Holiday Autos announces new appointments as Middle East business continues to develop

Daron Lloyd has been appointed Consumer Sales Manager for the region, whilst Paddy Hayes joins as International Business Development Executive.

Daron Lloyd, Consumer sales Manager, is from South Africa and has a professional background in the automotive industry, having held a series of sales management positions with leading motor dealerships, including Nissan, prior to moving to Dubai.

Paddy Hayes, International Business Development Executive, joins the Middle East team from Holiday Autos in the UK, where he spent over five years working initially in sales, as a direct sales agent and sales supervisor and trainer. He then moved to the Holiday Autos International Team as a business development executive, working on GSA business and overseeing other international offices. Paddy's new role embraces both operations and reservations.

The new appointments come as Holiday Autos regional business continues to grow strongly; the company registered record summer trading in the Middle East in the summer and is anticipating a strong end to the year, as festive seasonal travel, including inbound to the Dubai Shopping Festival, reaches its peak.

Nazar Musa, Managing Director of holiday Autos Middle East, said: "These new appointments will help Holiday Autos Middle East maintain its momentum; we are growing quickly at the moment, with 40 per cent more bookings this summer compared to 2005. Daron and Paddy both bring skills and relevant experience that will allow us to sustain this growth, through the trade and direct customers, and increasingly through the online channel."

Direct customer bookings online grew from close to zero in 2005 to around one-third of all Holiday Autos Middle East bookings, during the peak summer months of 2006. Holiday Autos Middle East's new website allows customers to choose and book their selected car with just three clicks. Booking confirmations are issued immediately via email. For customers and agents, booking online can be quicker and simpler than using the telephone.

"Online transactions are growing fast; we have made the online booking process for customers and agents much quicker and simpler, and great car rental rates for customers and trade incentives are helping to drive more of our business online. In fact, we are now moving towards the kind of model we see in the UK, where 80 per cent of bookings are made online," added Nazar Musa.