Holiday-makers urged to book with Irish travel agents

Holiday-makers should book with Irish travel agents to ensure the protection of consumer laws, a leading industry body warned on Tuesday.

The Irish Travel Agents’s Association (ITAA) said bookings for summer were slow as people waited for Covid-19 vaccinations before committing to holidays.

Pat Dawson, the association's chief executive, urged people to book with Irish-based agents, and to check terms and conditions for airlines' cancellation policies.

“This is still a fluid situation, with guidelines changing on a daily basis from country to country,” Mr Dawson said.

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The ITAA noted that companies based here were subject to Irish law and the oversight of the Commission for Aviation Regulation, part of whose role is to safeguard consumers' rights.

Most bookings are for the second half of the year, according to Mr Dawson. “So far there has been a trickle of bookings from September onwards, but no great numbers to any particular destination,” he said.

“In addition to this younger people probably won’t receive the vaccine until sometime in late summer, which has certainly had an effect on bookings.”

Mr Dawson added that vaccinating people more quickly would help enable safe travel in time for summer.