In our latest instalment of ITTN Talks, we caught up with Ben Greene, Director at Arrow Tours, Drogheda, Co. Louth.
In this ongoing series, ITTN speaks to members of the travel trade and gives them a platform to talk about industry trends, to celebrate successes and discuss challenges their business has faced, offering unrivalled insights into the goings on of Irish travel agents.
How has 2024 been for your business so far?
Thankfully we have had a decent year so far. Needless to say, the Aer Lingus pilot’s dispute in June put a spanner in the works of a year that had built up quite a bit of momentum. However, we have regained a decent sales level once again.
What has been your biggest surprise so far this year?
Ryanair agreeing to work with travel agencies and allowing us to book through the GDS is the biggest surprise that I’ve seen this year. I didn’t see that one coming. It’s welcome news.
What has been the biggest challenge to your business this year?
The internet is both a blessing and a curse. Cheap websites that sell ‘bargain-basement’ package holidays to my customers are what we find is the most challenging element to our retail sales. By the time we calculate the difference between what we’re selling against what the customer is buying online, there is very little financial difference. However, this is more often lost on the customer, and they realise too late that they would have been as well off buying locally.
Are you seeing patterns or emerging trends or destinations for 2024/25?
While cruising has been growing steadily over the past number of years, it has really taken a grip in a meaningful way now.
Now that the Summer is over, what kind of enquiries are you receiving? Are holiday-makers looking for last-minute October mid-term breaks, Christmas getaways or are they focusing on their 2025 holidays?
It’s mainly 2025 but we’re getting plenty of requests for winter sun.
On a more personal note, what motivates your own travels? Do you look for sun holidays, new cultures, exotic cuisines, places of historical importance, pure relaxation or a bit of everything?
I often felt as if I’d be damned to Travel Agent’s Hell for going to the same destination several years in a row, so I always try to see somewhere new as often as possible. I love the sunshine so getting heat in my bones is always welcome; visiting a new city is yet to disappoint; and I’d eat my way around any country, so these experiences are part of what shapes my holiday decisions.
Where have you been so far in 2024, and do you have any up-coming holidays?
I holidayed with my family in Fuengirola this year and ran away from home with my wife to Lake Garda as well. I had a ‘Dads-as-Lads-and-Their-Kids’ weekend away in Liverpool with some mates; we took in a match, played lots of pool and nobody used a knife or fork for the whole weekend – it was all pizza, chips, burgers etc. It was all blokey nonsense but wonderful fun. And I had the pleasure of visiting Porto for 2 nights.
What is the funniest request or comment you have ever had from a customer?
A number of years ago we had a poster in the window advertising the Ultra gig in Croatia. A lady came into the office and asked for me specifically and gave me dogs abuse for advertising ‘the devil’s work with scantily clad women’. When she was gone, we looked up and down the street looking for TV cameras as we were sure that it was a setup. We saw no cameras, so we just came to the conclusion that she was a bit mad.
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