The Hertz Corporation, the general use car rental brand, has appointed Holiday Holdings International as its exclusive General Sales Agent (GSA) in Southern Africa.

The new partnership has tasked Holiday Holdings to grow outbound car rental reservations from South Africa, Namibia, Swaziland, Lesotho, Zimbabwe and Botswana to more than 8,800 Hertz locations worldwide in 150 countries.

In 2012 the U.S. was the most popular destination for Hertz customers from Southern Africa, while seven European countries were among the top ten destinations, including the UK, Germany, Italy, France, Switzerland, Greece, and Spain, according to the company.

Holiday Holdings International has set up a local reservations office and call center for Hertz in the Randburg district of Johannesburg, South Africa, to service the travel trade and corporate market.

The new partnership will increase Hertz product awareness among travel trade and grow outbound sales by capitalizing on Holiday Holding's longstanding relationship with the travel industry in Southern Africa, according to Hertz. While the U.S. and Europe remain among the most popular outbound destinations for Hertz customers from Southern Africa in 2012, the United Arab Emirates witnessed the most growth year-on-year.

Southern Africans renting with Hertz in the Gulf country grew by 74 percent in 2012, while in Spain, Hertz car rentals by Southern Africans increased by 34 percent, in Germany by 27 percent, and in France and UK by 13 percent and 7 percent respectively, according to the company.