Dnata Agencies to represent Hogg Robinson Group in Middle East and West Asia region

The announcement was made today at Arabian Travel Market (ATM) in Dubai.

HRG, the international award winning corporate services company, formerly traded as Business Travel International (BTI) in a joint venture with BCD/WorldTravel. It recently discontinued the BTI joint venture to pursue an independent strategy, and reposition itself as a global leader in providing corporate travel services to its clients.

This change in branding has created a new name for the partnership with Dnata Agencies: Dnata Corporate Travel/HRG. The affiliation, with Dnata Agencies as regional managing partner for HRG in the MEWA region, will allow its partners to offer HRG's corporate travel services in their respective markets.

David Radcliffe, Chief Executive, Hogg Robinson Group, said: "Our decision to part company with BCD/WorldTravel results in our being able to undertake this bold but necessary repositioning, so that today the new HRG is seen far more as a rounded services company trading in the corporate travel market, rather than as a travel company which by its nature tends to operate within a more limited sphere.

He added: "HRG is supported by strong strategic partnerships across the world and most of our contracted trading partners will simply switch from using the current BTI name to the HRG name. Moreover, HRG's new network has unparalleled expertise. We estimate the number of corporate clients we actively service across more than five countries to be in excess of 100. In addition, we have immense existing experience in implementing across multi-territories, and currently act as the consolidating travel management company for over 50 companies which operate across more than 10 borders.

Hogg Robinson Group, with a history of 160 years, saw the need to further evolve as corporate travel underwent changes caused by a variety of marketplace dynamics. It is now able to offer a new range of services and products, in addition to providing classic quality travel management for which, trading as BTI, it is renowned. HRG today operates in 89 countries across five continents with gross sales of over US$ 12 billion and more than 15,000 employees.

Iain Andrew, Senior Vice President, Dnata Agencies, said:

"Dnata has firmly established itself as the leading agency in the UAE for travel management services. We are proud to strengthen our partnership with HRG and promise our corporate clients the same unparalleled high service standards they have become accustomed to with BTI. In fact, our service only gets better with additional products and services being offered."

At Arabian Travel Market (ATM), Dnata Agencies signed new partners under its regional HRG management partnership: Dnata Travel in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia; Overseas Travel Bureau in Qatar, and Excel Travel Services in Egypt.

Dnata Travel, the IATA accredited arm of Dubai's Dnata Agencies, and HRG's partner in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, is poised for Kingdom-wide growth with a wide variety of innovative retail and corporate services. Dnata's move into Saudi Arabia is its biggest investment outside the UAE, and is operated as a three-way partnership with Al Suwaiket Trading & Contracting and National Flight Services, both well-established diversified groups of companies based in the Kingdom.

Overseas Travel Bureau, the partner in Qatar, mainly focuses its business activities on the travel requirements of major corporate houses in Qatar, including various oil companies, engineering and construction companies, and many others. Overseas Travel Bureau has built up an enviable reputation through efficient service to its clients.

Excel Travel Services, the HRG partner in Egypt, is currently among the top five suppliers to wholesale agencies in the Egyptian Market. Excel Travel Services deals in inbound tourism, as well as MICE business. Some of its products and services include: transportation, car rental and a premium meet and assist service for foreign visitors, as well as Egyptian residents. They also have a department that caters to the visa and passport requirements of its corporate and leisure customers.

All HRG partners have access to various products and services including worldwide 24-hour travel reservations service, technology solutions, value added products such as traveller assist, a global hotel programme and on-site consulting for events and meetings management, corporate and sports travel management, expense management and leisure services.

HRG's MEWA region accounts for approximately 30 countries within the area, spanning from Morocco to Sri Lanka, and from Lebanon to Oman. The MEWA territory has enjoyed substantial development in recent months currently comprising a total of 16 partners in the region. These HRG companies will broaden their client portfolios of international organisations by providing a broad range of travel solutions and value-enhancing products and services.