Category Archives: Technology

Travelport announced the launch of Smartpoint Cloud on Travelport+. As the only modern retailing platform built for agencies, Travelport+ will now deliver a more intuitive and efficient way for travel agents to sell and service travel, all while increasing sales of higher-value services for suppliers. Through Smartpoint Cloud, agents will be able to easily search, filter, find and create tailored packages to suit every customer type, including fully customizable hotel and flight search options and NDC offers. “Travel agents are the true retailers of our industry, and launching Smartpoint Cloud on Travelport+ will help our partners to deliver more value to both their clients and suppliers,” said Tom Kershaw, Chief Product & Technology Officer at Travelport. “Like any good tech innovation, these tools are simple to use and tackle key challenges faced by the travel advisor community. Smartpoint Cloud will further personalize agent workflows, help drive more revenue, and most importantly, impress customers.” Built with the insight that agencies need to train and onboard new agents, the graphical user interface (GUI) on Travelport+ is designed to provide a more user-friendly, simpler experience that speeds up agent workflow. Agents who prefer to work in a traditional (cryptic) interface have the flexibility to do so. Smartpoint Cloud’s retailing storefront helps agents understand offers and make more informed decisions within the robust offerings of air, hotel, car, and rail content available. It provides better criteria to allow easy comparisons from any source, including both NDC and traditional air content side by side. Smartpoint Cloud also helps provide more transparency on offers, enabling agents to have the relevant information for comparison shopping at their fingertips. Additionally, the newly expanded Trip Quote capabilities integrate both …

BCD Travel has expanded its agreement with Amadeus as the forward-looking travel management company (TMC) refines its global technology approach to best capitalize on opportunities in the new era of business travel. Under the new agreement, the two organizations will partner on multiple initiatives, each designed to provide BCD Travel with a platform for growth, productivity improvement, and technological innovation. BCD Travel will leverage Amadeus’ technology, travel expertise, content, and global footprint to support its operations in additional markets. This includes incorporating Amadeus’ industry leading NDC content and end-to-end workflow capabilities. For Amadeus, the new agreement also means increased business with a leading global TMC, including opportunities in the UK, Ireland, and North America. “BCD is delighted to be expanding our long-standing partnership with Amadeus,” said BCD Travel President and CEO John Snyder. “This agreement allows us to engage on deeper technology collaboration and deliver high value services through the Amadeus Travel Platform. The expansion of our partnership will provide our corporate clients with more content options, including bringing NDC to life at scale, while streamlining and simplifying our distribution technology footprint and infrastructure.” Decius Valmorbida, President, Travel, Amadeus, said: “We are proud to extend and expand our long-standing partnership with BCD Travel. As the leading technology company in the travel industry, we consistently invest to deliver superior products and services to our customers. The new agreement presents significant potential for mutual growth, and we look forward to partnering with BCD Travel on initiatives to address future challenges and opportunities in the business travel space.”

Amadeus and Microsoft have joined forces to co-author a new report exploring how new technologies will make the experience of travel better. Entitled ‘Delivering Traveler Value: Inspiring, understanding and fulfilling expectations throughout the travel experience and beyond,’ the report looks at how a focus on the ‘purpose’ and ‘context’ of each trip will allow the industry to maximize value.  The report unveils some of the latest milestones of the global strategic partnership between Microsoft and Amadeus. Together, the two technology leaders are working to deliver a new set of tools, solutions, and data applications to offer a next-generation experience for travelers, travel sellers and providers. The report draws on work from Northstar Research Partners, which was commissioned to survey 2,400 business and leisure travelers in six key markets around the world – Brazil, Germany, India, Indonesia, United Kingdom and the United States. The findings provide quantifiable evidence, supported by in-depth interviews with senior leaders from Amadeus, Microsoft and across the travel industry. Explored within the report is the growing role of artificial intelligence (AI) within the sector when it comes to making time-sensitive offers, the impact of new technologies such as the metaverse and an evaluation of how enhanced data analytics can deepen the understanding of the traveler. Contributions from partners – including Meliá Hotels International, Expedia Group, TomTom and American Express Global Business Travel – also reveal how the new tools on offer can create more personalized and relevant experiences for travelers. Additionally, the report discusses the technology being developed as part of the Amadeus and Microsoft partnership. This includes the transformational travel and expense solution Cytric Easy and agility and analytics modules of the Amadeus Creation Platform, designed …

Almatar Travel Group and Sabre Corporation signed a new technology agreement at the Saudi Tourism Forum in Riyadh, that will see the travel company uses Sabre’s industry-leading technology and solutions to help drive operational efficiency, advance its virtual payments strategy and transform travellers experience. Under this agreement, Almatar Travel Group will benefit from Sabre’s extensive travel ecosystem including its wide geographic scope and breadth of travel content, which includes air, lodging, ancillary and NDC content. Furthermore, Almatar will access Sabre’s portfolio of innovative technology and intelligent platform, Sabre Red 360, which will help enable the travel company to differentiate its offering, compete more effectively, grow faster in the region, and expand its online travel business. Additionally, Almatar will use Sabre’s APIs and Automation Hub to help it stay competitive in the dynamic Saudi marketplace. “With the impressive developments of the Saudi Vision 2030, we are witnessing increased tourism in the country, allowing us to deal with travellers from around the world with different expectations and accustomed to different technology,” said Faisal Al Rajhi, President, Almatar Travel Group. “We turned to Sabre to advance our technology, expand our reach and equip ourselves with intelligent solutions that make shopping and booking travel intuitive, personalised and flexible which is important to differentiate our offerings in a competitive marketplace.” Almatar Travel Group is advancing its payments solution and will deploy Sabre Virtual Payments (SVP) to help maximize value of its B2B payments and to provide payments flexibility and control, increased fraud protection and security, accurate reconciliation and better automation and efficiency. “We are excited to partner with Sabre at this exciting time to support the Kingdom’s vision and the travel and tourism developments,” said …

Travelport announced the acquisition of Deem, a leading corporate travel management platform. Since launching the company’s next-generation marketplace, Travelport+, Travelport has continued its investment in innovation, with the acquisition of Deem being the latest example. “The game-changing acquisition of Deem by Travelport will fulfill a growing, post-pandemic need for a tight, fully-integrated corporate tool that will provide access to all multi-source content, including NDC,” said Greg Webb, CEO of Travelport. “We’ve been laser-focused on investing in technology innovation, and Travelport+ has simplified the agency workflow, upgraded how travel content is curated, and enabled modern travel retailing. Now with the acquisition of Deem, Travelport will provide corporate travel with award-winning, complementary tools that are as revolutionary, modern, and easy-to-use as Travelport+.” Previously owned by Enterprise Holdings, a leading provider of mobility solutions, Deem has long been recognized as the foremost modern technology for the corporate travel industry. Named one of Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies of 2022, Deem has pioneered its suite of online booking and travel technology products for business travelers, travel managers, travel-management companies and suppliers, making the corporate travel experience more efficient for all. Deem has continued to grow its share of the corporate travel business, and Travelport’s investment intends to further accelerate that growth on a global scale. “Deem is pleased to be joining the Travelport family,” said David Grace, President of Deem. “We are proud of the growth and success Deem has achieved in recent years. The acquisition by Travelport will enable a strong future of global growth for Deem and help accelerate the delivery of travel management solutions in a rapidly evolving industry. We want to express our sincere appreciation to our customers, as well …

The Emirates Group and Dubai Future Foundation have today signed a significant partnership to launch the Emirates Centre of Excellence for Aviation Robotics (ECEAR). The agreement was signed at ForsaTEK, the Group’s innovation forum. Adel Al Redha, Emirates’ Chief Operating Officer said: “This is a key milestone in the Emirates Group’s innovation journey and a remarkable step for the aviation industry. Our partnership with Dubai Future Foundation helps realise our own vision for aviation and supports Dubai’s vision to be one of the world’s leading futuristic cities. This will give us a true opportunity to take advantage of evolving technology, allowing us to continually expand the use of robotics and technological applications in our customer journey and improve operational efficiency. Investing in focused R&D will allow us to transform our business in the digital era, make more use of AI, give tangible benefits to our customers and stakeholders, and will keep us ahead.” His Excellency Khalfan Juma Belhoul, CEO of Dubai Future Foundation, said the launch of the Emirates Centre of Excellence for Aviation Robotics embodies the importance of incubating top national and international talents in Dubai to develop robotic solutions that support the growth of the aviation sector. Belhoul said the agreement will provide fresh and diverse economic opportunities centred on developing technologies of futures. He added: “The outputs of this initiative will contribute to advancing “Dubai Robotics and Automation Program”, launched by His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, Chairman of the Executive Council of Dubai and Chairman of Dubai Future Foundation’s Board of Trustees, which aims to make Dubai one of the leading cities in the world within this field, …

As an estimated 474 million tourists traveled internationally between January and July 2022 compared to 175 million in 2021, international tourism continues to bounce back. But how will we travel in 2033? A global research study – Traveler Tribes 2033 – the third in a series that launched in 2007, identifies four Traveler Tribes that will develop in the next 10 years. It does so by examining the future forces of change transforming travel, alongside emerging traveler traits, behaviors and preferences, to understand exactly what it is that travelers will want a decade from now. It suggests many travelers will be open to new and emerging technologies and will want to travel in more sustainable ways. But with some travelers concerned about the proliferation of technology and the increasing need for cyber-security and data privacy, the industry must work together to ensure all travelers benefit from technological advances. Moving beyond the limitations of traditional segmentation, this psychographic approach identifies four key Traveler Tribes likely to be dominant in 2033: Excited Experientialists – this group has a ‘try it and see’ approach to life and travel. 44% are without children and have a mid- to high-income job with flexible working options, which enables them to readily explore the world. They have a you only live once (YOLO) approach. They are more likely than other travelers to act on instinct, making them 2033s ‘anti-planners’, favoring less predictable and more exciting accommodation experiences. They are also open to technology that helps them ‘speed up’ certain aspects of their journey, with many expecting to use artificial intelligence (AI) in the airport environment. Memory Makers – this group takes a more simplified approach to travel: …

Shiji ReviewPro Guest Communications connects with Amadeus’ iHotelier® and HotSOS solutions to increase web conversions and improve hotel staff efficiency. Clients of both Shiji ReviewPro Guest Communications solution and Amadeus’ iHotelier® Booking Engine or HotSOS Service Optimization solution will benefit from a newly integrated AI-driven chatbot to better serve their guests. Travelers who interact with the Shiji ReviewPro chatbot while researching their next stay are seamlessly routed into the booking flow. Once the guest has filled in their details and is ready to book, they are redirected to the iHotelier Booking Engine page to finish their transaction. Thanks to the integration, all results shown on the Amadeus booking page are filtered by guest details previously collected in the chat. Booking is now only a matter of pick-and-pay, making the experience easy and frictionless for the guest. While messaging automation helps travelers find the information they need, the booking engine integration bridges the gap between information and reservation. “This new partnership with Shiji reinforces our strategic objective to provide seamless solutions that meet the growing demand for technology-driven guest personalization. By incorporating guest messaging into the booking process, guests can easily and efficiently receive more personalized offers and shopping experiences, while hoteliers can add additional value to their direct booking channel,” stated Peter Waters, Executive Vice President of Hotel IT Solutions, Hospitality, Amadeus. Shiji ReviewPro also integrates with Amadeus’ industry leading Service Optimization solution, HotSOS. The two-way connection offers common clients full visibility of guest feedback management updated in real-time on both platforms. Tasks coming in from reviews, surveys, messaging conversations or other updates appear directly in the HotSOS solution as well as the Shiji ReviewPro platform, enabling prompt resolution for …

Faced with increased disruptions, baggage mountains, and staff shortages, airports and airlines are ramping up their investment in technology to digitalize their operations and speed up the passenger journey by offering more self-service options. SITA’s 2022 Air Transport IT Insights report, published reveals that with the post-pandemic recovery CIOs want to ensure operations are as agile and resilient as they are efficient, with IT solutions seen as central to their success. This has spurred an acceleration of digitalization, with airlines and airports looking to key technology solutions to fortify their operations against disruption while automating the passenger experience. The industry’s IT spend is projected to continue its steady year-on-year growth trend since 2020 to support this push for digitalization, with a full 96% of airlines and 93% of airports expecting their IT spend to stay the same or increase in 2023 compared to 2022. Last year airline and airport IT spend rose to an estimated 37 billion USD and 6.8 billion USD respectively. David Lavorel, CEO, SITA, said: “Air travel has recovered faster from the pandemic than anyone in the industry had initially expected, particularly in Europe and the US. While the recovery is welcome, airports and airlines have found themselves on the back foot with staff and resource shortages. This has put strain on operations, resulting in an increased risk of congestion, delays, cancellations and mishandled baggage. Digitalization is seen as key to addressing these challenges, providing more scalability and flexibility.” Airlines are placing great emphasis on IT tools to manage irregular operations and provide the best passenger experience possible even amid staff shortages. Over the next three years, 90% or more of airlines are investing in IT service …

Jubail Island has announced the launch of its fully-fledged, innovative mobile phone application – the latest addition to Jubail Island’s touch points. The mobile application will further elevate customers’ satisfaction by providing a simplified user experience and an optimised journey. The launch of the new application will bring more visibility to all type of users by providing them with seamless access to an extensive range of services and essential key features. It will allow users to explore a comprehensive portfolio of leisure activities and property services on Jubail Island through a user-friendly interface. Engineer Abdulla Saeed Al Shamsi, Operations Corporate Director for Jubail Island, said: “At Jubail Island, the goal is to continuously offer our community of visitors and residents a unique and fully integrated experience. The aim of launching this mobile application is to create a defined central platform, through which all related parties will gain clearer visibility and easy access to different features and offerings in the island. Bringing together the real estate and destination aspects under one umbrella, the platforms will serve as a one-stop-shop for an integrated experience at Jubail Island.” Users on mobile application and the website can create their own accounts, access community insights and latest updates on the island. Furthermore, the platforms will also enable users to book their preferred activities, track bookings and transactions history, and proceed with online payments in just a few clicks. The user-centric platforms also offer a wide range of services through which they can book appointments and request a call-back from sales relationship managers, and raise queries and concerns. In addition, property owners will be provided with convenient access to their property data,  documents, and process and …