NEW YORK -- The more things change, the more they stay the same.
Tour operator and air and rail consolidator DER Travel Services,
Rosemont, Ill., has chosen a new name -- Destination Europe
Resources.
By changing its name but keeping its initials, the company hopes
to retain some of the brand loyalty built around its 24-year-old
acronym while stressing its broad range of product line.
The name was submitted by Barbara Schlauch of Arrow Travel,
Charleston, Ill., during a six-week contest that attracted more
than 325 suggestions from travel agents nationwide.
The company, in operation since 1977 and now privately held,
will finish rolling out the new name by the end of this year.
DER originally stood for Deutsches Reisebuero; until last year,
the company had been owned by German national railroad Deutsche
Bahn.
In October 2000, DER Travel Services president Heinz Wesner and
senior marketing vice president Barbara Schmidt -- along with
former colleagues Helmut Geisler and Eric Hutchins -- purchased the
company outright as equal partners.
However, rights to the full corporate name were not part of the
deal with Deutsche Bahn, forcing the change.
"We could not hold the name in the long run, so we set up the
contest and asked agents what they'd like it to be called,"
explained Schmidt.
"Many said, 'Don't fix it.' So, the main criteria was to keep
the brand as is. DER is recognized as a brand ... representing a
reliable variety of products," she added.
The similarly named Destination Europe, a Luxembourg-based tour
operator doing business on line at www.destination-europe.com, was unavailable at press
time for comment on DER's new moniker.
According to a DER spokeswoman, there are no copyright conflicts
with the European operator.
"We've had our lawyers check and check and check, and the name
is totally ours," she said.
Destination Europe Resources' online operations have moved to
www.der.com; the existing www.dertravel.com address will be phased out by
year's end.