Danny Callaghan, Sales & Marketing Manager at Action Tours, gives us the low-down on wholesaler Action Tours as it celebrates its big birthday
Tell us a little about Action Tours. How did it start?
Founded by a consortium of Irish hoteliers, the offices of Action Tours opened for business in March 1992. Its primary objective was to encourage more small coach companies to travel to Ireland.
Action Tours promoted a new concept in coach tour wholesaling. The hoteliers had recognised that independent coach operators had the largest market share, but their very independence often restricted their purchasing power. Working together would allow them to compete with their larger brethren.
Action Tours offered them the opportunity to sell top quality hotels at competitive prices which, combined with premium ferry crossings and a choice of dates, extended their product range.
So 2017 is a big year for you?
Yes we’re celebrating 25 years this year! We wanted to shout about this milestone as we are very proud of our achievement, especially considering how competitive this area of the industry is. Action Tours has continued to evolve, and we’re very excited about the next 25 years.
Sounds like there’s lots to do. Do you have a big team?
We’re a relatively small team in comparison to other companies out there. I really think this aids in our success though, as we all work extremely well together as a team. We’re good at what we do and everyone contributes to the overall success of the company. We are a friendly team with extensive knowledge of our products, and provide a prompt and efficient service. With our combined 130 years’ experience, you know you’re in safe hands!
Tell us about the process for booking one of your tours.
Because we’re a smaller team, you can always get hold of and speak to the person you need – none of us sit in an ivory tower! This type of service is invaluable to a customer, and they love it.
So if they’re dealing with a member of our sales team from the start, they’ll work with that person until it is passed on to one of our operations team, but the salesperson will always be available at every part of their journey with us.
It all runs pretty seamlessly. Customer satisfaction is everything, and it means that Action Tours not only has a high level of repeat business, but is also recommended to others in the coaching industry, and that’s why our customers keep coming back.
So the customer is supported all through the process?
All the way through, from the initial point of contact through to the operation of the tour itself. We ensure that the customer has everything they need, and feels important from start to finish. We offer full support for our customers on tour with our 24/7 on-call support.
When’s your next brochure launch?
We will be launching our 2019 brochure at next year’s British Tourism & Travel Show at the NEC, so if you’re going to be there come on over to our stand and grab your copy!
Any exciting new tours for 2018?
We try to incorporate new tours every year to our brochure, and also bring back some of the old favourites! Ireland is proving popular again this year for us, and people love the Wild Atlantic Way coastline.
It’s getting more and more publicity, and so it should, as the scenery is amazing. We also don’t just offer the tours in our brochure, we actually tailor-make tours for our customers too. So pretty much anything they want to try and do, we can help put it together.
Who are your key customers?
We have a large number of customers throughout the length and breadth of the UK, plus a few in Ireland as well, and many have supported us throughout these last 25 years, which in itself speaks volumes of the service we offer. Whether they are a large coach operator or a small group organiser, all of our customers are extremely important to us.
What keeps them coming back to you?
Our regular customers know they can rely on us and we pride ourselves on quality and friendly customer service. It gives them confidence, and in turn, they trust us to do a good job.
- For more information visit actiontours.co.uk
