Tralliance Corporation, the .travel Registry, expands their global business presence in Europe, the Middle East, the Gulf States and Africa with the addition of high-profile industry leaders Daniela Wagner and Dr. Tanya Abrahamse to their executive team.

In her new position as Managing Director, Europe & Middle East, Wagner will be responsible for furthering the .travel initiative and managing the strategic expansion of the industry-exclusive top level domain throughout Europe and the Middle East region.

Wagner’s extensive tourism career spans more than 20 years. Most recently she served as Global Managing Director of OctopusTravel.com, where she was responsible for key marketing and operations initiatives for the international online travel corporation.

Before joining OctopusTravel.com, Wagner held the position of Vice President of Corporate Affairs for the World Travel and Tourism Council where she played a vital role in turning the organization around financially and strategically. Establishing her long and prominent career within the travel industry, Wagner also formerly served as the Executive Director of the European Tour Operators Association where she was instrumental in the growth and development of the organization and successfully lobbied the European Union on relevant tourism policy and legislation.

“The .travel initiative represents the future of our industry as we break free from the generic .com world and develop our own dedicated travel and tourism presence on the Internet,” says Wagner. “I look forward to applying my experience in online commerce to this important initiative, which has gained a tremendous amount of traction since its introduction less than a year ago. Both key global industry players and SMEs are now coming to understand that integration of .travel domain names into their strategic marketing plans is key to conducting business online.”

Dr. Abrahamse, who joins Tralliance as Managing Director, Africa, will be responsible for the strategic expansion of the .travel initiative throughout the African continent.

Abrahamse formerly held the position of executive director of the Tourism Business Council of South Africa (TBCSA), where she was instrumental in establishing an array of public-private partnerships to grow tourism in the South African economy. Prior to joining the TBCSA, Abrahamse was Deputy Director General of the South African Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism, where she oversaw the branch of Environmental Use and Development, which encompassed Marine and Coastal Management, Biodiversity Management and Tourism Development. During her distinguished career, Abrahamse also served in Dr Nelson Mandela’s administration and was most recently a candidate for the post of Secretary General.

“The .travel initiative is crucial to the current and future development of the travel industry and, perhaps more importantly, the general economies of all nations, particularly those in Africa,” says Abrahamse. “.travel is the key that unlocks the door for African travel and tourism enterprises, truly providing access to global markets. Establishing this vital link will allow us to communicate and market our continent’s unique, yet undiscovered tourism assets globally.”

“Both Tanya and Daniela are recognized as individuals of the highest integrity, and they bring Tralliance a wealth of expertise and experience built upon years of establishing strategic relationships within our industry,” says Ron Andruff, president of Tralliance Corporation. “Demand for .travel domain names continues to gain momentum everyday and so the expansion of our executive management team is the next step toward ensuring that Tralliance meets the needs of the industry, securing the long-term success of the .travel initiative.”