98 | IT INTELLIGENCE
Customers drive the cars, demand drives the business, but IT drives the logistics of Europcar – the European leader in car rentals – tells Europcar CIO Kurt Deli to Lorna Davies.
Don’t hold your breath, but the ever-important tourism and travel industry may be on the up. Latest figures from the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) show that globally, travel and tourism’s gross domestic product is expected to have risen by two per cent by the end of 2010, compared with a forecast in January of a mere 0.5 per cent. However, the WTTC has urged caution, pointing out that this sudden growth spurt means that tourism GDP in 2011 will grow by only 2.7 percent, compared with 3.2 percent forecast in January. It has been a tough year for any industry trying to develop and integrate travel, tourism and technology into its business objectives, but renowned vehicle rental specialists Europcar is a company that has not only kept its head above water, but has even enjoyed some plain sailing during the storm. Europcar, the European leader in passenger car and light utility vehicle rentals, serves business and leisure customers throughout Europe, Africa, the Middle East, Latin America and Asia-Pacific. In 2009 the company signed 9.5 million rental contracts and in September 2008 partnered with U.S. market leader Enterprise Holdings in a strategic commercial alliance to form the world’s largest car rental network. Th is alliance, along with partnerships with easyJet, Accor and TUI, has presented Europcar with global opportunities.
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07/12/2010 13:56