The Galway business, a TTG Top 50 Travel Agency which is on the shortlist again for 2019, opened the new cruise centre just before Christmas, in time for the peak- booking period. It follows years of growing cruise sales for the agency.
“We’ve specialised in cruise for about four years but we were doing it from an office upstairs,” explained managing director Maura Fahy.
“This meant a lot of elderly people and families had to go upstairs, which wasn’t ideal.
“Cruise has been growing at a faster rate than other elements of our business, hence this investment, and we are very confident of developing it into the future.”
The wall between the two retail units has been knocked through, so all agents now work on the ground floor, including the three dedicated sales staff in the cruise centre.
A special party was held to mark the opening, with both cruise lines and clients invited. Royal Caribbean’s head of Ireland, Jennifer Callister, cut the ribbon.
“This is the first dedicated cruise shop in the west of Ireland,” added Fahy. “Cruise is a growing market in Ireland – the lines keep building bigger ships and they need to fill them.
“We have quite a big area to go after in the west. Cruise is complex, and it’s difficult to book online. Getting the right people on the right ships is crucial.”
Fahy added there was already strong demand for weddings and honeymoons on cruise ships, as well as from families making multigenerational cruise bookings.
“It’s much easier for people to find the cruise shop [now], as it’s more visible on the ground floor,” she said. “It makes it easier for us to ask clients if they have considered a cruise.”
The move also marks a return to Fahy Travel’s original office, dating back to the late 19th century when the company was set up by Maura Fahy’s relative Kate, and specialised in arranging travel on cruise lines such as P&O and Cunard.
“We’re going back to our roots, and it’s very exciting to be back where it all started,” said Fahy.
