Gulliver Ireland, Ireland's leading cost effective provider of tourism information and reservations, announced today (Friday, Sept 24th) that it has appointed Dick Spring as Chairman of the company.
He replaces Pat Dineen who served as Gulliver's Chairman for 7 years. A former Tanaiste, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Leader of the Labour Party, Dick Spring is also Executive Vice-Chairman of the FEXCO Group, the Kerry, Ireland-based global payments company.
In July 2004, FEXCO announced that it acquired the remaining 26 per cent shareholding of Gulliver Ireland from All Ireland Tourism Holdings, a company owned by Fáilte Ireland and the Northern Ireland Tourist Board. It followed a significant investment programme by FEXCO in Gulliver Ireland over the last number of years that has transformed the original Gulliver database and established it as Ireland's destination management system and one of the leading systems of its kind in Europe.
Gulliver Ireland operates within FEXCO's Travel & Leisure product market group. FEXCO made a series of acquisitions this year that has seen Nova RentaCar Reservations Limited, an independent worldwide car rental reservation service headquartered in Co. Down, Northern Ireland, and Online TeeTimes Limited (OTL), a Wicklow-based company that provides an online platform for the sale of Irish green fees, join Gulliver Ireland in FEXCO's Travel & Leisure product market group.
Gulliver is the world's most widely used national booking system, with over 9,000 linked properties, or over 60 per cent of approved accommodation on the island of Ireland. Gulliver Ireland's booking engine now powers more than 60 websites including the Fáilte Ireland website, www.ireland.ie, the Dublin Tourism website, www.visitdublin.com, and the Irish Times website, www.ireland.com.
Speaking at the announcement, Brian McCarthy, FEXCO's Founder and Executive Chairman, said, "The appointment of Dick Spring as Chairman comes at a time when Gulliver Ireland is at a high watermark in terms of expectations and achievements. Working with the Gulliver Ireland management team, his skills and contact base will prove invaluable in ensuring that Gulliver Ireland can maintain its solid business growth into the future.
"FEXCO's acquisitions this year have helped develop its focus on e-commerce and build the leadership position of its Travel & Leisure product market group in which Gulliver Ireland operates. Our very significant investment programme in Gulliver has established the Gulliver database as Ireland's destination management system and one of the leading systems of its kind in Europe.
"I would also like to pay tribute to Pat Dineen whose 7-year term as Chairman oversaw important developments of the company. We look forward to Dick Spring's tenure as Chairman marking the next chapter of the Gulliver success story," added Brian McCarthy.