Hertz New Caledonia celebrates 50 years of car rental

Hertz New Caledonia celebrates 50 years of car rental

A Renault 4, one of New Caledonia’s first rental vehicles, arriving to the shores of Noumea in 1964

December 17, 2014 – Hertz, the world’s leading car rental brand, is celebrating this year its 50th anniversary on the beautiful island of New Caledonia. The special milestone marks half a century since the brand became the first company to offer car rental services in the country.

The first Hertz franchise in New Caledonia was opened by Robert Laubreaux in 1964, visitors to the island’s capital, Noumea, were keen to explore the rest of the island too and required a cost-effective means of getting around. After obtaining an operating licence, Laubreaux witnessed the business flourish as visitors flocked to New Caledonia.

In 2002, French tourism authorities, secretaire d’état au tourisme, awarded Robert Laubreaux with la Médaille du Tourisme, a medal to recognise his contribution to the development of tourism in New Caledonia. Robert’s son, Claude Laubreaux, now manages the location.

“I am extremely proud that Hertz is celebrating 50 years of operation in New Caledonia. It’s wonderful to know that Hertz has played an important role in helping visitors create their memories here. We started with just two vehicles and now run a fleet of 170 cars including private, off-road or utility vehicles and minibuses” said Claude Laubreaux.

Claude added: “The business has survived booms, recessions and even a civil war. In the early 1980s, the French special police unit used Hertz People Movers during riots -they returned them complete with bullet holes! In addition to sponsoring sporting events, presidents and a host of celebrities have also travelled in our vehicles.”

New Caledonia Tourism Sales and Marketing Director, Caroline Brunel said “New Caledonia is France on Australia’s doorstep. The destination offers a unique blend of French culture merged with Melanesian traditions, and served amongst diverse landscapes including white sandy beaches, panoramic mountains, wild rivers, waterfalls, forests and agriculture country. New Caledonia offers Australian travelers an unparalleled experience.”

“Through Hertz’s offering, Australian visitors have been able to self-navigate, empowering them to discover their own hidden gems and slice of paradise around every corner and at their own leisurely pace,” she said.

“New Caledonia is honored to share such a milestone with Hertz. As well as being the first company to offer car rental services in the country, Hertz was also the first car rental company to open agencies on various islands of the country, the first to open an airport location and the first to offer GPS navigation. New Caledonia Tourism hopes to continue this fruitful relationship with many more firsts to come in the future, and encourage more Australian travelers to explore New Caledonia,” Ms Brunel said.

For more information about Hertz including locations, customers can visit: www.hertz-nc.com

About Hertz
The Hertz Corporation operates its car rental brands in approximately more than 11,500 corporate and licensee locations throughout 145 countries in North America, Europe, Latin America, Asia, Australia, Africa, the Middle East and New Zealand. Hertz is the largest worldwide airport general use car rental brand with more than 1,400 airport locations in the U.S. and a presence at more than 250 international airports. Product and service initiatives such as Hertz Gold Plus Rewards, NeverLost®, Carfirmations,Mobile Wi-Fi and unique vehicles offered through the Adrenaline, Dream, Family,Fun,Green and Prestige Collections set Hertz apart from the competition. Additionally, Hertz owns the vehicle leasing and fleet management leader Donlen Corporation, operates the Hertz 24/7 hourly car rental business and sells vehicles through its Rent2Buy program. The company also owns Hertz Equipment Rental Corporation (HERC), one of the largest equipment rental businesses with more than 340 locations worldwide offering a diverse line of equipment and tools for rent and sale. HERC primarily serves the construction, industrial, oil, gas, entertainment and government sectors. For more information about Hertz, visit: www.hertz.com.

ENDS

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