ST. LOUIS – Enterprise Holdings has announced that its flagship Enterprise Rent-A-Car brand has begun operating in Argentina, Paraguay and Curacao this month.
Enterprise Holdings owns Enterprise Rent-A-Car as well as the National Car Rental and Alamo Rent A Car brands. The Enterprise Rent-A-Car brand - including the popular Enterprise Plus loyalty program - will be offered to customers at main airports in Bariloche, Buenos Aires and Mendoza, Argentina; Asuncion, Paraguay; and Willemstad, Curacao. The brand’s first city-center location also opened in Asuncion in September and additional locations are planned for the three countries.
National Car Rental also recently expanded its service offerings - including the brand’s Emerald Club loyalty program - at locations throughout Argentina and Paraguay.
“There’s tremendous growth potential for both corporate and leisure car rental in Latin America,” said Peter A. Smith, vice president of global franchising at Enterprise Holdings. Smith was a keynote speaker at the 2016 International Car Rental Show where he highlighted the company’s rapid international expansion and integrated global network.
Enterprise Holdings’ growth in key Argentina, Paraguay and Curacao markets reflects its vision to build a comprehensive and international car rental network recognized for high quality and customer service. In fact, Enterprise Holdings’ successful global expansion has helped position it near the top of the global travel industry overall, with the company’s annual revenues exceeding those generated by many airlines and most cruise lines, hotels, tour operators and online travel agencies.
As a result, Enterprise Holdings has also teamed up with the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) as a category sponsor of the 2017 Tourism for Tomorrow Awards. The annual WTTC awards are among the highest accolades in the global travel industry and represent the gold standard in sustainable tourism.
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For years, the company’s footprint outside of North America was limited to several major markets in Western Europe, until the company’s 2007 acquisition of the National and Alamo brands, which included franchise markets in Latin America and the Caribbean.
For years, the company’s footprint outside of North America was limited to several major markets in Western Europe, until the company’s 2007 acquisition of the National and Alamo brands, which included franchise markets in Latin America and the Caribbean.
In 2012, Enterprise Holdings acquired car rental operations in France and Spain, and made an investment in a leading car rental business in China. Later that same year, the company also announced it was franchising, for the first time in its history, its flagship Enterprise Rent-A-Car brand. The company then launched an aggressive globalization initiative and international franchising campaign.
At the same time, Enterprise Holdings exported to its international franchisees the power of its renowned Service Quality index (SQi) measurement program – a program in which hundreds of thousands of customers rate their service received monthly, with each location earning a score based on the percentage of customers who say they are “completely satisfied” with their last rental experience.
Once franchises are established, they are evaluated via SQi, ensuring that customers receive a consistently excellent car rental experience, no matter where their travels take them. Enterprise rolled out the SQi measurement program to its European franchise partners in October 2015. The widespread adoption of SQi allows every country to benchmark its service against a companywide, global standard.
Today, the Enterprise, National and Alamo brands operate in more than 85 countries, including 29 in Latin America. In fact, Enterprise Holdings recently hosted representatives for a global summit, where franchise partners came together to share best practices and learn more about the Enterprise way.
