By Business & Finance 
TravelSmart and Inspiring Innovation, joint initiatives supported by Travelport and the Irish Travel Agents Association (ITAA) were announced today.
The announcement came at the annual ITAA AGM in Dublin and was met with enthusiasm from the Irish travel industry. TravelPort and the ITAA aim to increase consumer awareness about the benefits of booking with a travel agent as well as reward Irish travel agents who are using technology to drive innovation within their businesses.
‘Inspiring Innovation: Travel Agent Excellence through Smart Technology’ is a programme for travel agents. Its aim is to celebrate technological advances within the industry and spotlight those travel agents who are actively using technology to advance their company. Travelport and the ITAA will highlight and profile the agent who has best incorporated forward-thinking technology into their business model to enhance customer experience, encourage business growth and increase efficiency.
The TravelSmart campaign will promote travel agencies to Irish consumers and present travellers with a number of reasons as to why booking with an agent is a better, safer and more convenient option than going it alone.
Speaking at the ITAA AGM today, Pat Dawson CEO of the ITAA said: “We are excited to announce the details of the consumer led TravelSmart campaign and the travel agency focused Inspiring Innovation project. We are delighted to be working in collaboration with Travelport on both of these initiatives which will benefit both Irish travel consumers and member agencies of the ITAA in 2014.”
Sinead Reilly, country manager for Travelport Ireland said: “Travelport are a huge supporter and promoter of innovation within the travel industry and we are thrilled to have the opportunity to recognise and reward technological advances within the sector through the Inspiring Innovation programme. Equally, we are looking forward to working closely with the ITAA to promote the many reasons that Irish travel agents are the best choice when looking to book a holiday abroad.”
