MARCH 2017 PAGE 14
ITIA AWARDS 2017
Jason Whelan of Blue Insurances accept the award for best travel insurance provider from category sponsor Stephen Sands of Riviera Travel
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lue Insurance have dominated the award for ‘Best Travel Insurance Provider’ at the Irish Travel Industry Awards for six years. Ciaran Mulligan, Managing Director said of the win, “We are delighted and are extremely grateful. Blue Insurance is an Irish company and was formed in 2003 with just one brand. It is now successfully established as Ireland’s leading travel insurance provider. They currently employ over 75 staff in both Ireland and the UK. Specialising in Travel Insurance, Blue Insurance also offers gadget, pet, wedding, breakdown, bicycle and car hire excess insurance. The company, whose recognised direct brands include Multitrip.com and
TRAVEL INSURANCE PROVIDER: BLUE INSURANCES Gadgetinsurance.com, started selling 2 Year Car and Home Insurance in Ireland in June 2015. Blue Insurance has won awards for business each year since opening, including Best Travel Insurance Product by the Irish and Northern Irish Travel Trade. The company has also won the Deloitte Best Managed Company’s Award for the past four years winning the Gold Standard accolade recently.
Michael Doorley of Shandon Travel accepts the travel agency award from Volker Lorenz of category sponsors Amadeus ork based ShanTRAVEL AGENCY OF THE don travel won the best large YEAR: SHANDON TRAVEL travel agency in Ireland. Michael Doorley says UK customers to booking with and Irish “we are delighted to win the most pres- supplier. Brexit has had a somewhat tigious industry award for 2016 Best negative effect but we think that this is Travel Agency with over 10 employees only making it a late booking season. [ we have 34 employees] . Even after We are still looking for extra staff 43 in business there is great satisfaction in our Bantry and City offices but we in winning – never give up. It may read find that the HR recruitment site www. like a cliché to say that it is down to our rezoomo.com is an excellent source. excellent staff but in effect without staff Membership of Worldchoice is a big commitment success would not follow. benefit with negotiations with principles I can dictate the culture and direction done centrally for over rides a big time of the company but without committed saver; well worth the membership fee as input from staff in accounts, marketing, transparency ensures that we get 100 pc social media and web content, category over rides back to us. 90pc of our conmanagers and eventually sales and res- ventional holiday itineraries and long ervation staff, success would not follow. haul travel are tailor made. Our greatest satisfaction in 2016 was Competition is as tough as ever, inin our continued success in selling our cluding the internet, but there will alEuropean camping family holidays on ways be a space for professional well the UK market. 90 % of our bookings run “bricks and mortar “travel agencies. is done online with no resistance from
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THANK YOU We were delighted to win Best General Cruise Company at the Irish Travel Industry Awards, and we couldn’t have done it without you! Providing extraordinary service for our guests is at the heart of everything we do, and our travel partners are a huge part of that, so we want to say a huge THANK YOU for continuing to provide the fantastic service that keeps us at number one.
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Olwen McKinney and Trish O’Leary of Amadeus accept the award for Best Technology provider from category sponsor Stephen Sands of Riviera Tvl
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madeus’ award for the Best Travel Technology Provider set another record. “It is particularly satisfying for us as we have now won this particular honour seven times in a row,” Volker Lorenz says, “and the entire Ireland team are very thankful for the continued vote of confidence we receive from our customers.” “It is a great honour for me to be heading a team in Ireland that is 100pc committed to making the lives of travel consultants in Ireland easier.” “A lot of time, money and effort goes into our products and solutions which is why Amadeus is the largest investor in
TECHNOLOGY PROVIDER: AMADEUS travel technology in Europe.” “But it is crucial to make them work for every single agent, and every single travel consultant, in their very own way.” “This is what we strive for everyday and it is fantastic to see this effort recognised. So we would like to thank everybody who voted for us and we promise that this recognition will only spur us in 2016.”