THE Harvey World Travel brand
will vanish in Australia, after a
group of travel agents failed to
buy the label from Helloworld
in an attempt to keep the
name alive. The brand will not
only continue in South Africa,
but there are big plans to
grow it.
Last year, the Jetset travel
group took the decision
to rebrand all its agencies
under one name, Helloworld,
combining its marketing
budgets and initiatives to
better compete with Flight
Centre in Australia – a local
condition that is unique to
the Australian market and not
relevant in South Africa, says
Allan Lunz, md of BidTravel.
invested an enormous amount
into the brand. We love the
brand. We’re committed to it.
We are not changing the name
of HWT in SA, there is no
reason to.
“We have a new md – Marco
Cristofoli – whose mandate
is to aggressively grow the
brand, and we plan to go from
strength to strength in this
market,” he says.
BidTravel owns 50% of HWT
in South Africa; the other 50%
is owned by the Australian
group. “This may change,”
Allan says. But, regardless, the
group is committed to keeping
its yellow and blue identity.
“HWT is alive and well in this
market, and growing. Watch
this space…” he say.
