Interview: Graham Nichols, vice-president EMEA, Worldspan
Worldspan is planning a big increase in its business in the Europe, the Middle East and Africa in 2003.
Itβs also aiming to make significant inroads into the corporate sector after predominantly focussing on the leisure sector.
Graham Nichols (pictured) joined in November 2001 from rival Amadeus, where he was managing director for UK and Ireland, and has the bigger role of vice-president Europe, Middle East, Africa and Asia for Worldspan.
Nichols claimed the global distribution system β which sees itself as an all-round technology provider β had a successful 2002, but said there was much to do to build on that position.
“I really want to raise the bar of Worldspanβs ambition in the territory I look after,” said Nichols.
“Weβre putting greater resources into growing our market share and we do that by gearing our business to what the customer wants.
“We did that with e-commerce. Worldspan took a risk by building e-commerce business and struck deals with Expedia and Orbitz. E-commerce came back quickly and it was a shrewd move.”
Nichols said its plan for growth would involve consulting more widely with travel agents about their needs.
“Thereβs still plenty of agency business out there and I donβt think weβve asked enough how we can help retailers.
“We can provide cost-effective technology when theyβve decided the route they want to take.
“The successful retailers have a multi-channel strategy of shops and Internet, like Thomas Cook.com.
“But itβs more difficult for a small agent. Just getting a web presence doesnβt solve the problem because nobody knows about them.
“I think they need to get involved with their consortium and also operate in a niche market. But thatβs a business decision for them β we can help them achieve their goals, once they are established.”
Nichols admitted it had only a small portion of the business market, but aimed to take share from rivals by offering a unique product.
“According to our research, you need to be able to offer an integrated system which, for example, can handle management reporting, expense policies and corporate travel policies.
“Our investment i
Vegasβs Billion-Dollar Secrets β What They Donβt Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations Internationalβs Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travelβs UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Floridaβs Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas Cityβs Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardsonβs Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
Global tourism exceeds 1.5 billion travelers announces UN-Tourism
Qatar Airways offers reduced timetable to over 60 destinations
WTTC global tourism reached record economic impact of 11 trillion in 2025
Hands In, UATP join forces for airline multi-card payments
Overseas travelers to the United States declined by 2.5% in 2025