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Odysseus Deluxe Travel Collection, a Belgian luxury travel agency, announced today (March 5) the opening of its Hong Kong office.
Odysseus offers its clients a wide range of luxury travel products, including the world's finest hotels, airlines, cruise ships, trains and excursions. It also offers tailor-made travel programmes and excursions for travellers who want to pursue unique and new travel experiences.
Odysseus' Hong Kong Country Manager, Ms Paulina da Rosa, said, "We chose to set up an office in Hong Kong not only because of its strategic geographical location, but because we observed the potential for growth in the luxury travel market in the city and region."
According to the World Wealth Report 2008, the population growth of high net worth individuals in the Asia Pacific region was 8.7%, compared to 3.7% in Europe. Despite the recent volatility in the global economic markets, these individuals continue to spend a significant portion of their wealth on luxury items. Luxury and experiential travel is the fourth biggest "passion investment", after art, boats and cars and jewellery.
Hong Kong also has one of the world's highest concentrations of high net worth individuals and over the border Mainland China has seen a sharp rise in the number of millionaires and ultra-millionaires. "Our company is one of the few leading luxury travel agencies in Hong Kong. We are confident that this expansion will enable us to grow our market share in the luxury travel market in Hong Kong and the Asia Pacific region," Ms Rosa added.
Odysseus has already set-up a global distribution and sales network of 2,500 travel agents. Through this network, the company's travel brochures in four languages, namely English, Dutch, French and German, are distributed to clients in Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, France, Germany, the Emirates, Singapore, Hong Kong and India.
Acting Director-General of Investment Promotion at InvestHK, Mr Simon Galpin, welcomed Odysseus' decision to invest in Hong Kong. He said, "We are pleased that Odysseus chose to locate its office in Hong Kong. In 2008, Hong Kong was one of the top destinations in Asia, attracting over 29 million visitors. This number is predicted to grow to 57 million by 2020. Supplemented by Hong Kong's seven million local citizens, this will provide an ideal market for the services of Odysseus."
Mr Galpin added, "I wish Odysseus every success in Hong Kong and the region."
Founded in 1971 in Belgium, Odysseus is a luxury travel agency specialising in the sales of luxury travel products and tailor-made travel programmes and excursions. Currently, the company employs more than 70 staff worldwide and has a global partner network of 579 hotels. For more information, please visit www.odysseus.com
InvestHK is the award-winning department of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government responsible for attracting and facilitating inward investment into the city, by providing free services and support to help overseas, Mainland and Taiwanese companies establish or expand their business presence in Hong Kong. For more information, please visit www.InvestHK.gov.hk.
Ends/Thursday, March 5, 2009
Issued at HKT 11:01
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