Dollar Thrifty Automotive Group announces largest ATM presence ever

With 180 square meters of space being dedicated to both the Dollar Rent a Car and Thrifty Car Rental brands, the group announced its largest presence at the trade show, which attracts travel trade and corporate buyers from all over the world.

"The influx of traffic to the region, primarily due to the real estate boom, the enhanced tourism offering and flourishing Meetings, Incentives, Conventions, Exhibitions (MICE) market, presents a diversity of opportunities for DTAG,"

said Sam Eltibi, regional director, Dollar Thrifty Automotive Group, MENA.

"With Dollar looking to open in five new locations in the next 6 months and Thrifty well-equipped to maintain its leadership position in the Middle East, we are determined to use ATM 2006 as a platform to showcase our sustained efforts to capture a significant share of the regional car rental market," he added.

To further entice visitors to the DTAG stand, the car rental group have organized a raffle draw everyday of ATM. Everyone who visits the stand will be invited to leave their business card, making them eligible to win AED 5000 worth of DNATA travel vouchers daily.

Since May 2005, DTAG's fleet size and sales have grown by a whopping 30 percent, thanks to a broader franchise program and improved marketing efforts.

"Dollar's fleet of cars in the UAE has already reached 1800 and is poised to grow significantly in 2006 to 2500 vehicles by the end of the year," added general manager, Sumit Chopra. "The mix of products and in service levels and relationship management will be a key differentiator in the future."

"This expansion is consistent with DTG's corporate growth strategy and adds 16 locations to our regional operations," added Eltibi.

Thrifty Car Rental continues to build on its existing inventory of more than 12,175 quality vehicles and has recently added BMW 7 sedans, Nissan's Tiida hatchbacks and the powerful new 1.8-liter engine Honda Civic to its UAE fleet, catering to all segments of the population.

"At Thrifty, variety is the watchword and we remain committed to updating our car rental fleet to suit the needs of our customers. These vehicles were ordered after research showed market demand for more quality vehicles in three key categories - economy, mid-range and luxury," added Rahul Singh, general manager, Thrifty UAE.

Thrifty UAE also recently signed a major deal with the Majid Al Futtaim (MAF) Group to open mall counters in Deira City Centre, Mall of the Emirates and Sharjah City Centre in April 2006, offering high-quality transportation solutions to meet the varied needs of shoppers.

The Dollar Thrifty Automotive Group stand will be located in Hall 1 Stand # 1120 at the Arabian Travel Market, which takes place from May 2-5 2006.