CWT expands in China

Carlson Wagonlit Travel has expanded in China in a move expected to generate $30 million. The business travel giant is opening branches in Shanghai and Guangzhou with the creation of 60 jobs under a joint venture with Chinese corporate travel management company China Air Service. The new openings come a just over a year after CWT forged the pact with China Air Service with the opening of a location in Beijing. The new offices will service corporates such as BP and General Electric. The joint venture company expects to achieve total sales of $60 million this year, half coming from the new branches. CWT Asia Pacific and Latin America president Geoffrey Marshall said: “As China inexorably and powerfully asserts its economic strengths regionally and globally, this joint venture offers customers in both China and the rest of the world solutions to the complex puzzle of managing and optimising their travel budgets.” The joint venture also extends to 30 other cities in China such as Dalian and Tianjin through a partner agreement. Report by Phil Davies