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Advantage Asia to be India’s first leisure travel consortium

Advantage Travel Partnership is branching out into Asia having agreed a licence agreement with Indian travel agency Pricol Travel.

The consortium wants to replicate its UK business model in India with Advantage Asia, which will be the country’s first leisure consortium and could lead to additional products for UK Advantage members.

Pricol Travel is an existing business travel partner of Worldwide Independent Travel Network (WIN) – which Advantage acquired last month – and will now use Advantage’s travel management expertise.

The licence will allow Advantage Asia to access to Advantage’s experience, logo, business model and philosophy. Advantage in the UK will also offer support with marketing, advice and supplier contracts to help grow the Indian membership and the consortium as part of its international expansion.

Advantage Asia was launched at the South Asia Travel Trade Expo in Delhi, India, in February, has so far signed five members and had 600 enquiries during the exhibition with the aim of securing 50 members within the first two years of operation.

Julia Lo Bue-Said, managing director, Advantage Travel Partnership, said: “We are excited by Advantage’s first venture into licensing as it opens new avenues in which to strengthen the company’s buying power. It also provides a platform to build a greater global presence, which naturally creates a more recognisable brand and in turn attract new members.”

Lo Bue-Said said there are around 10,000 travel agencies in India, mainly focused on domestic travel and added that moving into India was a means of testing their global offering.

“The announcement with Pricol Travel is Advantage’s first step to assessing the success of a license business model that can with time create worldwide opportunities that benefit UK members, suppliers and Advantage,” she added.

For UK Advantage members, the launch of Advantage Asia provides long term opportunities and collaboration with partners in Asia.  Advantage says the creation of new or additional products with local support in the region will offer further opportunities for UK agencies.

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