Travel management companies merge
Two long established travel management companies, Business Travel Direct and Amity World Travel Management, are to merge to create a combined business with a turnover of £85 million.
The merger follows the acquisition of Amity World Travel by Business Travel Direct parent Ickenham Travel.
The Amity World Travel Management name will be retained, along with all its staff based at its offices in Fareham.
Business Travel Direct will retain its offices in Uxbridge in West London and in Oxford and its specialist Marine Travel division based in London.
Amity World Travel Management’s directors, Paul Gardner and Adrian Williams, will take up senior roles with the Ickenham Travel Group, while retaining day to day responsibility for Amity Travel’s operations
Williams said: "We are delighted to be joining forces with the Ickenham Travel Group. Both our organisations come from similar family-owned backgrounds, share the same vision and values and our management teams have worked in co-operation for many years.
"For our clients and staff it will be ‘business as usual’, however we now have the opportunity to leverage our combined operation to bring additional service enhancements in the coming months."
Business Travel Direct MD Julie Oliver said: "Amity World Travel is a well respected company that will be a great addition to the Ickenham Travel Group.
"We have known the team at Amity Travel for many years through our membership of Advantage and Focus and believe that our shared company values a service driven culture make for a strong positive future."
Ickenham Travel Group CEO Peter Reglar said the company was looking to make further acquisitions over the next 18 months.
Linsey McNeill
Editor Linsey McNeill has been writing about travel for more than three decades. Bylines include The Times, Telegraph, Observer, Guardian and Which? plus the South China Morning Post. She also shares insider tips on thetraveljournalist.co.uk
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