WITH the integration of GTA behind him, GTA’s CEO, Rolf Schafroth is now gunning for “substantial” growth. The business, now solely FIT, has better prospects, he said.
The synergies and efficiencies derived placed GTA on a platform to be “substantially bigger” going forward, explained Schafroth.
“The FIT business in Asia, for instance, is a huge market and that is one area we’re keen to grow, not just in gaining more Asian customers, but also intra-Asia or Asia to the Middle East – you don’t see these kinds of growth rates in the tour operating world.”
Aside from increasing marketshare in growth markets, GTA’s gameplan is to preserve its strong position in Europe; further increase its overall hotel inventory, both in breadth and geographies; enhance its product/service offering; and invest in cutting-edge FIT technology such as customer/supplier interfaces.
GTA is now under a new business division in Kuoni Group called Global Travel Services. Kuoni Connect has been discontinued, its content integrated into GTA.
The Global Travel Services division, of which Schafroth is concurrent CEO, also takes in leisure group business, now branded Group Travel Experts and has its own CEO, David Painter.
The other two Kuoni business divisions are Outbound Europe (comprising the traditional tour operating business) and Emerging Markets & Specialists, comprising DMCs, outbound tour operating in emerging markets and the visa processing business.
Currently, Outbound Europe remains the biggest division in turnover, but the Global Travel Services division is not too far behind.
Schafroth said Kuoni had a different business portfolio now. Five years ago, it was predominantly tour operating but now comprises six to seven different businesses, making it better-placed to tap opportunities while letting go of businesses that were under pressure.
In December, Kuoni sold its loss-making companies in the Netherlands, Spain and Russia. It also closed Kuoni and Best Tours activities in Belgium and its B2C online hotel platform, Octopustravel.
