Asian Trails sold to Kuoni Group

Asian Trails — headquartered in Bangkok — was establish seven years ago by Thailand industry veteran Luzi Matzig. Matzig (who continues as CEO) said Asian Trails would continue to operate under that name in the seven countries in which it currently has offices — Thailand, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Myanmar, Indonesia and Malaysia. He said: "We have a strong brand and will continue to operate as Asian Trails as we will also be dealing with many other agents around the world and need to retain our identity and maintain those relationships." Matzig said there were many advantages to being acquired by Kuoni, including a much-expanded sales network. "Kuoni has a solid global sales network and this will enable us to tap into markets we have previously not really had access to or did not have a presence in. "This will be especially relevant to large conference and incentive markets such as China, India and the Middle East where Kuoni has been established for many years." Kuoni Group executive vice-president Europe, Asia and destination management Reto Wilhelm said the buyout was another piece in Kuoni's plans to strengthen its operating strategy in Asia.