Interhome (Switzerland's leading holiday homes group) is expanding its operations to India - its third source market outside Europe. It has concluded a strategic cooperation deal with the Switzerland Travel Centre, which is opening a new Representative Office in Delhi and will take over the marketing of Interhome in India from 1 January 2009.

The Switzerland-based Interhome Group is continuing its rapid international expansion by launching operations in India. The move follows the opening earlier this year of a partner Sales Office in the United Arab Emirates and conclusion of an exclusive cooperation deal with ResortQuest, the largest company in the USA specializing in vacation property rental.

Interhome, a 100% independent brand subsidiary of the Hotelplan Group, has signed a cooperation agreement with the Switzerland Travel Centre (STC) - the ‘official holiday broker' of Switzerland Tourism. The agreement takes effect from 1 January 2009 and covers the marketing of the entire Interhome portfolio - 46,000 holiday properties in 20 European countries and the USA - through the STC's new Representative Office in Delhi. The office will appoint an Interhome Sales Representative, who will focus on the upper middle class and upper class guest segment in India.

Simon Lehmann, CEO Interhome Group, says: «We are delighted to announce this new partnership with the STC. As one of the world's fastest growing economies, India constitutes an extremely interesting market. The launching of operations in that country matches perfectly our source market strategy. We intend to pursue further diversification and to expand into those markets with high outbound tourism potential. This strategy represents a further major milestone on our way to becoming Europe's leader in the holiday homes sector.»

As Switzerland Tourism's ‘official holiday broker', the Switzerland Travel Centre operates its own service centres in Zurich and London. They process more than 270,000 contacts annually with persons interested in holidaying in Switzerland. From 1 January 2009 the STC will now have a Representative Office in India.

Switzerland Travel Centre CEO, Klaus Oergeli, comments: «We have been working with Indian tour operators very successfully for the past eight years, and our view is that this source market still offers great potential.»

This latest expansion means that Interhome is now present on three markets outside Europe - the USA (source and destination market; expansion with ResortQuest in July 2008), the United Arab Emirates (source market since July 2008), and India (source market from January 2009). Interhome is also considering further expansion opportunities (source and destinations markets) in Europe and overseas.

Interhome specializes in the letting of selected holiday homes, apartments and chalets. The company offers a total of 46,000 top quality properties in 20 European countries and the United States. In 2007 the group rented properties to 498,906 guests and registered turnover of CHF 209 million (132 million EUR, +7.7%). Interhome publishes annual catalogues in 11 languages, totalling some 1.5 million copies. Easy and efficient booking is assured by an international reservations network, informative multi-lingual websites and the most modern communications technology. Interhome is based in Zurich/Glattbrugg and is a 100% subsidiary of the Hotelplan Travel Group. Hotelplan in turn is a 100% subsidiary of the Zurich-based Migros Cooperative, which is the largest Swiss consumer retailer chain in Switzerland.

The Switzerland Travel Centre (STC) is a subsidiary of Swiss Federal Railways and Switzerland Tourism. For Switzerland Tourism, the STC operates a Call Centre which deals with travel and tourism enquiries in seven languages (toll-free telephone number 00800 100 200 30). STC's office in London is also the largest sales point of Swiss Federal Railways outside Switzerland. The STC in Zurich operates a special Internet booking system through which tour operators may reserve hotel rooms throughout Switzerland. In addition, it operates for Swiss Federal Railways the Internet platform www.sbb.ch/travel.