Corporate travel recovers

A leading travel management company, FCm Travel Solutions, projects its business will grow 15% in the Asia Pacific region over the next three to five years.

The company hopes to double volume and customers by 2015. It held its annual conference last week in Bangkok bringing together senior leaders and decision-makers from FCm’s partner travel companies across the region, to discuss business growth strategies for the year ahead.

Headquartered in Australia, FCm operates in more than 70 countries in Asia Pacific, the Americas, Europe, the Middle East and Africa. The company’s services include end-to-end corporate travel and expense management solutions.

FCm Travel Solutions vice president global sales Asia Pacific, Robert Dell says: “Customers want to shave off travel expenses by at least 10% and that is where our products come in.

“2009 was the year for short-haul travel due to tight travel budgets,” he said, “But this year, we see long-haul returning and travellers will start booking trips to the US and Europe.”

Travel demand started to increase during the last quarter of 2009.

In 2008, FCm appointed Siam Express Travel Services, one of Thailand’s top 10 travel management companies as its licensee, to handle accounts in Thailand.

“After we were appointed by FCm, we were approached by several multi-national companies so the link was beneficial,” said Siam Express executive director, Tanya Pirapokin.

In Thailand, companies froze travel plans, last year. But this year we expect to recover business in the corporate travel market.”