“I’m very optimistic about market growth in 2010” says Chairman, U. Gary Charlwood.

December 10, 2009 - Vancouver – At a meeting of the world’s leading UNIGLOBE member agencies in Buenos Aires last weekend, U. Gary Charlwood, Chairman and Founder of UNIGLOBE Travel International, announced that 2009 was a growth year for the travel franchise organization.

“Despite dire news stories that dominated much of the travel industry in 2009,” says Charlwood, “there were economies that weathered the global recession and offered new market opportunities.

Speaking to the Chairman’s Circle of UNIGLOBE’s top performing travel management companies (TMC’s), Charlwood credited his organization’s growth to three key strategies: focus on the small to mid-size enterprise segment of the business travel market; growth in emerging economies including India, the Middle East and Asia, and the success of the Global Partner (GP) program. “The continued success of the GP program, together with the recovery we expect in the travel industry, leads us to be optimistic about the outlook for 2010,” added Charlwood.

Since 2008, eighteen new Global Partner countries have signed on with UNIGLOBE. In the fourth quarter of 2009, significant new travel management companies in Turkey, Sweden, Russia and Australia became UNIGLOBE Global Partner TMC’s. Two more signings are expected by the end of the year. The GP program is open to top performing agencies in any country that is not presently covered by a Master Franchise and introduces Uniglobe Travel International to new business markets.

In another sign of confidence in the sector, UNIGLOBE recently broke from its traditional policy of not owning travel agencies and acquired two in California through its subsidiary, UNIGLOBE USA. Charlwood indicated that more acquisitions are being sought. “Although there are increasing signs of recovery we cannot know what the world economy is going to do, or if there will be a market correction; but if history repeats itself, we can look forward to a period of prolonged recovery and prosperity,” Charlwood assured delegates. “In the meantime, we are putting our money where our mouth is.”

About the Chairmans’ Circle

• The Chairmans’ Circle is an annual retreat of top-performing UNIGLOBE TMC’s from around the world, by invitation from the Chairman, U. Gary Charlwood.

• UNIGLOBE TMC’s from the USA, Canada, the UK, Germany, Holland, Belgium, France, Kenya, Tanzania, India, Singapore, Jordan and Pakistan were among those invited to the 2009 meeting.

• At the annual retreat, activities include discussions about industry trends, multi-national account collaboration, business strategy development and presentations by industry leaders and/or keynote speakers.

• In 2009, the Chairmans’ Circle guest presenter was Tom Cates, Chief Commercial Officer for Amadeus North America.

About UNIGLOBE:

UNIGLOBE Travel International is one of the world's largest single brand travel franchise organizations with more than 700 locations in 50 countries encompassing the Americas, Europe, Asia, Africa, the Middle East and the Pacific. Operating under a well-recognized brand name, UNIGLOBE travel agencies specialize in providing highly personalized travel management services to mid-sized corporate clients and vacation planning to leisure travelers. Since 2008, the UNIGLOBE brand has welcomed new Travel Management Companies from the USA, Mexico, Costa Rica, France, Poland, the UK, Sweden, Romania, Slovenia, India, Pakistan, Egypt, Israel, Turkey, Russia, Jordan, Iraq and Australia.

Contacts:

Anne Williams, UNIGLOBE Travel International, Vancouver, 604-606-2176 awilliams@uniglobetravel.com