”This acquisition comes at a very exciting time in the history of the Indian travel market,” said Berthold Trenkel, president, Asia Pacific and executive vice president, Traveller and Transaction Services, CWT. ”Business travel has increased tremendously in India over the last few years, making it one of our top three Asia-Pacific markets.”
CWT says that the acquisition shows its deep commitment to India”s growing corporate travel market, where CWT India is already the market leader with 12 offices across 10 cities and more than 1,000 employees. The transaction also highlights the strategic importance of CWT operations in India, which service a growing global client base, as well as a vast and ever-increasing portfolio of Indian ”blue chip” companies.
The CWT and AFL association in India dates back more than 11 years, beginning with a partnership which was transformed into a joint venture in 2000. Under the leadership of Praveen Gandhi, chief executive officer, CWT India has grown sevenfold since its creation. Mr. Gandhi will continue to serve as chief executive officer of CWT India.
CWT India has received the Galileo award for ”Best Corporate Travel Agency” for the last three years; and the South Asia Travel and Tourism Exchange (SATTE) industry poll award in the category for corporate travel in 2007.
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