GBTA TO CHANGE NAME

The Guild of Business Travel Agents is set to change its name and adopt a new corporate identity by early 2005, in a bid to reflect the role of its membership in the 21 st century.

The announcement follows discussions among members at the GBTA conference in Shanghai this week. The membership voted in favour of adopting the new title – Guild of Travel Management Companies (GTMC).

A key reason for the move is that the historical role of the business travel agent – booking and issuing tickets, trading on commission, and acting as a distributor for a major airline – has changed beyond all recognition in recent years.

The job of today's travel management company (TMC), says the Guild, is to align itself closely to the corporate customer and optimise their entire business travel budget. To do this, TMCs have developed extensive hi-tech systems which collate and analyse data on travel patterns and travel purchasing, enabling them to find the best solutions for cost savings. These systems also allow travel management companies to track the location of travellers during times of crisis or terrorist activity, a key factor that is becoming increasingly valuable to international companies.

“The name, Guild of Business Travel Agents, is no longer representative of what we actually do,” says Richard Lovell, GBTA chairman. “We are in the business of travel management, and have been for some time. Gone are the days when we simply issued tickets and travel documents and relied on commission to earn a living.

“The travel management company is a business to business professional working closely with its corporate customers to manage their travel as cost-effectively as possible,” continues Lovell. “We no longer just sell tickets, we assist in buying travel on behalf or jointly with our customer. It seemed sensible therefore to take the decision to adopt a name which is representative of our true role.

 “There is still a great deal of ignorance in the business community as to what travel management companies do, in particular the nature of the management and data information systems we have in place which allow us to save customers considerable time and money, “adds Lovell. “We hope that the name change will also help us to accelerate the process of educating customers on the benefits of using a travel management company to achieve cost-effective travel planning.”

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For further information: Alex Kindell/Vanessa Aves, Brighter Group, tel: 0207 603 2168, email: alex.kindell@brightergroup.com

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