Category Archives: Agents

TBO Holidays announced the grand prize winner of BMW x2 car following the final raffle draw of its ‘Book n Win Bonanza’ mega promotional campaign for travel agents in the region. Launched in April earlier this year, the ‘Book n Win Bonanza’ campaign gave away over 1229 prizes across 387 bookers during the first 60 days of the promotion, with a total of over 1,500 winners and 6,000 rewards distributed during the 120 days of the campaign period, with lucky agent Sarah Raouf from Family Tours, Egypt walking away with the BMW x2 grand prize. The campaign saw 1,200 travel agents win TBO+ Reward Points, allowing them to buy any products of their choice on TBO.com platform. Two lucky agents won cruise packages from MSC Cruises, bookers also had the opportunity to Spin the Wheel on TBO Holidays’ online platform winning some of the outstanding prizes including iPhones, iPads, iMacs, large screen television sets, shopping vouchers, cruise packages, and 5-star hotel and resort vouchers from exotic locations in Thailand, Malaysia & UAE. Neeraj Gera, President for International Business of TBO Tek Limited said: “I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate the lucky winners of our mega campaign for travel agents across MEA, which saw significant success. The Book n Win Bonanza was GCC’s biggest promotion designed exclusively for travel agents and partners and is our way of thanking them for all the support they showed us during the tough pandemic years. TBO Holidays will continue on its mission to deliver the best of products while simplifying travel ecosystem for all travel agents.” “Dubai continues to deliver to its residents, tourists and visitors the best of local and global …

For the fifth consecutive time Tourism Malaysia joins the Gulf Travel Show 5.0, this time as Platinum partner. The event is set to kick off on 28th and 29th September 2022 under the theme of sustainable tourism. Gulf Travel Show (GTS) is the only event which was built in with a purpose. When it first started out just after the pandemic whilst most borders were still closed, it gave the travel, tourism and hospitality fraternity an opportunity to ensure that confidence is restored in the minds of the people passionate about the industry. It was also a tool which connected online GCC buyers with exhibitors from across the globe. The fifth edition or GTS 5.0 demonstrates its commitment to uphold its social responsibility to ensure less carbon emissions yet bring all players to the table and learn and study the stakes, the many opportunities to make things right after a bout of almost two and a half years of pandemic era. Mirza Ghalib – Deputy Director, Tourism Malaysia – Dubai, “Malaysia is thrilled to welcome back Middle East tourists to visit and experience our country again. It is a timely opportunity for us to network with travel agents and tour operator partners from the Gulf region. As the platinum partner of GTS 5.0, Tourism Malaysia is having its own virtual pavilion with 15 booths of Malaysian delegates consisting of tour operator partners, hotels, and product owners.” Some of the partners from Tourism Malaysia expressed their comments as well. Sam Poh Choo, Director of Business Development & Marketing, The Taaras Beach Resort & Spa and Berjaya Tioman Resort “We look forward to creating awareness in the Middle East market for The …

Wego and Visit Greece announce an agreement to take travelers on an inspiring travel experience this summer. Through Wego and Visit Greece, travelers can grab the best deals and get all the information they need to plan their perfect stay in the country. Wego and Visit Greece will be shedding the light on the best of Greece through tailored content, and guides encompassing all the happenings and things to explore. From the adventurous activities, wild landscapes, the tranquil beaches to the Greek architecture and history, people have a lot to discover in this serene country. Among the top destinations from MENA searching for a stay in summer 2022 in Greece are Saudi Arabia and UAE, with 42% and 11% simultaneously. Egypt ranks third followed by Kuwait, Jordan, Turkey, and Oman.  The trip duration is also longer and ranges between 4 and 7 days. Solo travelers dominate the searches with 64%, followed by couples 19% and then families 11%. And roundtrips account for 74%. Mamoun Hmedan, Chief Commercial Officer and Managing Director, Middle East, North Africa (MENA) and India of Wego, said: “We are excited to partner with Visit Greece. We see an increased demand for this vibrant cosmopolitan hub from the MENA region. We continue to provide our users the best destinations to explore, and Greece is a must see for all travellers.” Dimitris Fragakis, Secretary General of Greek National Tourism Organization, said: “We are extremely happy to work with Wego one of the most influential platforms for the Arabic audience! Our aim is to promote Greece as a destination ideal for couples, for solo travelers, but also for family vacation. Greek mainland and islands are top of mind choices …

With the world’s most anticipated football event taking place in Doha this year, Capital Travel, a Travel Management Company and subsidiary of Tourism 365 as part of the ADNEC Group, have revealed exciting travel offers in partnership with Etihad Airways for fans visiting Qatar. Available in limited quantities, football fans can purchase economy class return flight tickets as well as purchase packages, which include flights and accommodation. Flight tickets are available at a fixed rate of AED 2,830 per person for economy class return flight tickets with Etihad Airways while a package which includes return flight tickets and hotel accommodation for a one-night stay during the world’s most popular sporting spectacle starts at AED 8,300 per person. Terms and conditions apply.

The Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International Middle East is preparing to host the 5th annual Commercial Strategy Conference, an in-person event being held at the Conrad Dubai Hotel on 28th and 29th November 2022. Following the unprecedented events and challenges brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, this year’s event theme is “Accelerate Recovery”. Placing a strong focus on recovery and education, HSMAI has become a leader in identifying and communicating hospitality trends while acting as an influential voice within the hospitality industry, all while connecting its members with industry partners. A key highlight of the 2022 event is how the agenda comes together from the HSMAI Middle East commercial, revenue optimization and marketing advisory boards. The conference is put together by hospitality leaders for the hospitality industry and partners. The leaders in their respective field will share expert insights and knowledge to help boost the industry’s post-Covid recovery into a new era. Another key feature of the Conference is Curate, a unique executive insights forum exclusively designed to connect and discuss priority issues and emerging trends across areas such as hotel sales, marketing, revenue optimization, and distribution. The first ever Curate forum is set to take place on 29th November 2022. The invite-only event is unique in a way as it allows for cross-disciplinary discussions, that are highly beneficial to the growth of any hotel. HSMAI ME is offering an early bird offer for the Annual Commercial Strategy Conference between now and September 15th. Registrants will receive up to 35% discount on the price for all ticket categories. Furthermore, all group bookings of 10 or more will receive one complimentary pass with access to both days. With an aim …

DidaTravel launched its B2B flight booking multi-GDS portal, including access to full-service carriers, low-cost carriers (LCCs), and new distribution capability (NDC) content. DidaTravel’s 23,000 B2B buyers around the world – such as travel agents, tour operators, OTAs, TMCs and MICE – can now access flights from 500 plus airlines to fly to more than 20,000 destinations around the world. Going forward clients will have the added option of combining flights with accommodation to boost their ancillary revenue thanks to dynamic packaging technology that also includes in-path and post-booking cross-selling tools. Packaging of flights with accommodation is already available through the company’s new flight booking engine or as an XML / API integration, with dynamic packaging to be integrated at the end of 2022. In addition, currently there is an option for clients to query flight prices manually. To lead this new area, Jason Guan – who joined DidaTravel last year – has now been appointed as Flight Business Unit General Manager, reporting directly to Rikin Wu, DidaTravel Founder & CEO. This new team consists of specialists with expertise in the area of system analysis and design, system architecture and modelling, development and coding, testing and implementation. Rikin Wu, DidaTravel’s Founder & CEO comments: “Most of our clients across Middle East region are looking for flight content, in particular for the possibility to package flights with accommodation.  Given the popularity of packages in the region, we anticipate a high level of demand in the Middle East market – and are already putting in place the resources to fulfil this demand.” Jason Guan, DidaTravel’s Flight Business Unit General Manager added: “I am so pleased to join DidaTravel. We have put together a …

dnata has extended its long-standing partnership with GOL Airlines (GOL), a leading Brazilian low-cost carrier.  The extension of the contract will see dnata continue to provide a range of passenger, ramp and baggage services to the airline, ensuring a seamless airport experience for over 19 million passengers and safe and timely departure of up to 133,000 flights annually across 20 airports in Brazil. dnata’s latest contract win cements its position as the leading ground services provider in Brazil. David Barker, dnata’s Divisional Senior Vice President for Airport Operations, said: “We are proud to extend our successful partnership with GOL Airlines across their extensive Brazilian operations. We will continue to work hard to provide the highest level of quality and safety for the airline and its customers, every day.” André Cruz, GOL’s COO, said: “dnata is an important partner for GOL since 2016, providing excellent services in more than 20 cities in Brazil. This extension strengthens even more our partnership and offers to our customers the best airport experience.” dnata has recently increased its investment in Brazil to become the sole shareholder of its local subsidiary. In recent years dnata Brazil has significantly expanded its footprint in the country and currently serves more than 15 airlines at 29 airports with a team of 5,000 local aviation professionals. David Barker added:  “Our increased investment in Brazil underscores our commitment to the South American market, our highly-trained team and global customers. We see excellent growth opportunities and strong demand for our reliable and safe services across the continent. We will seize opportunities to further enhance our offering and consistently deliver world-class quality in Brazil and beyond. “Globally, we will continue to go the …

Having promoted the destination heavily during Expo 2020 and at Discover Europe Travel Summit in Dubai, Switzerland tourism continues to work with the travel trade from the GCC to experience the destination physically. According to Matthias Albrecht, Director GCC, Switzerland Tourism, they will be further enhancing cooperation with the GCC travel trade in two very important roadshows. Albrecht reiterated, “GCC travel trade is most important to us and for the next quarter we have planned two events, one to be held in Switzerland by inviting the most important decision makers in the travel trade and the other one will be visiting around 30 Swiss partners within all GCC countries. The first workshop will be conducted in Switzerland for GCC travel trade in September with 50 – 60 key decision makers from the GCC being already invited. This workshop will give them an opportunity to interact directly with over 80 Swiss tourism suppliers as well as to learn more about new places, different areas, latest attractions, new hotels, and other experiences offered. The second roadshow will be in November in the GCC where we will meet around 600 to 700 agents from the GCC.” Switzerland has been promoting their Swisstainable initiative with the GCC and the rest of the world in making tourism more sustainable. The four pillars of this project will also be shared during the roadshows and workshop planned for the rest of the year.

Travelex in partnership with Hamad International Airport (HIA) announce the launch of their latest store concept in Qatar, “Mobile Foreign Exchange Stores”. Located around HIA’s Concourse C and Concourse D, the Mobile Store concept provides airport customers with the benefits of a full-fledged foreign exchange branch packaged in a movable kiosk, allowing foreign exchange services to be further embedded within the customer’s journey. This is in addition to the Travelex foreign exchange kiosks conveniently located across the airport terminal, accessible to departing, arriving and transferring passengers. At the launch of the Mobile Stores, Travelex’s Commercial Director for the Middle East & Turkey, Mr. Batu Dölay, stated: “Launching Mobile Stores in Qatar is a key milestone in the partnership between Travelex and HIA. As the World’s Best Airport, we know HIA expects retailers to bring only the best for their customers and our Mobile Stores provide an elegant option for Travelex to ensure our services are consistently available to passengers regardless of their journey through the terminal.” Ms. Sujata Suri, VP Strategy & Commercial Development, HIA said: “As Hamad International Airport proudly caters to millions of its passengers from across the world, it is our responsibility to be perceptive and anticipate our passengers’ need for convenience and consistency in service. HIA therefore forms strategic partnerships with service providers like Travelex, which caters to ever-evolving customer needs.  Travelex has been an airport partner for 10 years, since its operations at Doha International Airport, consistently providing its services to our passengers. Its latest concept store provides mobility and flexibility using innovation in forex services.”

Seera Group and flyadeal have signed a partnership agreement, to directly integrate Seera’s booking engines with flyadeal’s reservation system. Seera is the first ever travel company in Saudi Arabia to sign a direct integration agreement with flyadeal. The new partnership creates a direct channel for Almosafer, Seera’s travel business, to sell flyadeal’s full range of product offerings including a choice of fare families, as well as ancillaries such as meals and baggage additions. The direct integration will help improve efficiency by streamlining the process to make changes to bookings while reducing the time needed for manual tasks for Seera’s agents. At the signing ceremony recently at flyadeal’s HQ in Jeddah, Majed Alnefaie, CEO at Seera Group, said: “flyadeal is an important partner for us and we are pleased to be the first in the Kingdom to sign a direct integration agreement with them. Our customers can now benefit from the full range of flyadeal’s offerings and a smoother ticket issuing process. I have no doubt that this agreement with flyadeal marks the beginning of a very fruitful, mutually beneficial partnership. Going forward we will work together to ensure the best experiences and best value for our customers.” Con Korfiatis, CEO of flyadeal, said: “This is the first of its kind partnership for our company, which will add multiple options to customers through the umbrella of a strategic partnership with Seera, a major player with extensive experience in the field of marketing travel and tourism services. Creating a direct channel to provide a full range of booking offers at all price classes, in addition to offering various products and other miscellaneous services such as seat selection, meal purchase, added baggage, and …