Additional China services a welcome move

Additional flights to China by Qantas and Singapore Airlines will be welcomed by business travellers and dovetails with FCm Travel Solutions’ own expansion in China, the leading global corporate travel and expense management company said today.

FCm Travel Solutions recently opened a fourth China office and appointed senior executive Suyin Lee to guide the company’s growth strategy in the Greater China region.

“The corporate travel market in China is expected to be the world’s fastest growing over the next five years and as the first Asia-Pacific based, global travel management company we intend to play an integral role in that,” said FCm Travel Solutions Executive General Manager Anthony Grigson.

“The total travel market between Australia and China has grown by 22 per cent in the past year and corporate travel is obviously a key component, given the growing trade between the two countries,” Mr Grigson said.

“So the reintroduction by Qantas of direct Sydney-Beijing services and Singapore Airlines’ announcement of additional services to Guangzhou and Hong Kong from late March, dovetails well with our own expansion plans and will also be welcomed by business travellers in the region.”

He said since FCm Travel Solutions’ global network was launched in Beijing in 2004, the organisation has established strong ties with Australian companies based in China.

“So we know the level of demand and the potential for growth,” he said.

“Improved services such as these allow us to extend our corporate travel service offering, and help us secure new business, which in turn stimulates further demand,” Mr Grigson said.

FCm Travel Solutions now has offices in Hong Kong, Beijing, Shanghai and most recently, Guangzhou.

Mr Grigson said Suyin Lee brings to the new role of General Manager for the Greater China region a strong working knowledge of the Asian travel market and more than 12 years’ senior management experience.

This includes 18 months as Nation Leader for FCm Travel Solutions China, and five years in senior roles with FCm Travel Solutions’ global parent company, Flight Centre Limited.

“FCm Travel Solutions is currently in a strong expansion phase and this role is critical to building a dominant position in the Greater China corporate travel market within the next couple of years,” Ms Lee said.

“It is critical that our Greater China network is structured to assist not only local and regional companies, but multinational companies with operations or business interests in various parts of the region,” she said.

“My primary aim will be to ensure FCm Travel Solutions can provide a complete and integrated service to clients, large and small, local and global – from anywhere in the region. My short-term priorities will include further expanding our resources and service capabilities in Greater China,” she said.

Ms Lee’s qualifications include a Master of Business Administration and a Bachelor of Commerce. She is also a member of the International Air Transport Association (IATA), and the Association of Corporate Travel Executives (ACTE).