ITC Travel Group is bringing Western & Oriental's tailor-made and experiential travel product under its Inspiring Travel Company brand, in a move that will strengthen the company's position as a leading provider of both luxury beach and tailor-made, multi-centre holidays.

This is the latest development in ITC Travel Group's planned brand strategy, which began in 2016 with the acquisition of Western and Oriental Travel Ltd.

“I'm excited to announce this next phase in our brand strategy,” said Jennifer Atkinson, who has recently stepped up from the position of CEO to the role of Chairman at ITC Travel Group. “The merging of Western & Oriental with Inspiring Travel Company will bring an extraordinary level of choice for our clients, offering our broadest ever selection of holidays under one banner and really setting us apart from the crowd.” 

The integration comes into effect from 7th June, at which point the Western & Oriental website will redirect users to www.inspiringtravelcompany.co.uk and all communications to Western & Oriental customers, suppliers and agents will begin using the Inspiring Travel Company name. With full staff retention, agents and clients will continue to liaise with their trusted destination specialists who bring a wealth of expertise and personal insight to every booking.

Newly-appointed CEO Mal Barritt, who joined the business from Destinology in September 2017 as Chief Operating Officer, is jointly leading the merge with Jen Atkinson.

“It's an exciting time for me to be taking the helm at ITC as we further strengthen our range of product and continue to invest in and grow our exceptional teams in Chester, London and beyond,” he said. “Tailor-made travel has been one of our strongest growth sectors in recent years and as the trend for the experiential increases and concepts of 'luxury' and 'adventure' cease to be mutually exclusive, it's a logical next step for us to present our clients with an increased range of holiday options under our flagship Inspiring Travel Company brand.”

“We have years of experience in both the luxury beach and tailor-made travel sectors, and combining this expertise into one brand gives us a unique position in the market,” Jen Atkinson added. “Clients can now contact our super-talented and experienced team of destination experts whether they're after an exclusive getaway to a private Caribbean island, a cultural journey around India, a resort in Greece with exceptional childcare or a cowboy experience on an American ranch. Inspiring Travel Company will present clients with a broader choice than ever before, truly living up to its name. What's more, we remain totally committed to delivering our renowned hallmark of personalised, bespoke service for every client; meaning clients will enjoy an entirely custom-made travel experience wherever in the world inspires them.”

The newly-expanded Inspiring Travel Company will continue to offer a hand-picked selection of high-end resorts and exclusive travel in regions such as the Caribbean, Europe and the Indian Ocean, with the integration of Western & Oriental bringing in specialist knowledge of tailor-made travel to places like India, the USA and the Far East. Recently introduced destinations such as Latin America, Canada and the Philippines will continue to be developed and there are plans to launch comprehensive programmes to new areas including Japan, Australia, New Zealand and the South Pacific over the coming year. As well as this, the Inspiring Travel Company brand offers cruise, ski and more bespoke requirements such as private jet travel.

Product available through Inspiring Travel Company will increase substantially through the brand integration. The number of featured hotels will increase almost 200% to over 1,500 across the world; clients looking for villas will see their options increase by a similar proportion; plus for the first time, Inspiring Travel Company clients will be offered a choice of almost 300 tailor-made touring and multi-centre itineraries to inspire their next holiday or adventure.

To browse the expanded range of travel offered by Inspiring Travel Company, please see www.inspiringtravelcompany.co.uk.

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NOTES TO EDITORS

In line with the brand integration, 'Western & Oriental' and 'www.westernoriental.com' will no longer be used in future communications.

Media partners are kindly asked to replace any uses of these in upcoming articles with the new call-to-action:

Inspiring Travel Company (01244 355527, www.inspiringtravelcompany.co.uk)

For further information or images, please contact Kate Popham, Group Head of PR, ITC Travel Group on 020 7666 1259 or email katepopham@itc-uk.com