WORLDCHOICE, THE TRAVEL AGENCY consortium, expects to become a serious player in the corporate travel arena following a strategic alliance agreement with Uniglobe British Isles, the UK arm of Uniglobe Travel International's business travel network.
It is expected that the first phase of the partnership will bring an extra £50 million turnover in corporate travel sales from Worldchoice members, who will enjoy the benefits that current Uniglobe agencies do with their centralised programmes and systems. The new alliance initially involves Worldchoice's top agencies with specific corporate divisions, with a second phase due to be rolled out before the end of the year.
The Uniglobe network specialises in the SME corporate travel sector, with annual system-wide sales of US$2.7 billion. Operating from some 700 locations in 40 countries, Uniglobe is ranked No 11 in the top 50 business travel agents in the UK.
Worldchoice director and head of CorporateChoice, Tim Giles (pictured left, with Derek Hearl-Maunder, president and COO of Uniglobe British Isles, right), says: "This is an excellent opportunity for those of our members who are serious about corporate travel and will give them the ability to compete with larger corporate travel management companies.