R. Scott Anderson

These are exciting times for the US car rental giant Thrifty, which aims to conquer the Middle East from its new headquarters in Dubai.

'A Middle East base was something we lacked as a service to our regional franchisees,' he says. 'Now we can go out and build relationships with the airlines, hotels and credit cards, and increase our market presence.

'I am greatly impressed with what is happening in the Dubai market, and we want to be part of this growth story. From here we have a marketing programme to target customers in Saudi Arabia, and we will be training staff to provide a complete rental experience for our customers. At the moment we are in 11 countries in the Middle East, and we want to add Tunisia, Algeria, Yemen, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Syria'.

Thrifty Car Rental is based in the US City of Tulsa in Oklahoma, and has expanded around the world through a system of franchising whereby local operators pay a royalty fee to the parent group that provides marketing back-up and support.

UAE franchisee Al-Moosa won the Thrifty franchiser of the year for 2000, and Anderson praises this 'very strong local franchisee' which won on image, service and other factors against tough global competition.

'We are developing a global brand from our large base in the United States, and believe that in the next five to ten years there will be just six to seven global car rental firms serving 80-90 countries,' says Anderson. 'Global travel is on the rise, and our brand adds value because people who know us in the UAE, for example, will use our services elsewhere'.

An impressive 30 per cent of Thrifty Car Rental reservations are now made on its website www.thifty.com. Three years ago there were hardly any, and Anderson says the website will continue to contribute to the growth of the business.

'It's phenomenal growth by any standard,' he says. 'Our web investment has really paid off, and we are able to compete with our brand value and on price. It's a fantastic way to communicate with our customers'.

From the Thrifty website you can arrange car hire in any of the countries where Thrifty has an operation. Moreover, you select your car from photographs, and can see whether an upgrade to say an open-top model would cost much more than your budget allows.

'Many people decide to take a slightly better model,' says Anderson. 'It is all part of providing a better service, and that is what we will be offering in the Middle East from our new headquarters in Dubai'.