Interview with Yolanda López, founder of Aroundireland.ie

Recently, we welcomed a new member of ISEA: Aroundireland.ie. We had the pleasure of interviewing Yolanda López, its founder, to tell us more about her company.

What is your business and what is its added value?

AroundIreland.ie is a professional tour management company offering customized Day Tours and Multi-day tours in Ireland. We organize tours for companies, educational institutes, and family or friend groups. We can manage the total tour experience including managing airport transfers; hotels and accommodation; events and tour guides.

AroundIreland.ie is a synergy of my passion for travel and great experiences and my professional background as Marketing event Manager in a family business in Spain, a Mercedes-Benz Dealership based in Madrid and as Marketing Manager in a Microsoft Partner company based in Dublin.

With an extensive network of transports operators, tour guides and the knowledge and experience of visitor attractions we are in a position to listen to our customer’s requirements and build tour packages that are tailored to their specific needs and wants. As a native Spanish speaker, we are well-positioned to work with the many Spanish companies and visitors who find Ireland a great place to visit. Beyond the very popular visitor attractions Irelands offers many hidden gems; off beaten track; small towns and not that well known festivals and local customs that we will offer to our customers.

Our success to date has been with family and friends groups and educational institutes. We see strong possibilities with Spanish and Irish companies looking to organize team-building events and Corporate tours in Ireland.

We have started with Aroundireland.ie but soon will be launching Aroundspain.ie n to bring Irish visitors and companies to the hidden gems in Spain.  Sample of some of the tours will be to do parts of the Camino de Santiago, gastronomic and wine tourism experiences, as well as cultural trips to destinations such as Cordoba, Granada or Madrid.

Where will you be in 5 years?

In five years we see ourselves as a reference agency for tailor-made trips as well as for corporate and team building events in Ireland. We hope to be a bigger team of passionate people about great customer experience with a great reputation for quality and finding and delivering the hidden and unusual experiences. We will have a strong business in both directions The Spanish visiting Ireland and the Irish visiting Spain.

What business challenges remain?

We are a start-up and beginnings can be hard. We have been really lucky with some great people placing their trust in us. It is a challenge to find new businesses but we know that it will take time and effort and we are up for it.

Why did you decide to join ISEA?

Aroundireland.ie joined ISEA in this 2020 and we are convinced that it will help us to build relationships and learn from other entrepreneurs and consolidated companies who have faced similar journeys here in Ireland.

We believe that ISEA is a great showcase and an excellent networking platform that helps and encourages good relationships between Irish and Spanish companies.