A DAY WITH... TRAVEL WEEKLY ON THE ROAD


Listen to our interview with Oasis Travel’s Sandra Corkin on the latest Travel Weekly podcast, out on Thursday February 21.


AMIE’S DAY AT OASIS TRAVEL


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ABOVE: Christina Holland, Judith Hall and Briege McElroy at the Lisburn branch


ABOVE LEFT: Virtual reality at Cruise Beyond in Belfast


LEFT: Pauline Suttle, Ballyhackamore branch


FAR LEFT: Holywood branch, Sandra Corkin (centre) with Brendan Mallon and Lisa Sprake Inset: Simon O’Neill and Sandra Corkin


launch, featuring offers and prompting users to call or email enquiries. Cruise accounts for about 40% of Oasis


Travel’s business and this is reflected in all of its stores with beautiful imagery of Celebrity Edge, and ships from Royal Caribbean, Silversea and others on the walls.


Portfolio Oasis operates Portfolio suites in its branches for customers who want to book in privacy. The idea came about from Julie-Anne


Vaughan 12 years ago when she managed the Lisburn branch. Sandra says: “She was


Oasis Travel, Lisburn


inundated with customers and some wanted to speak in private.” The Holywood store moved its suite to a charming 17th-century postmaster’s office down the road, complete with original post drawers and antique furnishings. It is staffed by Simon O’Neill who turns over £1 million a year. “I do a lot of concierge and book


restaurants or whatever they need. If you go the extra mile it goes a long way,” he says. The bulk of Simon’s business is from repeat


customers and he relies heavily on referrals. “I don’t have a shop window,” he says. “I ask


customers to recommend me to friends.” Events are a big focus for Oasis. As well


as a stand at the Belfast Holiday Show, the agency runs its own event each year, the Northern Ireland Cruise Fair, which attracts about 1,500 people.


Future Are more shops on the cards? “We want to improve what we are already doing,” Sandra says. “We’ve taken on so many projects over the last few year, so this year is about consolidating all of that.” New staff uniforms are planned this


year and the business has started working with an external staff trainer for senior


This was no ordinary shop visit. Sandra and her team went all out


and organised a tour of five out of her six branches, plus lunch and an airport drop-off, in six hours. The shops are stylish, modern and immaculate – white leather chairs, huge cylinder lamp shades, wooden flooring and aspirational holiday imagery adorn the walls. The stores are redecorated every


three years, but you’d think each of them had just undergone a refit. In each branch you’re left in no doubt this is a cruise specialist with stunning images of the inside and outside of ships all around. I couldn’t have been given a warmer


welcome on my ‘tour’ and what struck me most was how much the staff loved their job and working for Sandra. She looks after her staff, which has clearly gone a long way in helping her build a hugely successful business.


management team, who Sandra describes as “unconventional”. She says one element of the training


involved staff sitting together and getting everything off their chest, resulting in the trainer asking Brendan if he thought Sandra “thrived on chaos”. If she does, she hides it well and without ever breaking a sweat. But more importantly, it is probably what has helped her build Northern Ireland’s most successful independent travel agency with a loyal and long-serving workforce.


Thanks to Holiday Extras for supplying our hire car in Northern Ireland. ‘Holiday Extras only works with approved car hire providers and protects you from unforeseen costs. Vauxhall Corsa hire (or similar) from Belfast airport costs from £24 for two days, visit HolidayExtras.com


21 February 2019travelweekly.co.uk31


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Sandra Corkin, Amie Keeley and Lynn Jamison, Bangor


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