Rail Europe Appoints GHCasia as Regional PR Partner

Grebstad Hicks Communications (GHCasia), a leading Asia-based specialist in promoting travel, tourism, luxury lifestyle and hospitality, has been appointed PR partner in Asia for Rail Europe.

Rail Europe, a joint venture between French National Railways (SNCF) and Swiss Federal Railways (SBB), markets and distributes European train travel products worldwide.

Partners in Europe include GIE Eurail, Eurostar, ACP (Britrail) and the national railways of Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain and Sweden. Non-European partners include Amtrack in the USA, Via Rail in Canada, IRCTC Buddhist Train in India, JR in Japan) and Korail in Korea.

Statistics show that train travel is regaining popularity worldwide as it eliminates airport inconveniences while transporting passengers directly to both city centres as well as remote rural locations. In the third quarter of 2010, the company recorded a 36% year-on-year increase in bookings.

Rail Europe promotes the rail trend worldwide, encouraging overseas visitors to discover the rich heritage and picture-postcard scenery of Europe.

It also simplifies the booking process, now enabling tickets or passes to be booked through travel agents as well as localised websites.

Commenting on Rail Europe's new focus on the Asia region, Rail Europe CEO Pierre Stephane Austi said: "This market represents enormous potential for us, as Asian travelers increasingly enjoy the financial means to travel and discover destinations such as Europe.

"Train travel is an opportunity to see and experience the full beauty of our continent as they journey from place to place."

Lynn Grebstad, founding partner of GHCasia, said: "We are delighted that Rail Europe has chosen our agency to support its public relations efforts in Asia. As train travel gets more and more sophisticated and a viable option to flying, we believe that travelers from Asia will readily seek this option for multi-destination European holidays and business travel in Europe."

GHCasia was established in 1998 by partners Lynn Grebstad and Paul Hicks and now employs more than 50 PR professionals providing communications counsel, strategy and services through its offices in Hong Kong, Bangkok, Singapore, Shanghai and Beijing. Visit: www.ghcasia.com

More information on Rail Europe can be found at:
International: www.raileurope.fr
China: www.raileurope.cn
Hong Kong: www.raileurope.hk
Taiwan : www.raileurope.com.tw
Singapore: www.raileurope.com.sg