Expedia Corporate Travel announced today plans to launch service in Italy in August through a partnership with Milan-based travel management company L'Orchidea Viaggi. The partnership will make Italy ECT's fifth European point of sale, in addition to Belgium, France, Germany and the United Kingdom.
ECT's Bellevue, Wash.-based parent company Expedia has partnered with the Milan-based travel management company, which claims $130 million in annual turnover and 52 employees, since 2004.
ECT president and CEO Jean-Pierre Remy told BTN that Italy would be the next step in expanding European operations, followed by Spain later this year
(BTN, June 11). The company's global extension is not a move to acquire local-based corporate accounts, but rather increase service levels for multinational corporations based in ECT's strategic markets.
A Marseille, France, customer service center is being built to handle southern France, Italy and Spain, according to Remy, who also said ECT will partner with local TMCs for fulfillment in the Asia/Pacific region.