conditions • To book simply contact the team on 0818 776 380.

• Deposit is €350pp with the Balance due 8 weeks before travel

Sales & Marketing Opportunities We are very happy to assist, please contact John Booty, Manager Ireland on 0831 701 860 or e-mail: john.booty@wendywutours.ie

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WORLD NO.1 FOR TRANSFERS 3 MILLION PASSENGERS 700 AIRPORTS 7500 CITIES AND RESORTS 120 COUNTRIES 37 LANGUAGES 24/7

Transfers A2B Transfers & Resorthoppa

We’re always there – everywhere. Taxis to shuttles, coaches to luxury cars, minibuses to water taxis…even the odd helicopter. Every year, we take more than 3 million passengers…smoothly…safely…from A to B. And our network just keeps on growing across Europe, America and Asia and now into the far reaches of China.

A2B and Resorthoppa are the world’s no.1 transfer specialist, serving 7,500 cities and resorts through 700 airports, ports and train stations in 116 countries at competitive prices everywhere.

Over 5000 agents across the world consistently choose A2B for our simple, tailor-made packaging of transfers and travel extras. But for us, good is never good enough when great is just around the corner.

Your reputation’s in good hands – we guarantee it We see our reputation and yours as one and the same and naturally, we want you to feel 100% confident every A2B transfer works brilliantly every time. So we’ve been talking to customers all over the world and examining every single part of our service to ensure A2B is always a sure thing whenever you recommend us.

We’ve paid a lot of attention to even tighter contracting with our transport partners, making certain of a consistent worldwide A2B experience. And we’re so confident in our service that we’ve wrapped everything into six simple promises to make it clear what you can expect when you book with us. The best we’ve saved till last… a new guarantee for your customers that if our service doesn’t work as it should, we’ll refund their money.

The largest international network of cities and resorts – and growing.

The best range of quality transport in every single location. Highly competitive rates everywhere. Round the clock, 24/7 support for you and your customers . The latest technology support for ultra-smooth running. Your reputation’s safe with us – guaranteed

Private or shared – look for A2B wherever you land Whatever your transport needs, we can help – and if your passengers need something a little out of the ordinary, we’ll make it our business to find the perfect transfer solution, even sourcing new partners if necessary.

It’s all so easy with A2B Agents can quickly and easily log on using their a2btransfers.com password or book via the XML. Book in advance and save even more.

Instant online booking confirmation. Free online cancellations and amendments up to two days before arrival. Return pick up times available by SMS.

Our promises explained, so you can be sure every trip The largest international network of cities and resorts ….and growing.

Serving over 7,500 cities and resorts, via more than 700 airports, ports and train stations in 116 countries.

The best range of quality transport in every single location. Over 300 carefully selected transport partners around the world, all signed up to deliver our exacting service standards.

Extensive partner performance program to maintain our focus on service quality.

We aim to offer every transport option available in a location and a commitment to try and source any alternative a customer requests.

www.a2btransfers.com Account Manager Email: m.dakin@a2btransfers.com Sales Email: sales@a2btransfers.com Sales Tel: +441483 804806 Pre travel, in-resort and Post Travel: Submit all queries via our online helpdesk.

Please select ‘contact us’ from the drop down menu on our website.

Admin Tel: 01483 804808

www.hoppa.com Account Manager Email: m.dakin@a2btransfers.com Sales Email: sales@hoppa.com Sales Tel: +441483 804806 Pre travel, in-resort and Post Travel: Submit all queries via our online helpdesk.

Please select ‘contact us’ from the drop down menu on our website.

Admin Tel: 01483 804803

Highly competitive rates everywhere Our trade net rates are never more than our direct rates. Online cancellations and amendments are always free of charge outside 48 hours. Round-the clock, 24/7 support for you & your customers. Our customer service teams in the UK and in-resort are available 24/7 – and we promise a same day response to queries. We respond to 80% of bespoke quotes within 24 hours and even the most complicated within 72 hours. Dedicated account manager to advise and problem solve. Any complaint investigations are completed within 14 days

The latest technology support for ultra-smooth running Our 3 step search and book system is easy to use and bookings can also be made via XML and white label. Technical support and training is available and free. Return pick up times can now be sent to customers via SMS

Your reputation’s safe with us…guaranteed We work hard to ensure our service is the best, but if ever it doesn’t work as it should, we offer your customers a money back guarantee

99% of passengers are satisfied with the smooth, reliable service from A2B 125

Putting time on your side Designed for passengers for whom time is a luxury, Platinum Services offers dedicated parking beside your private check-in, comfortable private suites, discreet security screening and a chauffeur service direct to your flight. Enjoy your own 24 hour private terminal experience and a fast and effortless journey from car to plane.

W. dublinairport.com/platinumservices

E. platinumservices@dublinairport.com

P. +353 1 814 4895

Travel Services Dublin Airport Travel Services

Travel smart and save time by using Dublin Airport Travel Services. We offer many benefits to all passengers providing convenience, efficiency and time saving. Travel Services compliment the whole travel journey from curb to wing. With Airport Parking, Fast Track, Executive Lounges, Concierge, Airport Club and Platinum Services, we have a complete range of products to suit the needs of all your customers.

Our services Airport Parking Dublin Airport Car Parks has a great mix of options and rates to suit all trips and budgets. Unbeatable value and convenience with over 18,000 spaces and a 24 hour complimentary shuttle bus services with 5 minutes transit time.

Fast Track You can bypass the regular queues and go through the designated Fast Track boarding pass channel in Terminals 1 and 2 and also receive flight updates via SMS. Executive Lounges Passengers can refresh and relax in the comfort of a tranquil lounge where you can avail of refreshments while waiting for your flight to board.

Introducing 51st & Green 51st & Green is an exciting new lounge in Dublin Airport, available for all passengers travelling to the United States.

Located after US Preclearance beside the departure gates, is a ‘world’s first’, being the closest airport lounge to an active runway guaranteeing some captivating views.

51st & Green is designed to make the most of your time, with a place for you to work, play, eat, relax, revive and enjoy your time away from the tiring demands of travel.

The menu has been specially selected to showcase Irish food with an American twist. Our barista coffee is made from beans roasted locally and blended exclusively for 51st & Green.

Our food is complemented by our warm, welcoming customer service, prolonging the comfort of Irish hospitality with a welcome taste of the American service yet to come.

All passengers are welcome. €39 per person on entrance.

Complimentary for business class ticket holders

Your Luxury Airport Experience Platinum Services Now you can travel through Dublin Airport via our luxurious Platinum Services Suite and we promise to streamline your journey.

Our Facilities include • Private parking • Private check-in and security screening • Private suites fully equipped with the latest audio visual equipment • Complimentary refreshments • Chauffeured to your aircraft • Luxury shower rooms • Meeting rooms and business facilities For more information, please contact the Platinum Services Suite: +353 (0)814 4895 Platinumservices@dublinairport.com

For the Travel Agents Dublin Airport Travel Services are offering Travel Agents and Travel Managers the ability to provide additional products and services to customers thus completing the whole travel package from the time they leave the house to boarding the plane. We can provide the Travel agencies with a unique URL which will allow you to purchase the Dublin Airport Travel Services on behalf of your customers and we will give you a commission rate on sales. We can also provide you with marketing materials such as videos of our services for upload to your screens in the shops and provide you with brochures if required. We are happy to show you our services in Dublin Airport should you like to come out to visit us, just give us a call. If you avail of the URL link we are available for training with your agents.

Staff incentives There maybe ad hoc incentives run throughout the year.

To discuss these offers please contact Maura Moloney: e t

Maurae.moloney@daa.ie +353 (0)1 814 4361

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Travel Services Visa First

VisaFirst is a global visa provider, established in 2003. We process 80,000 visa cases for people travelling to more than 100 countries every year. We have a global network of offices including central locations in Ireland, Australia, the UK, France, Russia and Italy.

VisaFirst are delighted to be working with members of Travel Centres.

Did you know that Travel Centres can now book and take payment for the visa – allowing you to set the price and take payment, getting your commission same day!

VisaFirst products include: • • • • • • • • •

Visas - Short Stay Business Visas Short Stay Tourist Visas International Work Permits Residency Visas Invitation Letters, for China, Russia, etc., Passport Renewal & Replacement Documentation Translations Legalizations, Apostille, Notary Passport card for Travel within EU

The Process Step 1 VisaFirst give Travel Agent log in details for their OTS account (Online Tracking System OTS) Or Travel agent can book a visa on their Individual tracked link and save this link in their browser for future bookings.

The tracked link shows: • If visa or vaccination are needed • The fee VisaFirst will invoice the agent when the visa is processed • How to book a visa Step 2 Booking is received & recorded on the VisaFirst database • This can be viewed by Travel Agent from their OTS account. Application form is sent by VisaFirst to the client.

• There are no fees on the forms as agent will up-sell and take payment.

www.visafirst.com Donal Byrne t (01) 878 3329 E dbyrne@visafirst.com Edwina Shanahan t (01) 887 1950 E eshanahan@visafirst.com

Step 3 Client completes application form and posts to VisaFirst.

Once application is decision ready – it is lodged by VisaFirst to the relevant embassy.

Step 4 Visa is issued Passport is couriered to client, Or Client is called to come and collect.

Get your OTS Account Setup Contact Donal Byrne from the VisaFirst team to get your OTS account set up at (01) 878 3329 or by email at dbyrne@visafirst.com

VisaFirst Service to Travel Centres?

We will give each agent access to our Online Tracking System (OTS), this will allow you see your registrations and how these visa applications are progressing. This means you can see Online when a visa has been issued and call to sell your flights and other itinerary. All VisaFirst prices and invoices can be viewed on the OTS. We operate from 04:00 to 22:30 GMT to service your clients.

Why use VisaFirst?

Fast – VisaFirst will give you a prompt reply to your query.

Easy – Get a dedicated accounts manager, offering simple to understand solutions to complex queries.

Reliable - We have successfully submitted thousands of visa applications since our establishment.

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General Conference 2015

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General Conference 2015

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General Conference 2015

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General Conference 2015

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General Fam Trips

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General Fam Trips

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General Fam Trips

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General Fam Trips

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General

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GTI

Eurocamp

DoSomething Different

Discovery Puglia

Discover Travel

Crystal Holidays

Cruising Excursions

Breakaway

Best Holidays in Italy

Contiki

Abu Dhabi Afghanistan Albania Algeria American Samoa Andorra Angola Anguilla Antartica Antigua And Barbuda Antilles Argentina Armenia Aruba Australia Austria Azerbaijan Azores Bahamas Bahrain Bali Bangladesh Barbados Belarus Belgium Belize Benin Bermuda Bhutan Bolivia Bonaire, St Eustatios And Saba Bosnia - Hertzegovina Botswana Brazil Brunei Bulgaria Burkina Faso Burundi Cambodia Cameroon Canada Canary Islands Cape Verde Caribbean Cayman Islands Central African Republic Chad Chile China Colombia Congo Cook Islands Corsica Costa Rica Croatia Cuba Curacao Cyprus Czech Republic Denmark Djibouti Dominica Dominican Republic Dubai Ecuador Egypt El Salvador Equitorial Guinea Eritrea Estonia Ethiopa Falklands Faroe Islands Fiji Finland France French Guinana French Polynesia Gabon Galapagos Gambia Georgia (Europe)

Attractionworld

A2BTransfers

Destination Matrix 2017

General

Wendy Wu Tours

Turkish Airlines

Travel Focus

SAS

Riviera Travel

Resort Hoppa

Metropolitan Touring

Thomson Cruises

Irish Ferries

Interhome

Insight Vacations

If Only‌

Hurtigruten

Destination Matrix 2017

Abu Dhabi Afghanistan Albania Algeria American Samoa Andorra Angola Anguilla Antartica Antigua And Barbuda Antilles Argentina Armenia Aruba Australia Austria Azerbaijan Azores Bahamas Bahrain Bali Bangladesh Barbados Belarus Belgium Belize Benin Bermuda Bhutan Bolivia Bonaire, St Eustatios And Saba Bosnia - Hertzegovina Botswana Brazil Brunei Bulgaria Burkina Faso Burundi Cambodia Cameroon Canada Canary Islands Cape Verde Caribbean Cayman Islands Central African Republic Chad Chile China Colombia Congo Cook Islands Corsica Costa Rica Croatia Cuba Curacao Cyprus Czech Republic Denmark Djibouti Dominica Dominican Republic Dubai Ecuador Egypt El Salvador Equitorial Guinea Eritrea Estonia Ethiopa Falklands Faroe Islands Fiji Finland France French Guinana French Polynesia Gabon Galapagos Gambia Georgia (Europe)

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General

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Eurocamp

GTI

DoSomething Different

Crystal Holidays

Discovery Puglia

Cruising Excursions

Discover Travel

Contiki

Breakaway

Best Holidays in Italy

Attractionworld

Germany Ghana Gibraltar Goa Greece Greenland Grenada Guadaloupe Guam Guatemala Guernsey Guinea-Bissau Guniea Guyana Haiti Holy See (Vatican City State) Honduras Hong Kong Hungary Iceland India Indonesia Ireland Israel Italy Iran Iraq Ivory Coast Jamaica Japan Jersey Jordan Kazakhstan Kenya Kiribati Korea Kosovo Kuwait Kyrgyzstan Laos Latvia Lebanon Lesotho Liberia Libya Libyan Arab Jamahiriya Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg Macau Macedonia, The Former Yugoslav Republic Madagascar Malawi Malaysia Maldives Mali Malta Marshall Islands Martinique Mauritania Mauritius Mayotte Mexico Moldova Monaco Mongolia Montenegro Morocco Mozambique Myanmar Namibia Nepal Netherlands Netherlands Antilles New Caledonia New Zealand Nicaragua

A2BTransfers

Destination Matrix 2017

General

Wendy Wu Tours

SAS

Turkish Airlines

Riviera Travel

Travel Focus

Resort Hoppa

Metropolitan Touring

Thomson Cruises

Interhome

Irish Ferries

Insight Vacations

If Only‌

Hurtigruten

Destination Matrix 2017

Germany Ghana Gibraltar Goa Greece Greenland Grenada Guadaloupe Guam Guatemala Guernsey Guinea-Bissau Guniea Guyana Haiti Holy See (Vatican City State) Honduras Hong Kong Hungary Iceland India Indonesia Ireland Israel Italy Iran Iraq Ivory Coast Jamaica Japan Jersey Jordan Kazakhstan Kenya Kiribati Korea Kosovo Kuwait Kyrgyzstan Laos Latvia Lebanon Lesotho Liberia Libya Libyan Arab Jamahiriya Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg Macau Macedonia, The Former Yugoslav Republic Madagascar Malawi Malaysia Maldives Mali Malta Marshall Islands Martinique Mauritania Mauritius Mayotte Mexico Moldova Monaco Mongolia Montenegro Morocco Mozambique Myanmar Namibia Nepal Netherlands Netherlands Antilles New Caledonia New Zealand Nicaragua

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GTI

Eurocamp

DoSomething Different

Discovery Puglia

Discover Travel

Crystal Holidays

Cruising Excursions

Breakaway

Best Holidays in Italy

Contiki

Niger Nigeria Niue Northern Mariana Islands Norway Oceania Oman Pakistan Palau Panama Papua New Guinea Paraguay Peru Philippines Poland Portugal Puerto Rico Qatar Reunion Romania Russian Federation Rwanda Saint Barts Saint Helena Saint Kitts And Nevis Saint Lucia Saint Maarten Saint Thomas Saint Vincent And The Grenadines Samoa Saudi Arabia Scotland Senegal Serbia And Montenegro Seychelles Sierra Leone Singapore Slovakia Slovenia Solomon Islands Somalia South Africa South Korea Spain Sri Lanka St. Barthelemy Sudan Suriname Swaziland Sweden Switzerland Syria Tadzhikistan Taiwan Tanzania, United Republic Of Thailand Tibet Togo Tonga Trinidad And Tobago Tunisia Turkey Turks And Caicos Islands Uganda Ukraine United Arab Emirates United Kingdom United States United States Minor Outlying Islands Uruguay Us Virgin Islands Uzbekistan Vanatu Venezuela Vietnam Virgin Islands, British Wales Yemen Zaire Zambia Zimbabwe

Attractionworld

A2BTransfers

Destination Matrix 2017

General

Wendy Wu Tours

Turkish Airlines

Travel Focus

SAS

Riviera Travel

Resort Hoppa

Metropolitan Touring

Thomson Cruises

Irish Ferries

Interhome

Insight Vacations

If Only‌

Hurtigruten

Destination Matrix 2017

Niger Nigeria Niue Northern Mariana Islands Norway Oceania Oman Pakistan Palau Panama Papua New Guinea Paraguay Peru Philippines Poland Portugal Puerto Rico Qatar Reunion Romania Russian Federation Rwanda Saint Barts Saint Helena Saint Kitts And Nevis Saint Lucia Saint Maarten Saint Thomas Saint Vincent And The Grenadines Samoa Saudi Arabia Scotland Senegal Serbia And Montenegro Seychelles Sierra Leone Singapore Slovakia Slovenia Solomon Islands Somalia South Africa South Korea Spain Sri Lanka St. Barthelemy Sudan Suriname Swaziland Sweden Switzerland Syria Tadzhikistan Taiwan Tanzania, United Republic Of Thailand Tibet Togo Tonga Trinidad And Tobago Tunisia Turkey Turks And Caicos Islands Uganda Ukraine United Arab Emirates United Kingdom United States United States Minor Outlying Islands Uruguay Us Virgin Islands Uzbekistan Vanatu Venezuela Vietnam Virgin Islands, British Wales Yemen Zaire Zambia Zimbabwe

143

2017

The year that travel agents start ďŹ ghting back.

Embed the new Travelbug video on your website and share it on social media via your Facebook page, Twitter account or other channels and let’s educate every consumer out there as to why they still need a travel agent!

www.travelbug.ie