Flight Centre’s MD clinches UAE deal

Flight Centre Travel Group (FCTG) Namibia and South Africa, Managing Director, Andrew Stark has been appointed to oversee the international travel company’s interests in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

This brings to three the number of countries under Andrew’s management of the newly formed Middle East & Africa (MEA) region, which also includes Namibia and South Africa.

Flight Centre Travel Group (FCTG) has announced that it will be including the group’s Middle East interests within the new Europe, Middle East & Africa (EMEA) region led by Chris Galanty, based in the United Kingdom. Heading up the Middle East as MD is Andrew Boxall, who now reports to Andrew.

The announcement comes as two additional countries have been added to the Flight Centre global family – Switzerland and France, the latter bringing a Barcelona-based corporate technology product development hub to the travel group.

“We have an ambitious goal to grow within Africa and focus on blended travel options that will put our customers first. With our strong team of over 1,200 staff in South Africa, 10 in Namibia, and now 120 employees joining us from the new MEA region, we look forward to leveraging the region’s growth potential so that our people have more opportunities and our customers an even more comprehensive travel experiences,” Stark said.

“Our growth from one retail store more than two decades ago to 236 businesses today has happened organically without any acquisitions. By investing in people, locations, marketing, technology and a strong focus on what the customer wants, we have delivered on the company’s ethos of ‘we care about delivering amazing travel experiences’, he added.

Meanwhile, Flight Centre Travel Group South Africa last year achieved an annual turnover of over R5-billion in sales, changing its name to reflect the growth and extent of its diversified brands across the four pillars of leisure, corporate, wholesale and events.