22 December 2017
Now celebrating 40 years in the travel industry, Cork-based Mary Foyle has been with Travel Counsellors since it was first set up in Ireland in 2005. At the star-studded annual Travel Counsellors global conference, Mary not only won the prestigious title of top performing Travel Counsellor in Ireland, but was also invited to speak at the event.
For Mary, her decision to join Travel Counsellors was an instantaneous one. She had been managing a city centre travel agency for 14 years before she made the move. With her 4 kids 16 to 11 at the time, becoming a Travel Counsellor ticked all the boxes for her as she could work from home and be there when her children needed her.
“I am one of the pioneers of Travel Counsellors Ireland; I’ve been here since the very beginning and joined Travel Counsellors two to three weeks after it launched in Ireland 12 years ago,” Mary told an audience of 1,700 people at November’s annual conference in Manchester.
With Gold Travel Counsellor status (earning over €67,000), Mary explained that by fully embracing partnerships with Destination Management Companies (DMCs) and Travel Counsellors’ in-house technology, Phenix, she has increased her earning potential. DMCs operate ‘on the ground’ destinations, providing extensive local knowledge and offer the best value of their specific destination. They provide ground support for Travel Counsellors’ customers; from meeting and greeting them when they arrive at the airport, to escorting them on unique excursions throughout their trip.
Mary outlined: “I sell a lot of honeymoons and I think everyone knows that in this day and age, honeymooners are looking for a little bit more than just two weeks lying on a beach. But I tend to pitch to clients in the mid 50s to early 70s age group – these are the people with maybe a little bit more disposable income, the kids have properly left college, left home, and many of them are coming up to retirement or recently retired.
“What these people are trying to do is start ticking that bucket list and just explore, immerse themselves in the local culture, experience adventure and create memories.
“There is so much help available to us in becoming a tour operator and fulfilling our clients’ dreams. Our intranet is full of amazing itineraries from all our DMCs; websites such as EXO and Global Encounters are an absolute mine of information for us; and of course, we have wonderful training system called TC Coach.”
Mary added that by personalising an itinerary for clients, for example a honeymoon couple going to Sri Lanka, you can help create amazing experiences. “They wanted a little bit more than just the cultural sights,” she says. “They wanted to have a little bit of adventure, so they are going canyoning, white water rafting and climbing Adam’s Peak at sunrise with a guide as well. There are so many different things we can bring to the table.”
Mary stated that by using DMCs, she has ensured continuity of service for her clients; she can get the right hotels, for the right clients, at the right price; she has increased her margin by 1.4% this year; and it saves her precious time in the business.
“I get very happy clients – they cannot wait to come home to tell me all about it,” Mary says. “I had a conversation with a client the other day which lasted 45 minutes … I learned so much from her client after their holiday.
“Now I have so many more places to add to my portfolio and of course, happy clients lead to brilliant referrals.”
