CWT reports drop in global sales

UK sales for Carlson Wagonlit Travel dipped by 1.9% in 2012 to £1.175 billion.

Overall, the global travel management company reported a drop of 1.1% to $27.7 billion in sales volume, while the number of worldwide transactions also fell slightly by 0.2% to 61.7 million.

New business sales in 2012 reached $1.7 billion in 2012, which was a 1.9% decrease from the previous year.

In Latin America, transactions increased by 21% year over year, enhanced by the additional business from the acquisitions of Net Tours and Centenial Group in 2011, and by a strong performance in Chile and Mexico.

Transactions in North America, a significant market for the TMC, increased by 2.3%, reflecting a "more favourable economic environment".

Transactions in Asia Pacific dropped by 2.4% year over year, despite strong performance in China and Japan, and dropped by 4.4% in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. CWT said this reflected the region's economic climate.

But its specialist divisions, CWT Meetings & Events and CWT Energy Services, performed strongly and helped boost overall sales.

CWT Energy Services, for clients operating in oil and gas services and maritime and drilling exploration, grew by 22% and managed more than 2.3 million transactions.

Meanwhile, CWT Meetings & Events grew by 10% globally in 2012. In the UK, meetings and events sales volume increased by 21% year on year, based on a 52% increase in sales volume in 2011.

Friday, February 15, 2013