'We're a resilient industry; whatever we face, we will face it together'
Ilaria Grasso MacolaIt’s barely three weeks since the new boss of the Irish Travel Agents Association (ITAA) Clare Dunne got her feet under the table but already, her diary is all-but full.
A travel veteran of some 40 years, Dunne founded Dublin agency The Travel Broker – a two-time TTG Top 50 agency – in 1994, and in 2012 became the ITAA’s first female president. She was named the association’s new chief executive in May following Pat Dawson’s retirement.
Such are her credentials, you’d be hard-pressed to find someone better suited to lead Ireland’s travel and tourism sector into a new post-Covid era, nor someone more personally motivated to do so.
In fact, Dunne’s already looking at ways to support ITAA members with some of the biggest challenges they’re facing – namely staffing and recruitment issues, the industry’s gender imbalances, and climate change.
“The role of chief executive is to drive the association forward, making sure we stay up to date with what we need to do, but also to help members achieve their objectives for their businesses,” Dunne explains.
She tells TTG the staffing issues plaguing Ireland’s travel trade are her top priority, while her biggest goal is to set up a proper education and training programme to ensure there is constant flow of talent into the industry.
“We need new talent to keep us fresh and to make sure we can drive forward,” Dunne says. “It’s a really vibrant, interesting and absorbing industry, but we need more people.”
Dunne believes perception is the main issue for youngsters considering a career in the trade, with some seeing it as an obsolete sector.
“A lot of people think if you’re going to book travel, you just go online and book it,” Dunne explains. “But they actually don’t realise they’re missing out on a whole range of services.”
To help more young people get their foot in the industry’s door, the ITAA has launched several programmes to entice talented individuals, including leadership training, as well as a programme working with colleges around Ireland.
“I’m trying to spread the message that travel as a career path is not just selling holidays,” Dunne adds. “There are as many other opportunities as there are in other industries."
’Time to thrive’
Tackling travel’s gender imbalance, which has typically seen the industry run or managed by men in higher-ranking, better-paid roles while being staffed primarily by women in lower-ranking, lower-paid roles, is another priority for Dunne, who wants to encourage more women to pursue – and attain – senior roles within the industry.
“In my past life, I was chair of the Association of Women Travel Executives [in Ireland], and we did a lot of work to motivate women to put themselves forward for positions on boards or senior positions," Dunne recounts. "So I’m hoping to further that mission and continue that in the ITAA."
Dunne is also conscious of ensuring Ireland’s travel trade is delivering on its obligations to its people, the public and the planet; she has pledged to work proactively with partners on sustainability issues, and help get key messaging across to ITAA members.
Despite the challenges that lie ahead for travel, Dunne tells TTG she’s not worried about the industry’s future. “My experience tells me we are an extremely resilient industry and whatever we face, we will face it together and we’ll get through it and continue to thrive."
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Ilaria Grasso Macola
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