Konrad Laker, CEO of Cape Town-based Gold Travel, will see his expansion plans pay off as the group launches their first Johannesburg office in March. Travel Master, a Midrand based travel company that has been on Laker’s radar since 2013, will be rebranded and begin trading as Gold Travel come 1March 2017.

Laker says that Travel Master is a perfect fit for the Gold Travel group: “Being a small business, focussed on going the extra mile for the corporate client is what we are about.” The Cape Town stalwart and industry leader of over 40 years will continue to increase its footprint throughout South Africa, with plans for another branch opening in Centurion, Pretoria, later this year. “The idea is to expand into the major city centres in South Africa by identifying sustainable, operational businesses that would benefit from our structure, transformation policies and our reputation in the industry”.

The long-term vision is to develop into Africa as Laker believes that this would be a logical next step. The company facilitates a large amount of travel throughout Africa attributed to, according to Laker,  the South African corporate and entrepreneurial growth north of our borders, many offices being set up in Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, Angola and Mozambique, to name a few. “We see huge potential in Africa; the current status quo results in some of our clients not receiving the services they are accustomed to as we are unable to service them, so it is becoming increasingly necessary to have a presence in Africa.”