Brisbane-headquartered Corporate Travel Management (CTM) has acquired 1000 Mile Travel Group, expanding its interest in the business travel market via the independent consultant (IC) model.
Founded in 2015, 1000 Mile Travel is a network of independent travel experts specialising in SME business travel services across Australia and the UK. Its business model supports a growing workforce of travel experts who desire to manage their own customer portfolio while leveraging the best in buying power and technology.
Jamie Pherous, founder and managing director of CTM, said the acquisition is a complementary extension of its corporate travel services. It offers 1000 Mile Travel’s advisors and customers the benefits of CTM’s scale, buying power, access to content and intuitive technology for greater value.
“We’ve been partnering with 1000 Mile Travel for nearly a year through the provision of our proprietary Lightning online booking technology. During that time, we have recognised a strong alignment between our businesses based upon shared values, common technology systems and high growth objectives, and… we are well-placed to expand the 1000 Mile Travel model into our largest markets of North America and the UK,” Pherous added.
Ben Ross, founder and managing director of 1000 Mile Travel, said the acquisition paves the way for substantial growth for the company and its network of independent business owners at a crucial time in the industry’s recovery.
“Our business was established to meet the needs of the independent corporate travel business owner market… That model has never been more in demand than it is in the post-pandemic environment, and we’re excited to take the next step of our growth journey with CTM.”
He then joined the Sheraton Jeddah Hotel in Saudi Arabia as director of F&B in 2012 and subsequently moved to the flagship properties at Sheraton Grand Sydney Hyde Park in Australia and W Bangkok in Thailand.
Dwi’s experience spans almost two decades in numerous luxury hotel brands, such as The Andaman, Banyan Tree, InterContinental and Alila, in countries such as Indonesia, Malaysia and UAE.
Hong Kong’s authorities will heed science and temporarily lift the city’s flight suspension mechanism from today, choosing to rely on an extra PCR test for arriving travellers to deter the import of Covid-19 infections.
According to a statement from the government, the move is supported by initial statistics and scientific analysis that showed it is more effective to deter Covid-19 transmission through more frequent nucleic acid testing on arriving passengers than flight bans.
Travellers arriving into Hong Kong from July 8 will have to undergo a PCR test on the third day of their quarantine.
The move also takes into consideration the surge in arrivals as students return home for their summer holidays.
Hong Kong’s flight suspension mechanism has been an unpopular one, as it puts both travellers and airlines in a difficult position. The mechanism punishes an airline with a five-day flight route ban when at least five passengers – or five per cent of travellers, whichever is higher – are tested positive for Covid-19 upon arrival in Hong Kong.
Miramar Travel’s general manager, Alex Lee welcomed the move. He said: “This mechanism not only affected incoming traffic but also appetite of outbound travel as clients are worried about cost and time from having to rebook tickets and secure quarantine hotels if they failed to fly back as scheduled. Therefore, scrapping this mechanism may spur the resumption of flight services and frequency. This is turn will make airfares more affordable.”
Wing Wong, managing director of W Travel, predicts a ramp up in flight capacity following the suspension of the flight ban.
“I expect the first wave of arrivals to comprise students returning from overseas and domestic helpers in next eight weeks, followed by businessmen, travellers here to visit relatives, and holidaymakers. My key concern now is for our supply of quarantine hotels to meet demand,” he added.