NEWLY-merged GTM Global Travel Management and Internet Inc have relaunched themselves under the name GTM.
Unveiling the new business travel worldwide alliance at Business Travel ’99, senior management said they had decided to drop the Internet name because it was confusing.
Mindy Bradley, manager of information technology for GTMUS, said: “The problem was a tiny thing called the World Wide Web, who was previously part of the Internet Inc alliance.
“We originally trademarked the Internet Inc name 20 years ago, before the Internet was around, but we were forever having to explain that we weren’t anything to do with the World Wide Web.”
The newly formed group has over 1,250 offices in 39 countries with a combined turnover of $9bn.
Its head office is located in St Louis in the US, while there are two regional offices – one in London for the Europe, Middle East and Africa region and the other in Singapore for Asia Pacific.
GTM general manager and chief operating officer Bob Booth said the strongest partners of each alliance had been selected in each of the countries where there was duplication.
“But as we put the two organisations together, there were not many countries where that occurred,” he said.
In the UK, Gray Dawes and Harvey Thomas Travel left the Internet Inc alliance, leaving the GTM partner The Travel Company (Travel Weekly October 28 1998).
Since the alliance was announced last autumn, three companies have joined – in Korea, Taiwan and Egypt.
David Whittaker, joint managing director of The Travel Company and GTMUK, said: “These companies approached us after hearing what we had done. Frankly we had never heard of them before, but then found they were all major companies in their respective countries.”
GTM is now actively seeking partners, particularly in the Middle East, Asia and South America, to strengthen its international network.
GTM Travel Management and Internet Inc originally merged after GTM lost its US member, WorldTravel Partners.
WorldTravel Partners merged with BTI Americas – BTI UKHogg Robinson’s partner in the rival alliance Business Travel International. After a period of uncertainty, the two US companies decided to remain within the BTI group.