THE Dollar Thrifty Automotive Group (DTAG), a leading car rental company, announced its largest presence at ATM, with 180 sqm of space being dedicated to both the Dollar Rent a Car and Thrifty Car Rental brands.

"The influx of traffic to the region, primarily due to the real estate boom, the enhanced tourism offering and flourishing Meetings, Incentives, Conventions, Exhibitions (MICE) market, presents a diversity of opportunities for DTAG," says Sam Eltibi, regional director, Dollar Thrifty Automotive Group, Middle East and North Africa (Mena).
"With Dollar looking to open in five new locations in the next 6 months and Thrifty well-equipped to maintain its leadership position in the Middle East, we are determined to use ATM 2006 as a platform to showcase our sustained efforts to capture a significant share of the regional car rental market," he adds.
The group has organised a raffle draw everyday of ATM. Everyone who visits the stand will be invited to leave their business card, making them eligible to win Dh5000 ($1,361) worth of Dnata travel vouchers daily.
"Dollar's fleet of cars in the UAE has already reached 1,800 and is poised to grow significantly in 2006 to 2500 vehicles by the end of the year," adds general manager, Sumit Chopra.
Thrifty Car Rental continues to build on its existing inventory of more than 12,175 quality vehicles and has recently added BMW 7 sedans, Nissan's Tiida hatchbacks and the powerful new 1.8-liter engine Honda Civic to its UAE fleet, catering to all segments of the population.
"At Thrifty, variety is the watchword and we remain committed to updating our car rental fleet to suit the needs of our customers. These vehicles were ordered after research showed market demand for more quality vehicles in three key categories - economy, mid-range and luxury," says Rahul Singh, general manager, Thrifty UAE.
Thrifty UAE also recently signed a major deal with the Majid Al Futtaim (MAF) Group to open mall counters in Deira City Centre, Mall of the Emirates and Sharjah City Centre in April 2006, offering high-quality transportation solutions to meet the varied needs of shoppers.