Irish Travel Agents Association welcomes the opening of €10m Support Scheme for Licensed Outbound Travel Agents.
The Irish Travel Agents Association (ITAA) welcomes the opening of the application process for the €10m Support Scheme for Licensed Travel Agents as announced by Minister of State responsible for International Travel, Hildegarde Naughton.
Statement from Pat Dawson, CEO of the ITAA
In a statement issued by Pat Dawson, CEO of the ITAA, he confirms: “The application process for the €10m Support Scheme for Licensed Outbound Travel Agents is being opened later today. All licensed travel agents will receive communication directly from the Dept. of Transport and details will be posted to www.gov.ie
Pat Dawson added: “The ITAA welcomes this initiative brought about by the good offices of the Minister of State responsible for International Travel Hildegarde Naughton, Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform Michael McGrath, officials in the Department of Transport. Personally, I would like to thank the Board of the ITAA for all their efforts in securing this financial support to protect the travel industry.”
He continued, “Our industry has been devastated since early 2020 by both the impact of the pandemic and subsequent travel restrictions on international travel. This fund will help travel agents throughout the country remain in business until viable trading properly resumes. It is a testament to each and everyone of you that despite trading at near zero levels, travel agents throughout the country facilitated clients with refunds and rebooking.”
Pat Dawson explained, “The Board of the ITAA very much welcomes this support fund for travel agents licensed in Ireland… The ITAA has worked tirelessly with Minister Hildegarde Naughton, Minister Michael McGrath, and with officials from the Department of Transport to secure this financial support to protect the travel industry. Many of our members are small family-run businesses located in towns and villages across the country. This support will, in turn, protect the Irish consumer. Consumers who book with a bonded, licensed Irish travel agent are guaranteed protection under the European Package Travel Directive. This protection is not present when booking ‘do-it-yourself’ holidays.”
Paul Hackett, President of the ITAA
Paul Hackett, President of the ITAA, said, “We in the ITAA have worked hard on behalf of all licensed travel agents to highlight the issues faced by our industry and very much welcome this support fund for travel agents licensed in Ireland. It will go towards protecting the Irish based travel industry, facilitating a smooth and safe return to business. Our industry is resilient. We have overcome other catastrophes in the past and for the most part our members have survived the most challenging trading environment ever seen. I have no doubt that over the next 18 to 24 months we will recover to pre-pandemic trading levels.”
