Greece’s Financial Woes Are Not Keeping the Irish Away

Irish travellers still find Greece an attractive destination despite the country’s financial troubles, according to the latest quarterly survey by the Irish Travel Agents Association (ITAA), announced on Wednesday.

The survey found that 65 percent of Irish travel agents reported that there had been no negative impact on new booking levels to Greece as a result of their ongoing financial turmoil.

The survey findings also revealed that for the second quarter in a row travel agents listed Spain, Portugal and Italy as the top three most popular destinations for Irish travellers in 2015.

When asked about the biggest travel trends in 2015 so far, agents reported that customers had larger budgets than recent years and that ‘all inclusive’ packages were high on peoples list of priorities.

It was also revealed that service, advice and security are the primary reasons that Irish travel agents see 67 percent of their business come from returning customers.

When asked how people made their holiday bookings agents reported that “by phone” and “in store” were the most common methods.

“Consumers have a vast array of options when it comes to purchasing holidays nowadays but Irish customers seem to appreciate that with a travel agent their care and service won’t be managed by an algorithm”, Pat Dawson, CEO of the ITAA, said.

The ITAA represents Ireland’s travel Industry, bringing together 100 member companies covering 161 outlets in different towns and cities throughout the Republic of Ireland.