ITTN at The Holiday Show in Shannon

The Holiday Show in association with Shannon Airport took place over the weekend at Radisson Blu Limerick. ITTN’s Shane Cullen attended and spoke to Maureen Ledwith and Edmund Hourican who were delighted with the large turnout and the bookings suppliers were making on the day.

Fortune Favours those in Attendance

The crowd of consumers in attendance was amply rewarded with a plethora of prizes including a star prize of return flights for two to New York or Boston sponsored by Shannon Airport. There were also a dozen pairs of return flights to Alicante, Beziers, Faro, Fuerteventura, Malaga, Malta, Marseille, Naples, Porto, Tenerife, Corfu, Barcelona and Girona, courtesy of Fly Shannon. Finally, Aer Lingus was offering two return flights from Shannon Airport to London Heathrow.

ITTN’s Shane Cullen interviewed a number of the suppliers – watch the video here.

Malta – More to Explore in 2023

Peter Green, Trade Trainer at Malta Tourism Authority shared with ITTN, “the three biggest things coming out of Malta this year are:

1. Brand new Michelin Guide coming out in April this year adding to the food we have in the culinary scene;
2. We’ve got EuroPride from the 7th to 17th of September which is going to be absolutely huge; and
3. A range of new hotels coming online this year including the AX Odyssey in Qawra“

He added, “as always, if you need any more, you know where I am”, equally check out https://www.visitmalta.com/en/.

TUI Holidays Ireland

David Smith, Trade Relations Manager for TUI Ireland, spoke with ITTN, explaining:

“Top tips for 2023 are to book early”. In addition:

1. Check out TUI’s Dublin – Cancun direct charter;
2. TUI has an offer running at the moment, subject to a minimum spend of €2,500 – get an extra €250 off on selected hotels;
3. TUI has a new ship, the Marella Voyager which will launch at the end of May and will be based in Palma on a Saturday and will connect with TUI’s direct charters.

Smart Flies Aer Lingus

Ivan Beacom detailed the new routes on offer across the Aer Lingus fleet:

“I’d have to recommend some of our new destinations we’re flying to this year in Europe. We’re flying to Kos in Greece, Olbia in Sardinia and Brindisi in Italy which will be some of our new routes in Europe…”

“….and also some of our new routes to the USA. Cleveland is starting in May of this year and we’re also recommencing our route to Hartford, Connecticut this year.”

Ivan added, “We’ve also got great rates across the entire USA that we fly to year-round. The likes of Orlando, LA, San Francisco, etc. that you all know about – so happy booking with Aer Lingus!”

Spanish Tourist Board

Borja Bedoya, Events & Information Manager with Spanish Tourist Board shared with ITTN:

1. 2023 is the 50th anniversary of the death of Picasso so any of the major cities celebrating and are related to Picasso are absolutely worth visiting this year, such as Malaga and Barcelona.
2. “We are focusing big on sustainable tourism this year so keep an eye on that as we’ll be doing a lot of things on that this year” shares Borja.
3. In addition, he shares “Agents are encouraged to log in to visit the Spain Specialist Program which is a portal where all travel agents can register and learn about Spain, have special courses and then get certified by the Spanish Tourist Board”.

Think Silversea

Amanda Middler from Silversea Cruises shared her three top tips for selling Silversea in 2023:

1. “Logon to MySilversea.com – the image library, the videos, you can even create your own posters, flyers and you can download brochures – so they’re fabulous!”
2. “In relation to the offers Amanda has sent multiple offers, “get those offers on Instagram and Facebook – get them out to the public!”
3. “Anyone who comes in looking for a cruise… think SilverSea. Look at the offers, look at the commission we’re giving to you at the moment. And work with me – anything I can do to help you but think Silversea!”

Sunway Holidays

Anne Marie Durkin from Sunway shared three tips for the coming year: “Check out our new cruise portal on their website, it’s newly enhanced and user friendly; check out our Mackin Tours and Wendy Woo which we’re agents for now; and Lapland is in full swing on sale for 2023.”

Stena Line

Ian Baillie Sales & Partnership Manager, UK & Ireland at Stena Line shared his top tips with ITTN:

1. “From the end of June in 2023 we’ll have 6 sailings a week to France from Rosslare direct to Cherbourg so lots more opportunities to earn commission on that one!
2. You can secure those bookings from just €100 deposit so we’re very cheap for your customers (balance 8 weeks before)
3. Ian emphasises, “the key not just for summer but for all year is to book early for the best deals. The earlier you book the cheaper it will be for you and your client!”