The brand story

Having gained experience in a fast-expanding London firm of travel agents and tour operators, Gillian Bowler came to Ireland to start a travel operation from a basement office in Dublin in 1975. With a rent of £12 per week, two telephone lines and a very understanding bank manager, Bowler set about selling her first programme to Greece, which was regarded at the time as being a fairly exotic and alternative destination.

A business philosophy of customer care and attention to detail meant that Budget Travel's unique and early trading ethos instantly started to shape the course of the business. By the end of Bowler’s first year of trading, Budget Travel had sold 200 seats.

The late Seventies and early Eighties were particularly problematic for the travel industry in Ireland, as it emerged that many companies were not bonded and thousands of holidaymakers found themselves abandoned in resorts. Budget Travel's ability to respond quickly by obtaining a bond ensured customer confidence and support never wavered.

By 1983, the market for sunshine holidays had rapidly expanded, with over 200,000 Irish people travelling annually. Budget Travel's market share enjoyed continued growth through a determined strategy of “better places, better prices, real choice and value for money”.

At this stage, Budget Travel's annual brochure launch had become somewhat of a social event, with many Irish celebrities in attendance, ensuring unprecedented positive press and media coverage. In fact, the company has always enjoyed impressive media coverage, and is generally regarded as a “newsworthy” company.

In 1987, Granada plc bought Budget Travel and this provided the company with necessary backing to further develop. In 1990, Budget Travel acquired the Aer Lingus holiday company Blueskies, which ultimately expanded the destination range and increased the company's market share to No 1 Tour Operator. The addition of new long-haul destinations such as Florida, Jamaica and Barbados increased passenger volumes and helped capture the nation's imagination through the slogan “dream holidays at dream prices”.

Thomson Holidays acquired Budget Travel from Granada plc in 1996. As part of the Thomson Group, Budget Travel continued to expand its long-haul range, travelling directly from Ireland to far-flung destinations such as Thailand, Mexico, Egypt, Barbados and Florida. Thomson Holidays was taken over by the World of TUI in October 2000.

In 2007, Budget's parent company, TUI Travel plc, merged with First Choice UK. The terms of this merger required TUI to sell all of its interests in Budget Travel and, in September 2007, the Scandinavian Primera Group became the new owner of the company.

Budget Travel's retail division, Budget Travelshop, which first came into existence in 1995, has rapidly expanded to become Ireland's leading travel chain, with a network of 46 high-street shops located around Ireland.

Products and services

In 2008, almost 400,000 Irish holidaymakers will have chosen Budget Travel holidays travelling to over 17 popular Mediterranean destinations, as well as Egypt and the resort of Sharm el Sheikh on the Red Sea Riviera. For the winter '08/09 season, Budget Travel has introduced the luxurious Caribbean island of the Dominican Republic, where all-inclusive prices start from as little as €699 per person.

Budget Travel continues to challenge low-cost air carriers on the issue of baggage charges and check-in fees, which add considerably to the overall costs of going on holiday.

Innovation

In 2005, Budget Travel pioneered the direct-sell module in the Irish travel industry and instigated a massive rebranding and follow through of its "budget" image, using a strong advertising campaign promoting itself as ‘the low-prices holiday company’.

No longer paying travel agents’ commission and passing this saving directly on to the consumer gave Budget Travel a claim to being the champion of the package holiday customer. Relentless and ongoing comparisons with rival companies’ prices in terms of similar products, departure dates and holiday destinations confirmed its position as being the cheapest and best value for money each time.

Constantly introducing new products into the marketplace, Budget Travel launched the Something Special range of luxurious, hand-picked, custom-designed holidays in four- and five-star properties. This year, Budget Travel launched Primera Tours, offering luxury escorted tours from Dublin to a range of European destinations.

Marketing and promotion

Budget Travel's website www.budgettravel.ie offers a user-friendly, simple process for booking the latest travel bargain and holiday escape. The website has grown steadily since 2004 to reach 33pc of the overall booking pattern. Online clients have the added benefit of an excellent back-up sales team for any queries or problems that might arise.

Budget Direct is another of Budget Travel's innovative strategies to move with the times — a dedicated call centre, it offers an after-hours and six-day-a-week telesales service.

Budget Travel has achieved more than brand-leader status within Ireland and the travel industry, proving to be a highly innovative, flexible, market-led operation, which has never lost its personal touch and approach. The ability to adapt to changing trends and the company's simple, yet effective, business philosophy is at the very heart of the Budget Travel ideology.