Chris Accomando, President of Sceptre Tours, spends a lot of his time on the road and on the phone interacting with travel agents. Oftentimes the agents he meets haven’t sold that much Europe or Ireland because they see the Caribbean and cruising as much easier destinations to sell.
Yet with some training and guidance, Accomando has converted a lot of agents who are learning to sell Ireland and reaping the rewards of higher commissions in the process!
Here are Mr. Accomando’s tips for selling more Ireland in 2010:
There is more flexibility with an FIT and you can customize the trip for your client. There are a number of clients out there who just aren’t the bus tour type and when you give them an individual travel package with flexibility that can be customized to their personal interests and travel preferences, you will meet with much more success.
o Tell Your Clients About The Better Value They Will Get For Their Dollar Now
The dollar is getting stronger each day and that means your client’s money will go a lot farther while they are in Ireland. This is probably the highest the dollar has been versus the Euro in quite some time so now is the time to head across the pond.
o Show Clients How An Ireland Vacation Can Be Cheaper Than A Summer House At The Shore
There are a lot of affordable summer travel deals to Ireland right now priced from $599 per person including hotel, air, and rental car. This means that your client can travel to Ireland and enjoy an entirely new experience for less money than they would spend renting a house by the shore in New Jersey, Long Island, or wherever the summer hot spot by them may be.
o Send Clients Who Love To Golf To Ireland
If a client tells you they love to golf, do you ever send them to Ireland? Usually the Caribbean, Mexico, and the southern and western U.S. are first choices. But with such great weather in Ireland and some of the most beautiful courses in the world, a golf vacation to Ireland should be the first recommendation.
o Give Clients A Great Deal By Booking Them From November To March
Clients who are looking for the best travel values should consider traveling from November to March. With no extreme climate changes, the average temperature is 45 degrees in the winter, so it’s still pleasant to be out and about.
Agents who want more help in selling Ireland, should visit Sceptre Tours’ Agent Resource Center where they can contact a local District Sales Manager who can assist them in learning how to sell Ireland and work with them to market more group tours as well.
It is the time of the year when we in common with many draw up our New Year resolutions with undiluted sincerity, only for most of them to dissolve in no time at all, victims to the capacity of reality to suppress optimism. So instead, we took a less painful method of self – correction and substituted wishes for resolutions, thereby letting fate control matters and allowing our conscience a brief respite.
Our three wishes are for dear old Ireland and its people and not just selfish demands for our own personal dreams and desires although the two may indeed merge along the way.
Our first wish is that the friendly, genuine Irish welcome to visitors, for which Ireland used to be famous, returns because it has gone away. Figures just released from Tourism Ireland indicate that a record 4 million tourists came to these shores last year, despite the heavens inflicting on the country the worst summer on record. Of this figure, over 1 million were Americans on an Ireland Vacation, who are used to the “Have a nice day routine” as part and parcel of their service sector. Sadly in recent years the myth that this island was Ireland of the Welcomes proved to be just that, a myth, to go along with the many myths that Irish folklore presents us with. In hotels, pubs, restaurants, shops and tourist attractions there seems to an ingrained surliness displayed by staff serving the public. It is almost as though the roles are reversed and that the customer is a nuisance to be ignored, or served with barely a civil word. It doesn’t help that a lot of assistants behind counters are not Irish and may have a poor grasp of English. It is, however, no excuse. They have employers who should instruct them in good manners and monitor their behaviour when serving customers. It is not as though the fault alone lies with our immigrant workers , our homegrown variety are a lot worse and are an example of one of the many undesirable legacies of the Celtic Tiger era.
Our second wish for 2008 is the impossible dream and we will not dwell long on the subject for we at Look Around Ireland are liable to get so worked up about it that we could become an unwitting victim of this beast. We are referring, of course, to the H.S.E., who purport to run our third world, so called health service. Please, for the love of God, do something to improve the calamitous situation. We are a country of only 4 million people. How difficult can it be to hire the best outsourced health management experts to be appointed with a brief to reform and make efficient this monster over which nobody seems to be able to exert control? Staff numbers in the H.S.E. have risen from 81,000 in 2000 to over 106,000 in 2006 and yet the service gets worse. Bring in a multi-national chief executive familiar with overseeing such numbers of employees, and put him to work, free of political and union encumbrances that seem to stifle the system. Make at least a start in 2008 – please!
Our third wish is one which applies to anybody who is a commuter / traveler in any shape or form, so therefore it applies to practically everybody – please grant us decent infrastructure so that we can get on with our lives in some sort of ordered fashion. I think of the motorist, the train and bus commuter, the cyclists, the airline travelers etc. etc who are all victims of the worst infrastructure in the western world. The trains are definitely from the Iron Age as is the attitude and vision of the people running them. Dublin Airport is a well documented disaster. The few kilometers of motorways that we have are car parks with lots of toll booths, and no toilets or service areas. The Dublin Port Tunnel is too low for many of the trucks it was supposedly designed to cater for. The farcical and ultra- costly Luas lines don’t meet. The list goes on and on! In Ireland it appears to be that the mandarins in power are only possessed of the ability to be reactive instead of proactive. Everything is done as an afterthought. They bolt the stable door in Dublin when the horse has reached Cork. The inadequacies of these people in charge, the grey, faceless public service suits, make life hell for all the people and businesses of this country. Do not underestimate the damage that it is doing to the social and economic fabric of life throughout this land – you only have to be dimly observant to note that family planning is now done on the basis of ones commuter time! The levels of sheer stress experienced by the Irish commuter, traveler, delivery person, businessperson is a rumbling furnace about to burst!
Please get your act together and make it happen, we say to those who are in charge but who deny responsibility. An outlandish wish, we know!
So there you have my New Year wishes for Ireland in 2010. It would be nice if those in charge treated them as resolutions, but I guess that is just wishing for the impossible.
Travel Ireland and enjoy an incredible vacation through Ireland’s bustling cities and lush green countryside. Your trip begins in Dublin, Ireland’s capital. First, see the famous sights of Dublin and take an excursion to the fascinating passage graves in the Boyne Valley. An orientation tour of Dublin includes a visit to Oscar Wilde’s Trinity College, famous for the 1,200-year-old Book of Kells. Then visit Strokestown House for a guided tour of the restored 1740s mansion. Learn about the Great Famine of the 1840s at the Famine Museum. Experience beautiful Donegal on the Atlantic Coast and visit Kylemore Abbey, a massive yet graceful castle acquired by Benedictine nuns as a precious heirloom for Ireland. At Rathbaun Farm, hear all about sheep shearing and dog whistling. For another unique experience, take a short ferry ride to the Gaelic-speaking Aran Islands to hear from your Local Guide about island community life.
At the Cliffs of Moher, rising 668 feet above the Atlantic Ocean, savor breathtaking views of the Clare Coast. In Limerick, enjoy a city tour and visit King John’s Castle. Then travel to Killarney and enjoy sparkling seascapes, mountains dotted with brightly colored farmhouses, winding lanes, and breathtaking views of the Lakes of Killarney on the scenic Ring of Kerry drive.
Travel Ireland and travel to Blarney, known for its castle and magical Kissing Stone, and Waterford, where you visit the Waterford Crystal Factory. Visit Powerscourt, Ireland’s most famous house and gardens, before returning to Dublin, where your Ireland vacation ends.Due to the adventurous style of the Aran Islands excursion, we recommend you bring suitable outdoor wear and comfortable shoes.
Travel Ireland and see that a holiday in Ireland allows one to experience a culture deeply steeped in history. This history is reflected in the warm hospitality, underrated delicious traditional dishes, brilliant music, and beautiful landscape. Whether enjoying a morning breakfast at a B&B, downing a pint or two in a pub, experiencing the local artists, or hiking along a seaside cliff, it is hard not to feel a part of the dramatic culture and rich history that is Ireland.
Understanding the history of Ireland allows for a deeper appreciation of the ancient monuments found there today, as well as reasons for the heartache of contemporary disputes. The story of Ireland is an ancient tale, older than the pyramids of Egypt, and full of more turmoil, upheaval, and romance than any daytime drama.
When a vacation is coming up, golfers eagerly anticipate the time where they can load their gear and race to the courses. But for some who have worked the daily grind, these precious time will be spent on something truly worthwhile that would be the stuff memories are truly made off. Some of them save up and go to Ireland.
Why Ireland?
Simple, they have got some of the best golf courses, whether it be links or parkland courses, that the world have ever seen. Many golfers have discussed the fabulous games they have played and this has made the popularity of Ireland with regards to their golf even grow so much more.
Situated 8 kilometers northwest of the town of Sligo, you will find a century old golf course that has tested many seasoned golfers and have continually to do so. Founded at Rosses Point, the County Sligo Golf Club started in 1894 as a nine-hole links course and was soon developed as a full 18-hole course a dozen years later. Today, this mature golf course has been the site for many prestigious events such as the West of Ireland Championship which calls the course its home. The club has also been chosen as the host for the Irish Close Championship, the Interprovincial Championships, and the Home International Championships, cementing its stature as a world class golf course.
One of five beautiful golf courses found in Sligo, the County Sligo Golf Club golf course is a natural beauty that is encompassed by the Atlantic Ocean on one side and a range of mountains on the other. The fresh breeze from the ocean is a welcome accompaniment as you play along the course, but this same wind could get treacherous as strong gusts can greatly affect the game play. This has been a great challenge for many skilled and seasoned golfers and also a great teacher for the novice.
And since it’s a vacation, you’re family can tag along as well. Sligo town offers a wide variety of attractions and activities for the whole family. The kids can be taken to the biggest birds of prey sanctuary in the whole of Ireland and watch these predators swoop down and soar in their homes. You can also take them to the Woodville farm where rare animal breeds and historic farms can be visited.
You may also take your family in a horse ride whether it is a run in the beaches or a slow ride through the scenic views of this side of Ireland. True family fun for adults and kids are assured and you get to enjoy nature’s best.
But what would an Ireland vacation be if you don’t get a chance to savor a true Irish meal. A number of restaurants are just waiting to serve you the finest that this side of Ireland has to offer. Choose from a wide array of specialties and get a chance to be a witness to great Irish cuisines.
A golf vacation doesn’t have to mean that you need to leave your family behind. No vacation would be fun without them. Going to Sligo would be the best choice as you get to play golf in some of the greatest courses in the world and have the chance to do a host of activities as well with your family.
Worried about travelling to Europe because of the U.S. Dollar? No worries, there are ways around it!
The Ireland & Britain Tourist Boards are really moving to get the Americans back to Europe and the way they are doing it is by providing escorted and semi-inclusive vacations. This means most meals, tours and lodging are in American Dollars.
If you are interested in Ireland, I found this deal for $689+: Air & 5nts Dublin, Ireland, $200 savings, 3rd night free, breakfast - just click here for all details.
Looking to explore a little more Ireland, Scotland and more? Right now Britain & Ireland Vacations is offering a savings of up to $900 to visit Ireland, Scotland & more. What is nice is you can choose to be part of a fully escorted tour (meaning you are with the group most of the time), or your own package, where you may include a few meals and tours and have some time to wonder on your own. Motor coach tours are perfect for the first time traveler, someone who does not like to drive or the return visitor who wants a new experience. These vacations are amazing – featuring a professional Irish guide on your journey, with all accommodations and tours pre-booked, you will experience a new Ireland that you will come to love again and again! Right now they are offering 10% off all escorted tours, book by 3/17, click here for more informatoin.
