Consistency is vital for business success in the world of travel, Worldchoice Ireland CEO Carol Anne O’Neill told the 2024 conference of the consortium in Dundalk.
In her opening remarks to the conference, Ms O’Neill told delegates that consistency fosters trust and loyalty among customers, employees, and trade partners, which can lead to enhanced brand identity and operational efficiency.
She paid tribute to the resilience of travel enterprises in what had been a challenging year with disruption of schedules due t a pilot’s strike and other factors.
Industry experts who spoke at the event incuded Jennifer Callister of Royal Caribbean, aa video message from Amanda Middler of Silversea, Valerie Murphy of Celebrity Cruises, Aoife Gregg of United Airlines, Aoife Gregg of United Airlines, Suzanne Rowe of MSC Cruises and Niamh Moynihan, who specialises in enhancing workplace joy and productivity through her Better Workday framework.
Delegates attended from Abbey Travel, Atlantic Travel, Arrow Tours, Centre Travel, Des Abbott Travel, Donabate Travel, Fahy Travel, Grenham Travel, Grogan Travel, Kanes Travel, Keith Prowse, Keller Travel, Killiney Travel, Kilkelly Travel, Mullaney Travel, MD Travel, Mullingar Travel, Navan Travel, O’Donohoe Travel, Phoenix Travel, Shandon Travel, Strand Travel and Tullys Travel.
Nicolette Schreiber newly appointed ambassador of South Africa, was a special guest at the event.
Ms O’Neill said during her opening address: “The year 2024 has been a trading year of highs and lows. It is fair to say that it has been a difficult year to navigate following the strong success of 2023. However, 2024 will finish this position. What we have learned is that there are now no consistent patterns; working patterns are constantly changing, and this will continue to be the norm in 2024.
Yet again, we were tested by our resilience with airline industrial action, and climate change is now becoming a prominent feature. Well done to all those who were involved in proactively dealing with these disruptions. The travel industry continues to face challenges, but make no mistake, we will continue to overcome them.
The word “consistency” by definition means the quality of always behaving or performing in a similar way or of always happening in a similar way. Consistency is one of the most powerful factors that contributes to the success and growth of any business, whether it’s consistency in customer service, marketing, branding, sales, or product. It is how your business is perceived. It is key to the success of every single business
Why is it so powerful? Basically, consistency builds trust and loyalty with your customers, employees, and trade partners. Your customers know that they can rely on you to deliver the same service every time, and they will come back and book with you again. Your employees will trust a consistent leader and culture, which will make them feel safe, secure, valued, and engaged in their roles. Your trade partners appreciate consistency because it makes working together predictable and stable.
Consistency strengthens your brand identity. Consistent logos, marketing visuals, and tone of voice can easily be recognizable to your customers across different touchpoints—your website, your social media. Over time, this builds brand recognition, which is a critical factor in attracting and retaining customers.
Consistency improves efficiency. If processes and standards on workflow are consistent, you become operationally more efficient; you waste less time and save money. Consistent performance management of your teams is also key; it gives them clarity and clear goals for what they need to achieve.
Our headline sponsor this morning, the Royal Caribbean Group, are a testament to the power of consistency across their three brands: Royal Caribbean, Celebrity Cruises, and Silversea. They offer consistent product branding, trade support, and customer care, so I’m delighted that all three brands are our headline sponsors this morning. Shortly, you’re going to be hearing from all three of them.
The year 2023 saw good news for cruises; it saw Irish holidaymakers take 58,000 cruise packages, and that is up 7.5pc on 2022. The Mediterranean is still the top destination, attracting 35pc of customers. The passengers to Northern Europe and the Caribbean follow at 29pc and 12pc respectively.
Today is about learning, networking, and having fun. It’s very easy and comfortable to spend the day in the company of your work colleagues or friends and people you know, but the learning and opportunities lie in meeting the people you don’t know.“
