SANI SIXT has improved its international offering to South African TMCs, giving local travel agents greater access to the global SIXT network yet retaining local support and accountability in South Africa. “Over the past year, our team has built closer relationships with SIXT colleagues worldwide. This growing internal network allows SANI SIXT to better advise local TMCs booking car rental for their corporate and leisure customers abroad and, importantly, it gives SANI SIXT access to an international network when assistance or troubleshooting is required,” SANI SIXT Head of Sales, Shermen Moodley, tells Travel News. Moodley says, for a South African travel agent, this means that while their customer may be collecting a vehicle in London, Frankfurt, New York or another international destination, they still have the support of their local SANI SIXT Key Account Manager in South Africa. “We have also made international bookings easier and more transparent. South African TMCs have access to the SIXT global booking platform and SIXT is also bookable through the major GDSs using the TMC's local account. This creates ease for agents through the use of familiar booking channels, transparent pricing and the reassurance of local support.” The international network behind these bookings continues to grow. SIXT's latest half-year results reported growth across Germany, Europe and North America, while its global network, together with franchise partners, has expanded to more than 2 300 branches worldwide. In addition, SIXT has expanded its premium fleet, continued investing in its digital platform and rolled out SIXT ONE, its global rewards programme, across certain ‘corporate’ countries. The programme provides benefits including member rates, upgrades and Mobile Check-In in certain countries, aimed at making the rental journey more convenient and increasingly digital. “Interestingly, our own outbound booking experience is providing insight into what South African travellers want when renting abroad. Familiar considerations such as vehicle size and manual versus automatic transmission remain important. However, when it comes to powertrain, we are seeing that both corporate and leisure travellers still prefer petrol and hybrid vehicles over fully electric vehicles,” says Moodley. For the travel trade, SANI SIXT offers a dedicated outbound travel agent rate programme. The offering includes MAX cover and unlimited kilometres, which provides both value and peace of mind for the traveller. It also contains travel agent commission as a commercial benefit for the TMC. “SANI SIXT gives South African travel agents access to a growing premium global car-rental network, without sacrificing the relationships and support they expect locally,” he says.
