Shandon Travel – Fifty Years at the Helm of Travel in Ireland
Shandon Travel, founded and owned by Michael Doorley, is celebrating fifty years in business this month
In October 1974, Michael Doorley opened his very first Shandon Travel outlet on Oliver Plunkett Street in Cork, employing just one staff member. During the next 50 years, Shandon Travel expanded taking over two other travel companies with offices in Dublin Airport, Clonakilty and Bantry. The Shandon Travel HQ remains at its Grand Parade location, just opposite the English Market. While their two West Cork locations trade under the West Cork Travel brand enjoying a very loyal customer base.
Over the years, Shandon Travel has diversified to include additional brands; The Cruise Centre and Family Holiday Centre. They are recognised throughout the industry as an authority on all aspects of the travel business.
Establishing the Sayit brand in 2001, Doorley broke the exclusivity that one company in Ireland had with the coveted students J1 visa. Sayit is now recognised by college students as having the best service in processing the J1 USA work and Travel visa.
With 50 years of reliable and knowledgeable service to customers all over Ireland, Shandon has substantial repeat customers and more recently new customers who want reliable, knowledgeable, service, knowing that if anything goes wrong they have access to Shandon staff who will ease the problem.
Shandon’s principal, Michael Doorley has served five times as president of the Irish Travel Agents Association in 1982-84, 2004-06 and 2020-21, driving many of the initiatives that define the travel industry in Ireland today.
Originally from Tipperary, Doorley became one of the first members of what is now the ITAA, serving as Munster representative on the newly formed council for several years. He recalls this era as a very tempestuous time in the burgeoning package holiday market, with a series of company failures that left consumers stranded abroad.
In his first term as president of the ITAA In 1982-84, Doorley and a committee met with Kevin Kelly, principal officer in the Department of Transport, to propose legislation for travel agents that would protect the consumer. They subsequently met with the Restrictive Practices Commission who made a recommendation to the Government and the 1982 Transport (Tour Operators and Travel Agents) Act became law. As he says, this same law, warts and all, is the bedrock of today’s legislation offering consumer protection.
At that time technology for travel agents as we know it today was in its infancy; for an agent to make an airline reservation they either phoned the airline or, if they had computers then they would have to go in and out of each airline’s system individually, in to BABS for BA; into Astral for EI; in to PAN Am or TWA. It was very cumbersome and time consuming; so the ITAA put a committee together to explore alternatives and Travel Industry Multi Access System (TIMAS) was born, a partnership of ITAA, Aer Lingus, and computer equipment manufacturer Videcom. TIMAS subsequently became Galileo and subsequently today’s Travelport. The ITAA agents who had made an investment each received back their investment. At the end of Michael’s Presidency in 1983, discussions began with IATA resulting in Irish Agents joining the BSP system. This brought an end to tedious monthly reports.
A different set of challenges faced the ITAA when he served a second two year term in 2004-06. At that stage, interest in attending the AGM had diminished to a level whereby only ninety members attended the 2002 AGM and dinner. With no candidates going forward and concern for its future, Doorley again stepped forward and stood for Presidency. He was re-elected again the following year.
Clare Dunne, CEO of the Irish Travel Agents Association said, “The Irish Travel Agents Association congratulate Shandon Travel and Michael Doorley on reaching this milestone. It is a fantastic achievement to reach 50 years in business and it is wonderful to see that Shandon Travel has become central to the travel scene in Ireland and to the business landscape in Cork. Michael Doorley has indeed made a significant contribution to the Irish travel industry.”
ENDS
