Manila, capital of the Philippines

Carlson Wagonlit Travel has announced the official opening of its new facility in Manila, Philippines.

The opening took place during a ceremony attended by Monchito Ibrahim, deputy executive director of the information and communications technology office of the department of science and technology, and Corazon Jorda-Apo, director for the market development group of the department of tourism.

The centre is a state-of-the-art facility offering services around the clock to global clients.

It houses CWT’s global network operations and global IT security operations centre, providing support for CWT’s worldwide infrastructure.

CWT president Douglas Anderson said at the opening: “Manila’s reputation as having an excellent business climate for service organisations, its rich pool of qualified talent and inherent philosophy of customer service made it CWT’s first choice for our new centre.

“As we grow our business around the world, an efficient, customer-focused team is key to ensuring our clients’ travel needs are well-managed.”

The CWT employees at the centre will participate in a new global CWT training programme this year, designed to shape travel consultants of the future.

The training will also be implemented in other CWT service centres around the world including Minneapolis and San Jose in Costa Rica, to ensure a consistent and effective global offering for all clients.

Since it began operations in April 2014, the centre has already grown to 280 team members, providing support to clients and employees across Asia Pacific and the globe.

CWT has had a presence in the Philippines since the early 1980s when Rajah Travel joined the CWT network, providing travel services to CWT clients based in the Philippines.

Rajah Travel will continue to provide services to CWT’s clients based in the country, while the new, expanded Manila office will support clients globally.