MARCH 2020 PAGE 6
POSTCARDS FROM THE TRAVEL SCENE
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t was a hugely successful year for Celebrity Cruises who have collected 134 awards both globally and in Ireland. Jo Rzymonska, MD of Ireland, Britain. and Asia said said Dublin Port, who had announced they would be solely focusing on cargo, were once again agreeing to look into propositions for the venture in the coming 24 months. Rzymonska highlighted the four fe-
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he silk covered confines of The Great Room at The Shelbourne Hotel provided a fitting backdrop for the 96th anniversary of the emergence of Turkey as a republic. Turkish ambassador, Levent Murhat Burhan, was on hand to meet and greet the extensive group of Turkish and Irish guests who filled the venue and listened to a poetic recital by Robyn Rowland from her books Under This Saffron Sun
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he annual event for the travel trade hosted by the Star Alliance group of airlines saw some familar faces and some newcomers as the aliance presence grows with Dublin and Shannon airports. Shannon airport sponsored the event, reminding trade guests of the long standing relationship with airlines such as Air Canada, United and Lufthansa. Martina Coogan of United chair of Star
male captains now on board, women now forming 50pc of hotel directors positions and females 33pc of staff. March 28th will see the delivery to Southampton of the second billion dollar plus Edge cruise ship, Celebrity Apex and $300m is being invested in bringing the fleet up to Edge standard at a cost of $70 - $90m per ship. Jo Rzymowska is pictured with Valerie Murphy and Michael English.
and The Intimate War. Ambassador Burhan also spoke of Turkey’s special relationship with Ireland, which predates its status as a Republic, dating back to 1847 when the young ruling sultan was informed by his Irish doctor of the great famine ravaging our country. Picture shows Maureen Ledwith and Edmund Hourican pictured with Alper Sean Hackett and Onur Gull of Turkish Airways.
Alliance Ireland, spoke at the event. Picture shows Star Alliance Ireland representatives, Hasan Mutlu of Turkish Airlines, Irma Kennedy of Croatia Airlines, Lynda Betsch of Aegean, Jane Reeves of Star Alliance, Alan Sparling of ASM (at back), Blaithn O’Donnell of Air Canada (front), Martina Coogan of United chair of Star Alliance Ireland, Meseret Tekalign of Ethiopian Airlines and Ricardo Dinis of TAP Air,
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ony Lane reported a 10pc growth in travel to the US from Ireland. US pre-clearance here has helped increase these numbers as both Dublin and Shannon are the only airports in Europe to offer it.. Sunway’s Toni Birthistle scooped the top prize of an all expenses paid trip to Florida which includes Aer Lingus flights for 2, a 4 night stay at the luxurious Sonesta Suites, tickets to Universal
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ey members of the travel trade and media were invited to Brand USA’s VIP Media event on Wednesday 4th March 2020. There they were treated to a private viewing of the organisation’s latest promotional documentary, Into America’s Wild, which has just been rolled out. The documentary, narrated by Morgan Freeman among several others, is a visually stunning view of America’s
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he Association of Women Travel Executives pulled out all the stops on Friday December 6th with one of the jewels in the Crown of their annual calendar of events, the Christmas lunch. This year’s eagerly anticipated gathering was held at Suesey Street restaurant where the dulcet tones of Sean Boland kept the white linen napkins waving in the air.
Studios, tickets to Sea World, car hire and dinner at the Kennedy Space Centre with an astronaut. Not bad going for a girl who admits she “never wins anything! “ Picture shows Grant Daley of Universal Parks & Resorts, Mary Murphy of Visit Orlando, Michaela Grey of Sea World, Philip Britton from the Kennedy Space Centre and Tony Lane, Executive Director of Visit USA
great outdoors and gives a truly exhilarating snapshot of all the nature, adventure and breathtaking beauty that awaits its tourists when they venture off the beaten track. Picture shows Brand USA CEO and President, Chris L. Thompson, pitured with Tryphavana Cross of Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority. The IPW inbound USA event will be hosted by las Vegas in June.
In the words of Clare Dunne: “For 2020 hold your head up high and talk about your industry with pride”. Picture shows the Committee . Fiona Foster of Cassidy Travel, Maura Maloney of Dublin Airport, Clare Dunne of The Travel Broker, Dympna Crowley of Lee Travel, Teresa Murphy of Air France/KLM. Ffront row: Martina Coogan of United Airlines, Lorraine Quinn of Celebrity Cruises.