News
Kerry company helps over 10,000 passengers travel smoothly

Kerry company SafeScore headquartered in the RDI Hub in Killorglin, has launched an exciting new partnership with a mainland European hub, Ljubljana International Airport, of the Fraport group.
Slovenia’s flagship airport is putting their passenger experience first by ensuring their easy access to clear and useful travel information. Their recent partnership with Irish based travel data company, SafeScore, allows them to keep travellers up-to-date and prepared for their journey.
Accessed via a widget on Ljubljana International’s website, SafeScore offers users everything from testing requirements to vaccine brand acceptance, all condensed into bite-sized paragraphs. This feature, allowing passengers to access information via their phones, laptops, or tablets, has already been used by over 10,000 visitors, and that number is growing daily.
Frustrations and delays have become standard scenes witnessed in airports around the world. Heathrow famously experienced ‘hours-long’ queues, further exacerbated by a staff shortage thanks to self-isolation requirements. Complicated documentation requirements add to queue-waiting times, as passengers arrive under-prepared, some have bought and paid for the wrong COVID test, and are denied boarding, while others are faced with last minute quarantine costs they hadn’t anticipated. In Portugal alone, over 2,500 passengers, and 41 airlines were fined for failing to meet the local PCR testing requirements over December and January.
Now, Ljubljana Airport is changing this narrative, and the positive passenger experience reflects this. Speaking about the project, Monika Jelačič, communications expert and the head of the project at the airport said “this is exactly what our passengers need, personalised, simple explanations of the travel restrictions".
"Other airports are simply providing a link to a Government website, but this isn’t very helpful. We’ve gone the extra mile with SafeScore and are very pleased with the results."
SafeScore’s CEO, Nicholas Gorman added that “Ljubljana airport is extremely progressive".
"They are the first airport on mainland Europe to take this approach and the response has been incredible. We expect fewer passengers to be denied boarding at the airport in the coming months, shorter queues, happier passengers and cost-savings by freeing up airport staff capacity. We’ve solved a very complex problem and personalised it for Ljubljana.”
The travel and tourism industry has faced a massive loss of jobs, and revenue during the pandemic, an estimated 62 million in 2020 alone, according to the WTTC. Changing travel rules and requirements exacerbate the tenuous situation, and confusing passengers does little to re-ignite travel enthusiasm.
SafeScore and Ljubljana airport are working to alleviate these struggles.
“By putting our customers at the heart of everything we do, we are doing our part to restore confidence in travel as soon as possible. Other airports offer food delivery, waterfalls, expansive duty free options and other great experiences. We begin looking after our customers before they even arrive," Jelačič said.
This new partnership marks SafeScore’s second in Europe, as Kerry International Airport launched its SafeScore Travel widget in October of 2021.
News
Five questions to ask yourself before buying a stock
By Michael O’Connor, theislandinvestor.com When it comes to investing, nothing is certain. There are no perfect stocks to buy because there’s no way of predicting the future with 100% accuracy. […]

By Michael O’Connor, theislandinvestor.com
When it comes to investing, nothing is certain.
There are no perfect stocks to buy because there’s no way of predicting the future with 100% accuracy.
The truth is, investing is hard, and building a portfolio of top stocks that beat the market is something that even financial professionals have trouble doing consistently.
For most people, investing in index funds is the perfect hands-off approach, providing broad exposure to the stock market at a very low fee. Even my own personal portfolio is made up of roughly 70% ETFs despite the fact I invest in the market for a living.
But I believe some stock picking is a good strategy for many hands-on people.
Taking a small portion of your overall portfolio and diligently selecting a small number of companies to invest in gives you an opportunity to learn about the investing process and fully understand the businesses you are investing in, which helps to build conviction in your positions.
From a psychological standpoint “collector’s instinct” kicks in, enabling people to participate and invest more money over time.
Lastly, for Irish investors, there are tax benefits to consider. If you invest in individual stocks, you are taxed at the CGT rate of 33%, and the first €1,270 of your gains are exempt from CGT each year. When investing in index funds or ETFs, you are taxed at the exit tax rate of 41% with no annual exemption.
For those interested in picking individual stocks, here are five questions you should ask yourself before investing in any company.
Do I understand the business?
Too many people invest in businesses they don’t understand because it ‘sounds good’. If you have no idea how the company works, you won’t have the conviction needed to hold onto the stock when an inevitable downturn comes.
Can the balance sheet withstand severe, temporary adversity?
This seems obvious, but so many people invest in companies without understanding how much money a company holds and who they owe money to. Economic cycles are guaranteed. You must ensure that the company has enough cash-on-hand to avoid becoming obsolete when activity slows.
Will the company benefit from long-term trends?
Make sure the company will remain relevant into the future. If the stock is cheap now, it may be cheap for a reason.
Is the company enjoying profitable growth?
Not growth at all costs, but a combination of sustainable growth and value. All this information can be found online at sites like stratosphere.io.
What are the risk factors?
Is the company trying something new and untested? If yes, who are its competitors and how successful are they? If other players are more established, this company may have a tough time breaking into the market.
News
Ballyspillane staff open up mental health conversation
By Michelle Crean “Hello, How Are You?” that’s the question staff at Ballyspillane Community Centre will be asking next week as part of a new campaign. It’s all in partnership […]

By Michelle Crean
“Hello, How Are You?” that’s the question staff at Ballyspillane Community Centre will be asking next week as part of a new campaign.
It’s all in partnership with Mental Health Ireland (MHI) and the centre will host an information/coffee morning on Thursday next (March 30) at 12.30pm at their centre and all are welcome to attend.
The campaign initiated by MHI identifies the need for positive engagement and connections with the people around us.
It asks people to engage in open conversations about mental health and prompts us all to ask the question “How Are You?”
The word HELLO is a useful acronym to guide everyone through such conversations, H: Hello, E: Engage positively with the person, L: Listen actively, L: Learn about the person and O: seek options to assist the person if required.
“We all need a listening and compassionate ear sometimes to get us through some challenges in our lives and I think the pandemic has opened a new way of looking at the world, where we can all recognise the challenges that people experience more readily,” Derek O’Leary, Manager of Ballyspillane Community & Family Resource Centre, said.
“Our team here are in the business of supporting families and individuals across the Killarney area and beyond and see the challenges that people face first hand. We also see the positive impact that a caring person can have in such circumstances and this campaign that encourages positive engagement, regarding mental health is a great reminder to us all, the role we can play is assisting others who are struggling.”
Ballyspillane Community & Family Resource Centre provide a suite of support and intervention services including family supports, social prescribing/community connection services and physiotherapeutic services across the Killarney municipal area and beyond.
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