'˜Increase in consumers returning to high street' to book holiday

Staff at Clubworld Travel's Carrickfergus branch have been celebrating the company's silver anniversary in the tourism industry.
Jackie Geddis, from Clubworld Travels Carrickfergus branch, marks the travel agents 25th anniversary.  INCT 03-752-CONJackie Geddis, from Clubworld Travels Carrickfergus branch, marks the travel agents 25th anniversary.  INCT 03-752-CON
Jackie Geddis, from Clubworld Travels Carrickfergus branch, marks the travel agents 25th anniversary. INCT 03-752-CON

The travel agency was established in Lurgan by Delia Aston and since then over £1 million has been invested in the business which now has seven branches across Northern Ireland and employs over 35 members of staff.

As part of the 25th anniversary and to continue to improve consumer offering, the travel agent has launched its first dedicated group travel service. This will make it even easier for schools, sports clubs or any large group to book their travel and will be headed up by David McDowell who has over 30 years experience in the travel industry.

Delia Aston, proprietor of Clubworld Travel, said: “It’s hard to believe that 25 years have passed since I opened the first branch of Clubworld Travel.

“I worked in the travel industry for 15 years before I decided to open up my own business. Over the years, we’ve provided holidays to families, young couples, singles and the business community and I have to praise the staff for their work and support.

“Despite being faced with challenging times including the growth of online booking sites and pressure from local and national competitors, we’ve built upon our reputation and continued to be successful.

“The increase of online booking has transformed the industry and has had a huge impact on high street agents however we’ve actually seen an increase in consumers returning to the high street to book their trips over the last year.”

Clubworld Travel was named as Travel Agent of the Year 2015 at the Northern Ireland Travel and Tourism Awards and was also as the top agency in Scotland and Northern Ireland 2015 at the recent Travel 2 Awards.