Irish Travel Agents Association

What Irish Travel Agents Association does

The Irish Travel Agents Association (ITAA) is a trade association founded in 1971 and headquartered at 6-9 Trinity Street, Dublin 2, operating as a company limited by guarantee. It represents approximately 100 licensed travel agent and tour operator member companies covering over 140 retail outlets throughout the Republic of Ireland. All member travel agents must hold a Travel Agent's and/or Tour Operator's license issued by the Irish Aviation Authority (IAA), giving ITAA a regulatory-aligned membership base. The association is led by CEO Clare Dunne and President Tom Randles (re-elected April 2026), with governance through an elected Board comprising a President, Treasurer, and eight members.

ITAA's revenue is generated through multiple streams: recurring membership subscriptions from licensed travel agents and tour operators; fees from a Partner Programme that includes over 70 travel industry suppliers (airlines, accommodation providers, cruise lines, car hire, insurance, media, and technology providers such as Amadeus and Dolphin Dynamics); professional services income from training programmes including a €995 Leadership Excellence in the Travel Industry course and a €250 Training Credit Scheme; and event-related revenue from its annual conference, the Irish Travel Industry Awards (with Royal Caribbean as 2027 headline sponsor and MSC Cruises as 2026 association partner), and Ireland's largest travel trade shows. Member benefits include access to legal information, industry communications, the ITAA Conciliation Procedure for dispute resolution, marketing exposure through the consumer-facing Travel Agent Search and Travel Offers Platform, and training discounts.

ITAA's go-to-market operates through three motions: sales-led member engagement via the Travel Industry Zone portal and dedicated member communications; channel partnerships through the Partner Programme linking member agents with suppliers; and event-driven networking at the conference, awards, and trade shows. Distribution to consumers flows indirectly through the 140+ member retail outlets and online platforms such as ClickandGo.com, with ITAA's website acting as a discovery and credibility layer. The association is beginning to extend its footprint beyond Ireland, having held the 2026 annual conference in Costa Daurada, Spain in partnership with the Catalan Tourist Board and participated in the ECTAA Travel Distribution Summit 2026 in Brussels.

Name

Irish Travel Agents Association

Legal name

The Irish Travel Agents Association Ltd

Website

https://itaa.ie

Company type

Private

Founded year

1971

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Irish Travel Agents Association (ITAA) is a Dublin-based trade association founded in 1971 that represents approximately 100 licensed travel agent and tour operator member companies operating over 140 retail outlets across the Republic of Ireland, offering membership services, training, events, and a 70+ supplier Partner Programme.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Travel Trade Association Services

NAICS

Travel Agencies (561510), Convention and Trade Show Organizers (56192)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Partner Network & Supplier Onboarding/Connectivity Platforms (Mapping, Certification, QA) (THALAJAO)

Keywords

• Travel trade association
• Industry membership services
• Professional training programmes
• Industry events conferences
• Consumer protection services

Headquarters

HQ city

Dublin 2, Dublin

HQ country

Ireland

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Membership Subscriptions: Travel agents and tour operators licensed in Ireland pay membership fees to join the ITAA. Members receive access to legal information, regular communications, training discounts, and other member benefits. Membership requires approval by the board.
2. Partner Programme Fees: Travel industry suppliers (accommodation, airlines, cruise companies, car hire, insurance, media, technology providers) pay fees to join the ITAA Partner Programme, gaining access to ITAA members, marketing exposure, and event participation.
3. Training Services: The ITAA Training Academy generates revenue through training programmes including the Leadership Excellence in the Travel Industry programme (€995 per participant), VAT training, GDPR training, and other professional development courses for travel agents.
4. Annual Conference: The ITAA Annual Conference (Costa Daurada, Spain 2026) generates revenue through delegate registrations, sponsor fees, and partner programme rates for attendance.
5. Irish Travel Industry Awards: The Irish Travel Industry Awards (January 2027) generates revenue through table bookings, ticket sales, and sponsorship enquiries. The awards are organized on behalf of ITAA by Business Exhibitions Limited.
6. Trade Shows: The ITAA organizes the Irish Travel Trade Shows, which welcome over 100 leading global travel brands. Revenue generated through exhibitor fees.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The ITAA is a membership-based trade association that represents licensed Irish travel agents and tour operators. It sells recurring Travel Agent Membership, a Partner Programme for travel industry suppliers, paid Training Programmes (including the Leadership Excellence programme), and industry events such as the ITAA Annual Conference, Irish Travel Trade Shows, and the Irish Travel Industry Awards. It also operates consumer-facing tools (Travel Agent Search, Travel Offers Platform) and member services (Conciliation Procedure, Benevolent Fund) to support its ~100 member companies and 140+ retail outlets.

Product overview

The Irish Travel Agents Association (ITAA) is a membership body for licensed Irish travel agents and tour operators, offering a portfolio of association services rather than a single unified software product. The core offering centres on ITAA Travel Agent Membership and the ITAA Partner Programme, which provide access to a network of nearly 100 member companies across 140+ retail outlets, legal information, industry communications, and member discounts. Associated services include the annual ITAA Conference (2026 hosted in Costa Daurada, Spain), the Irish Travel Industry Awards (2027 with Royal Caribbean as headline sponsor), the ITAA Trade Show (Ireland's largest travel trade shows), and ITAA Training Programmes including the Leadership Excellence programme and the €250 Training Credit Scheme. Supporting consumer-facing services include the Travel Offers Platform (aggregating member travel deals across categories such as cruises, city breaks, and luxury holidays), a Travel Agent Search directory, and the ITAA Conciliation Procedure for dispute resolution. The ITAA Benevolent Fund provides additional support to members.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• 72,000 Irish holidaymakers took an ocean cruise in 2025, a 12.2% increase on 2024 and the highest number ever recorded for the Irish market

Named customers11 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Royal CaribbeancoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 30 July 2026Royal Caribbean is the headline sponsor of the Irish Travel Industry Awards 2027, which will take place in the Round Room at Dublin's Mansion House on Thursday, 21st January 2027. Gerard Nolan, Vice President & Managing Director, EMEA, Royal Caribbean stated that travel agent partners play a key role in their success.
• MSC CruisescoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 23 January 2026MSC Cruises is the association partner for the Irish Travel Industry Awards 2026. The awards were held 'in association with MSC Cruises' at Dublin's Mansion House.
• Aer LinguscoreGTM or Marketing PartnerAer Lingus is listed as an airline partner in the ITAA Partner Programme. Partners receive access to ITAA member database, marketing exposure, and preferential rates at ITAA events.
• EmiratescoreGTM or Marketing PartnerEmirates is listed as an airline partner in the ITAA Partner Programme. The association offers Emirates training webinars including NDC (New Distribution Capability) education for members.
• Catalan Tourist BoardcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Catalan Tourist Board is hosting the ITAA Annual Conference 2026 in Costa Daurada, Spain from 1st to 4th October 2026. Conference sponsors include Catalan Tourist Board, Costa Daurada, Visit Salou, Cambrils Turisme, Vila-seca, La Pineda Platja and Spanish Tourism Office in Dublin.
• Positive2Work SkillnetcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPositive2Work Skillnet developed the Leadership Excellence in the Travel Industry programme in association with the Irish Travel Agents Association (ITAA) and travel experts, with the intention of building a course relevant to the travel industry.
• Business Exhibitions LimitedminorGTM or Marketing PartnerBusiness Exhibitions Limited organizes the Irish Travel Industry Awards on behalf of the Irish Travel Agents Association (ITAA). Contact: Maria Hourican.
• Irish Aviation Authority (IAA)coreOthersThe Irish Aviation Authority regulates certain aspects of the aviation and travel trade sectors in Ireland. It is responsible for licensing the travel trade in Ireland, granting licenses to both tour operators and travel agents. All ITAA travel agent members must be licensed by the IAA.
• ECTAAcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerECTAA is the European Travel Agents' and Tour Operators' Associations. The ITAA participated in the ECTAA Travel Distribution Summit 2026 in Brussels, which gathered over 150 leaders from across Europe.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• ASTA (American Society of Travel Advisors): The largest US travel advisor association, offering advocacy, training, and events to American travel agents — directly comparable as a national trade body for retail travel professionals.
• ABTA (Association of British Travel Agents): The UK's leading travel association, providing similar membership, training, arbitration, and regulatory-liaison services to British travel agents and tour operators — the closest analogue to ITAA by structure and remit.
• DRV (Deutscher Reiseverband): Germany's leading travel industry association representing travel agents and tour operators — directly comparable in scale and remit as a major European national trade body.
• ACTA (Association of Canadian Travel Agents): Canada's national travel agent association representing retail travel sellers and suppliers — directly comparable in scope, member services, and advocacy focus to the ITAA.
• ANVR (Algemene Nederlandse Vereniging van Reisondernemingen): The Dutch national travel industry association representing travel agents and tour operators in the Netherlands — directly comparable as a peer national trade body under the broader ECTAA umbrella.

Regional players

• AFTA (Australian Federation of Travel Agents): Australia's national peak body for travel agents and tour operators with similar advocacy, training, and ATAS accreditation — operates in a different geography but with an analogous membership-and-accreditation model.

Broad incumbents

• IATA (International Air Transport Association): The global airline trade body that sets distribution standards (NDC) and accredits travel agents — overlapping with ITAA on travel-agent training and distribution policy but operating at vastly greater scale and scope.

Emerging players

• CLIA (Cruise Lines International Association): The global cruise industry association whose Irish market data ITAA regularly cites — overlapping in travel-trade advocacy and events, but with a narrower cruise-only vertical focus.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/ITAATweets
• Facebookfacebook.com/IrishTravelAgentsAssociation
• Instagraminstagram.com/irishtravelagentsassociation/?hl=en
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/irish-travel-agents-association

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Irish Travel Agents Association