Carlson Wagonlit Travel (CWT) has announced a global 15.2 per cent increase in sales to US$28bn for 2011. The business travel and event management company, which has 150 offices around the world, increased the number of transactions it managed by 7.2 per cent year-over-year to reach 61.9 million.

Douglas Anderson, CWT president and CEO, said the growth was attributable to several factors. CWT retained more than 96 per cent of its existing client-base, but it also won USD $2.2bn in new business and acquired three companies - Kaleva Travel, Centenial Group and Net Tours - during the year.

He added: “We are seeing strong growth across the industry, despite the unpredictable economic environment. Global corporations are more optimistic about their travel spend going forward and certain areas of the world, such as Asia and Latin America, continue to show strong growth.”

CWT grew most in the Asia Pacific region, where transactions increased by 18.5 per cent year-over-year. Latin America increased by 12.7 per cent; North America by 5.2 per cent; and EMEA (Europe, Middle East, Africa) by 6.2 per cent.

Pictured: Douglas Anderson