BUSINESS Travel Management Ltd. (BTM) has announced partnership with CWT (formerly Carlson Wagonlit Travel), to enhance business travel in the country and provide consistent safe and secure business travel driven by technology.
BTM will be representing the CWT, the business-to-business-for-employees (B2B4E) travel management platform brand in Nigeria and will bring further focus and cohesion to positively impact the continent, enhancing value and service delivery levels.
In a press conference held at GHI Building in Ikeja, Lagos Managing Director of CWT in Nigeria (owned and operated by Business Travel Management Limited), Lola Adefope enumerated some benefits of the partnership which includes BTM’s ability to deliver global standard of service, travel technology and efficiencies, locally.
“Business Travel Management Limited is proud to Partner with CWT. There have been some very exciting changes within the global company that we are looking forward to being a part of. Our company has operated in the Managed Travel space for almost forty Years as a TMC (Travel Management Company). This is what we do best, efficient service delivery, innovative ideas and cutting-edge travel technology,” says Adefope.
According to her, the Ethos of the company is to make a difference in travel industry, specifically, the business travel service and to consistently provide value added corporate travel services that are perceived and received by our customers as excellent.
Adefope said,” We will continue to operate in a developing market and improving industry standards with the support of a Globally Dominant Partner with sustainable business methodology.
Speaking on how they plan to surmount challenges encountered doing business in the unique environment, Adefope pointed the major challenge to be infrastructure but said as Nigerians, the company plans for every and all possibilities of challenges that may arise
“Infrastructure in Africa is always going to be a challenge. Africans are very resilient and we have hunger in our drive that helps us to keep going and keep going and through a strong partnership we are able to not only bring the technology they have internationally not only bring it into the market place in Nigeria but we expand it through the solid partnership we have.
“The challenge we have previously faced in delivering corporate travel as well as customers services is always going to be two fold. Number one. Infrastructure. Factoring 365 days of diesel and still be competitive in a global market that is always a challenge but as Nigerians we come up with a plan, we come up with a backup plan and you come up with a contingency to the backup plan to the plan and we will continue to do so…”
On where they aim to be in the next four years as a company, Adefope said the company aims to be a source of information for aviation and travel in general as well as resource for the gateway market.
Speaking also CWT’s Vice President of Global Partners Network, Francisco Nunez said travelers wanted to have a uniform, top-class, seamless and consistent travel experience without knowing the how just that the experience is same in France as it is in Nigeria and everywhere else.
He said, “CWT is focused on reliability, focused on innovation, and our focus in Africa and other parts of the world is to bring in the technology and make them available to our partner market because ultimately, they don’t want to understand, they just want a single experience. This is our key focus over the last few years.
“Clients want to have seamless travel, they don’t need to understand, they don’t need to go there. I can tell you over the last few years I look after 100 markets of over 143 markets, this is the scope and so to deliver consistent travel experience, is key as it concerns our clients and let’s not forget that this company is committed to a safe and secure technology driven.
Company Founder and Chairman of Business Travel Management Ltd, Olufemi Adefope, while giving the vote of thanks enumerated how far the company has come over the decades and how it has earned a reputation as a ‘one stop shop’ for everything travel related.
He said, “The evolution of the travel industry is inevitable. With technology underpinning everyday life it is obvious that corporate travellers are going to want the same efficiencies in their Travel Programme that they get in their everyday life. Partnering with CWT in Nigeria allows our company to bring new travel technology and ideas to the table. This partnership allows Business Travel Management Limited to remain at the forefront of Travel Technology in the region”
The brand launch is sponsored by BTM partners; Africa World Airlines, Air Cote d’Ivoire, Amadeus, British Airways, Delta Air Lines, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, Air France, Emirates, Kenya Airways, Lufthansa, Radisson Blu, RwandAir Limited, South African Airways & Virgin Atlantic.