Global wholesaler of accommodation and services for fully independent travel (FIT), GTA has signed a General Sales Agreement (GSA) with Al Tayyar Sudan to extend its presence in the country. The new partnership follows recent General Sales Agreements in both Algeria and Nigeria, widening GTA’s network throughout the African continent.

Says Rami Mashini, GTA’s Vice President of Sales for the Middle East & Africa: “Africa is still an emerging destination but its close trade and economic relationships with the Middle East mean its potential is rising fast. With 15 years at the forefront of tourism in the region, GTA’s reputation and its network of locally employed staff give us extensive insights into these very different, sometimes sensitive, markets.”

GTA’s network of GSAs gives it added advantage over its competitors and forms part of its strategy to grow where the future is in markets with rising demand for domestic and outbound travel. These local business partners provide GTA with accurate and powerful insights into travel behaviour and preferences. Combined with GTA’s extensive insight on booking patterns, such partnerships make GTA a popular intermediary for travel agents and tour operators in the region.

Sudan is benefitting from a growing number of flight connections to and from the Middle East and GCC countries, largely due to the emerging number of low-cost carriers. The economy is still adjusting post-secession; nevertheless GDP is expected to rise by 2.2% in 2013.1 Sudan has long enjoyed close business links with Saudi Arabia – one of GTA’s most important and strongest markets – and it continues to be the most popular source of inbound visitors for the country.2

Says Ahmed Tigani, Al Tayyar Sudan’s General Manager: “There is enormous potential within the Sudan tourism market and we very much welcome this partnership. GTA has an excellent reputation and we look forward to representing them within Sudan, we are confident this will be a long and successful relationship.”