Travel management company Carlson Wagonlit Travel (CWT) has said sales and transactions are both up for the first half of 2011, with strong growth in Asia Pacific.

The global company said its sales volume for the first half of the year was up by 10 per cent to $13.4 bn (around £8.2bn). Transactions also increased 5 per cent to 30.8 million in the first six months of 2011.

In Asia Pacific, sales increased by 18 per cent, followed by Latin America (12 per cent), North America (11 per cent) and Europe, Middle East and Africa (9 per cent).

Earlier this year, CWT also acquired partner agency Kaleva Travel, a Finland-based travel management company, giving the company a presence in Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania and Romania.

Douglas Anderson, CWT president and chief executive officer, said "Sales volume growth has accelerated along with year over year economic growth. Our continued strong customer focus has allowed us to maintain excellent client retention and satisfaction, while winning new sales and creating innovative solutions. Delivering innovative solutions for managed corporate travel continues to be a key priority for CWT."