AirPlus International Releases Whitepaper on Successful Travel Management in Asia-Pacific.

Joint whitepaper highlights the differences, challenges and opportunities in the world's fastest changing region

ALEXANDRIA, Va. -- AirPlus International, a leading global provider of corporate travel payment solutions, released a whitepaper today at the ACTE Asia-Pacific Education Conference in Singapore. Titled: Successful Travel Management in Asia-Pacific - Challenges and Solutions in a Fast Changing Region, the whitepaper explores the unique realities of managing travel in Asia-Pacific and provides suggestions to global travel managers for improved performance in the region. A complimentary copy of the whitepaper is available for download at www.airplus.com and the ACTE Connect website.

A survey of ACTE-affiliated corporate travel managers supported the study. Of those surveyed, 42 percent consider Asia-Pacific to be on the same evolutionary path as Europe and North America, but at an earlier stage. Another 72 percent think travel managers from outside Asia-Pacific lack a good understanding of the region. This is best outlined by the challenges highlighted within the paper which include cultural diversity, multiple languages and alphabets, domestic (not global) distribution systems, insufficient adaptation of management tools, greater regulation and the lower status of travel managers.

A few of the whitepaper's suggestions for working more effectively in the region include: improving cultural understanding, meeting the high quality service ethic in the region, visiting the region and recruiting local expertise. Further, 19 percent said travel management has a different meaning in Asia-Pacific but will change to resemble the European/North American model more closely in the future.

AirPlus International:

AirPlus International is a key provider of savings to over 32,000 customers worldwide through a suite of business travel payment solutions which include central bill accounts, corporate cards and online management tools. AirPlus is travel agency neutral, the leading issuer of UATP worldwide and the preferred partner of various airlines such as Air China, British Airways (NYSE:BAB), Continental Airlines (NYSE:CAL), Luxair, Lufthansa German Airlines, Austrian Airlines, Swiss International Air Lines, TAP Portugal and Singapore Airlines. For more information, please visit online at www.airplus.com, contribute to our blog at www.airpluscommunity.com, fan us at www.facebook.com/airplusinternational and follow us at www.twitter.com/AirPlus. Press may contact Rana Walker, Marketing and Communication Manager at [phone] or [e-mail].

About ACTE:

The Association of Corporate Travel Executives (ACTE) represents the global business travel industry through its international advocacy efforts, executive level educational programs, and independent industry research. ACTE's membership consists of senior travel industry executives from 82 countries representing the [euro]463 billion business travel industry. Our members serve more than 12 million business travelers worldwide. With the support of sponsors from every major segment of the business travel industry, ACTE develops and delivers educational programs in key business centers throughout the world. ACTE has representation in Africa, Asia-Pacific, Canada, Europe, Latin America, Middle East and the United States. For more information on ACTE, please go to www.acte.org and follow us on twitter at: www.twitter.com/ACTECONNECT.