The Kuoni Group increased its first-half turnover by a substantial 11.2 percent in 2006, from the CHF 1,577 million of January-to-June 2005 to CHF 1,753 million. Organic growth added 10.3 percent to first-half turnover and currency movements raised it by 1.0 percent, while acquisitions and divestments2 had a neutral net effect.
Turnover was increased year-on-year in all the Group´s business units. Gross profit rose 9.4 percent from CHF 339.7 million to CHF 371.6 million on the strength of the higher turnover volume.
EasyJet has tied up with AirPlus to propel business travel management efficiency. The airline says it is now possible for business flights booked on the easyJet website to be paid for using the AirPlus Company Account.
The agreement is the first time that easyJet flights can be booked by business travelers using a UATP lodged card online, inclusive of the benefits of high quality management information, which over 30,000 companies have come to expect from the AirPlus product range.
Online travel services company Expedia Inc. is set to tap the corporate bond market for the first time this week.
Last week, the company had announced that it plans to privately offer up to $800 million of senior unsecured notes guaranteed by certain of its subsidiaries.
People working in the professional services sector in Commonwealth Caribbean countries will get an opportunity to enhance their ability to increase trade in professional services when the “Strategic Program for the Promotion of Professional Services” Project is implemented in Dominica.
The Project, coordinated and funded by the Commonwealth Secretariat in collaboration with the Barbados-based Caribbean Export Development Agency (Caribbean Export), was unveiled at the Garraway Hotel in Roseau on July 14.
St Kitts and Nevis´ Prime Minister Denzil Douglas said the $16 million expansion now taking place at the Robert L. Bradshaw International Airport is another step in preparing the twin-island Federation to “to welcome the rest of the world.”
Mr. Douglas, who is also Minister of Tourism and Finance, was at the time making brief remarks at a ceremony at which a $14 million loan agreement was signed between the Government of St Kitts and Nevis and the Export-Import Bank of the Republic of China. The St Kitts-Nevis-Anguilla National Bank is also financing the project.
Digicel, the fastest growing mobile provider in the Caribbean, predicts a growing market for mobile content in the region as penetration of cutting-edge handsets continues to increase among its customers.
The company notes that sports content is a key area that taps a cultural common ground throughout a diverse group of countries in the pan-Caribbean region.