DMC unveils plans to open offices throughout the region for a total of 12 by the end of 2017 at ITB Asia in Singapore.
HANOI, Vietnam – Leading Southeast Asia destination management company (DMC) HG Travel has launched HG Travel Thailand as it consolidates its position in Indochina and sets its sights on becoming the leading DMC in Asia.
The company will be headed by highly respected travel and tourism veteran Mr Andre van der Marck who takes the position of managing director based in HG Travel Thailand’s downtown office on Sathorn Road, Bangkok.
The move is the first phase of a wider rollout strategy of offices around the region over the next 12-months as the Hanoi-based DMC establishes a network of on-the-ground operations manned by seasoned experts in key markets, adding to its established presence in Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia and Myanmar.
HG Travel, headquartered in Vietnam, currently handles 50,000 inbound arrivals from international and regional countries with Europe, Australia, Russia, China and other Asia Pacific countries key source markets.
“We are delighted to expand into Thailand and who better to head our operations than Andre,” said HG Holdings CEO Tran Thanh Nam. “His unrivalled experience and strategic awareness will provide us with a strong platform for further growth. We are deeply committed to Thailand and our programmes will be delivered with the passion, daring and leadership that have been the hallmarks of our business in Southeast Asia for the past 20 years.”
Before heading up HG Travel Thailand, Mr van der Marck was vice president at Khiri Travel for four years previous to which he spent 10 years with giant tour operator Kuoni in Europe before moving to back to Thailand where is began his career in the 1990s in hospitality.
“Let’s say I have a deep understanding of the market in Thailand and its enormous and enduring potential for high end, bespoke travel experiences,” said Mr van der Marck. “That does not necessarily mean glitzy, five-star travel in the traditional sense. For me luxury is defined by an experience that is utterly unique, creating a moment, a sense or an insight that will stay with travellers for the rest of their lives.”
“This is the core philosophy of HG Travel Thailand. We will be rolling out some very distinct travel experiences over the coming months – reimagining destinations like Bangkok with deep-dive cultural itineraries and discovering roads less travelled. We aim to bring back the true spirit of travel.”
HG Travel’s development into a pan-Asian DMC will be announced at World Travel Market (WTM) in London in November where it will reveal a new name, look and feel to reflect the growing horizons of one of the region’s most exciting and progressive travel companies.
The new company will further deepen existing hallmarks of HG Travel with greater destination research, tailor-made programmes, product ingenuity, community philosophy and insightful and inspiring journeys.
Photo caption: HG Travel Thailand Managing Director Andre van der Marck.
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