Consolidation of Forces in Chilean Tourism Market

    SANTIAGO, CHILE, September 17, 2012 /24-7PressRelease/ -- In a surprise move, local Chilean market leader Cocha Travel (www.cocha.com) and the UK-based global luxury operator Akorn (www.akorndmc.com) have signed an agreement to consolidate their local ground operations in Chile and use their combined operational, marketing and purchasing power to further enhance the guest experience and offer better conditions and a wider range of products to its partners worldwide.

Cocha Travel was founded over 60 years ago and is the long standing leader in the Chilean outbound market with over 22 offices and more than 750 team members. Its DMC (ground operator) unit is known as "Cocha Inbound" (www.cochainbound.com) and has been operating as one of the market leaders for over 30 years, serving clients from all five continents in all segments of the industry including individual as well as group travel and conferences.

Akorn Chile (http://www.akorndmc.com/chile/) has been open for 11 years, the renowned company has offices and ground operators not only throughout South America but also worldwide.

The President of Cocha Travel Mario Fuenzalida comments that, "We are proud to be associated with A&K and its Akorn brand. Cocha Inbound has always been an important part of our business but with the new technologies and trends that we are seeing in the marketplace, we realized that in order to stay, we needed to join forces with another leader. With this "marriage", we consider that 'Cocha Akorn' as a combined force will rapidly establish itself as the undisputed leader in the local DMC industry for many years to come. On a personal level, I am extremely happy to see the fit between our companies - we are both passionate about giving the best guest experience and we both strive to innovate in all aspects of our businesses."

Akorn's Managing Director for Latin America Pedro Barraza goes on to state that "All of us are very excited about this consolidation. We realize that this is the way forward for both of these business units and the synergies and opportunities are boundless. Our new alliance will bring many benefits to our operations and customers, from seamless services to even better conditions not only in Chile, but also Argentina, Ecuador and Peru where Akorn have own offices.. We are in a rare situation of win-win-win where suppliers, agents and end consumers all come out on top."

Website: http://www.cocha.com

# # #