Direct Transatlantic Flights On Cork Travel Firm’s Wish List
Travel Counsellors in Ireland is part of a global group with operations in six countries. “Recruiting only the most professional senior travel people who are dedicated and passionate about travel, we assist, encourage and support individuals to build and develop their very own travel businesses,” explains managing director
Cathy Burke.
“The business model is simple,” she adds. “Travel Counsellors head office delivers administration and back-office support to its international network of travel counsellors, handling invoicing, ticketing, supplier payments, booking confirmations, customer payments etc, leaving the travel counsellor free to deliver exceptional frontend customer service to their clients.”
Burke adds that forward sales compared to same pre-pandemic period in 2019 are up by about 35%, though the sale is not booked until the client has travelled. “We are very optimistic for the year ahead as long-haul confidence grows and the pent-up demand for travel continues. January 2022 was a game-changer for us when the government stopped pre-arrival testing into Ireland. In the past two months we’ve seen a big jump in business travel, and it will only increase now that the USA is easier to get to.
“We are finding that companies are organising incentive travel abroad for their staff from a team-building point of view, particularly where people joined a business during the pandemic and haven’t met or bonded with their team members yet. There is also a backlog of on-site requirements for engineers and site audits, and companies are eager to get those experts on the ground now that it is safe to do so.” Burke remarks that Cork Airport does not suffer from the same capacity issues as Dublin Airport. “The more flights we have the better, and we are seeing people who live within two hours’ drive of Cork choosing it over Dublin if the same destinations are operating. Transatlantic flights from Cork would be fantastic, and extra frequency to hubs in the UK and Europe for long-haul connections.”