Category Archives: Technology

Almosafer and The Tourism Authority of Thailand signed a Memorandum of Cooperation (MOC) to boost tourism between the Kingdom of Thailand and GCC countries. Almosafer’s consumer segment and The Tourism Authority of Thailand will work together to promote and develop quality tourism experiences in Thailand for travellers from GCC countries, with a focus on key niche markets including sport tourism, luxury tourism, and health and wellness tourism. Muzzammil Ahussain, Executive Vice President of Almosafer, said: “The signing of the Memorandum of Cooperation with The Tourism Authority of Thailand today is an important step in meeting the growing demand for tourism from the GCC to Thailand. This partnership will provide our consumers with the best experiences while strengthening ties between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Kingdom of Thailand. Thailand is an increasingly popular destination and we look forward to working together with The Tourism Authority to enable many visitors from the GCC to experience all that Thailand has to offer.” The MOC follows the announcement on 9 March 2022 permitting Saudi nationals to travel to Thailand which marked the end of a travel ban for nationals wanting to visit the popular Southeast Asian destination. Since the announcement, Almosafer has experienced huge growth in demand for travel from Saudi Arabia to Thailand with a 470% increase in demand compared to January 2022 and a 268% increase compared to February 2022. Thailand is currently a very popular international destination for visitors from the GCC, especially from Saudi Arabia and Kuwait where Thailand ranks in the top 5 and top 9 international destinations respectively. During the month of May to date, searches for Thailand on Almosafer’s platform grew by 1100% in Saudi …

UAE’s Stella Stays announces its expansion into the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, introducing the first tech-enabled residential hospitality concept in the region. The highly anticipated Stella Stays Riyadh Olaya Tower will open its door in June 2022, as a significant milestone in the company’s impressive growth trajectory. Stella Stays Olaya Tower offers modern, fully equipped, tech-enabled apartments and hotel suites, a co-working space, recreational and commercial amenities. Stella Stays offers holidaymakers, business travellers, and residents a seamless hospitality experience, through leveraging ground-breaking technology and modern service. Guests and residents in Saudi Arabia will be able to use the Stella Stays app to navigate the entire journey – from booking and managing their stays, checking in, controlling smart home systems, to ordering a wide range of guest services. Payment terms are flexible and can be made through various methods, including debit, credit cards and crypto payments. Riyadh and Jeddah are strategic locations for Stella Stays’ expansion with more than 1 trillion dollars of real estate and infrastructure developments underway. The Kingdom’s economy has fueled solid growth in residential construction with developers progressing a booming number of freehold apartment projects. Saudi Arabia also offers some of the most attractive set-up costs in the real estate sector in the region. Commenting on the expansion, Mohammed Al Ghussein, Chairman of Stella Stays said: “We are extremely proud of our launch in Saudi Arabia, and we believe that our vision for the future of living and hospitality aligns perfectly with Vision 2030, in transforming the Kingdom into a world economic centre with blossoming tourism and entertainment industries. The speed of national development is phenomenal, with around 730,000 homes to be added to Riyadh by 2030. …

Amadeus with its recent strategic tie-up with Microsoft will be looking at more flexibility and committing itself to adaptability in track with changing market dynamics. Ernesto Sanchez, Managing Director, Amadeus Gulf shares with TravTalk Middle East, their plans and focus for this year at the 29th edition of the Arabian Travel Market (ATM). Renew Travel enables us to communicate to a coherent story that is adaptable to shifting market environment, and reflects the challenges that everyone who works in travel has experienced over the last few years. What is the focus of Amadeus this year? This year Amadeus’s focus is on Renew Travel following last year’s Rebuild Travel initiative.  Renew Travel is a platform that provides Amadeus with the flexibility to adapt to changing market dynamics. It enables us to communicate to a coherent story that is adaptable to shifting market environment, and reflects the challenges that everyone who works in travel has experienced over the last few years. As global travel returns in the wake of the ongoing pandemic, it is clear that uncertainty remains. However by focusing on ways to support the industry to become more resilient, agile, and traveller-centric, Amadeus is committed to driving the industry renewal. We collaborated with the key industry player Microsoft to enhance the traveler experience and help facilitate the travel in a new dimension through breakthrough technologies. Source:  https://amadeus.com/en/topic/safe-travel-ecosystem   Could you share about the technologies currently developed by Amadeus and Microsoft? Amadeus’ tie-up with Microsoft last year has unlocked a plethora of opportunities that translate into value for the travel industry. The partnership includes joint innovation and product development to envision, design, and deliver cutting-edge travel solutions. We call this new dimension …

Spain Tourism Office in UAE signed an agreement with Wego, at the Arabian Travel Market. Through this collaboration, Spain Tourism & Wego to promote the ‘You deserve Spain’ campaign providing reassurance for travelers to visit the country again in the new norm. Spain is one of the top searched destinations for MENA travelers. The country is a year-round destination, packed with unique experiences, passionate people, and rich cultural traditions, not to mention its excellent dining scene, wine-making traditions and chic cities and multiple shopping avenues  across the country that is perfect for all types of travelers. Daniel Rosado, Spain Tourism, said: “We are very optimistic and with Wego as our partner, we are aiming to have a great summer and are eagerly waiting to welcome all travelers from GCC.” Mamoun Hmedan, Chief Commercial Officer and Managing Director, Middle East, North Africa (MENA) and India of Wego, said: “We are thrilled to offer another stunning destination for our users to visit. Spain is on the MENA’s top travelers’ list with over 316,000 searches in Q1 2022. This partnership is in line with our efforts to provide more choice to our users and boost tourism recovery.” Travelers are invited to experience the heritage and arts and culture of the city, the stunning beaches, the coasts, and authentic food, among many sports adventures that await all the types of travelers.    

Seera Group and Amadeus together launched new technology in Saudi Arabia to improve the post-booking experience for customers. Seera Group recently introduced Amadeus’ advanced post-booking technology solutions to the Kingdom which provide numerous optimisation benefits including drastically reducing the time needed to re-issue tickets across all Seera’s omni-channel touch points by automating the process. Requests for ticket changes, whether made via Seera’s travel verticals on booking platforms, call centres, in-branch, or WhatsApp channels, can now be processed in less than five minutes. The new technology solutions, which include ticket changing technology and robotics auto ticketing module, address a longstanding issue in the travel industry which has previously had to grapple with time-consuming and convoluted processes to provide tickets to customers. With the number of manual steps and time required for bookings and passenger name record now reduced, Seera agents are able to refocus their time on serving their customers. Amadeus’ technology solutions ensure booking accuracy and also provide round-the-clock support. Jamel Chandoul, Senior Vice President, Amadeus Travel Sellers, Middle East and Africa, said, “Automation plays a key role in freeing Seera agents from time consuming manual tasks and allowing them to stay focused on their customers. Our long-lasting partnership with Seera is grounded in bringing them the technology they need to continue strengthening their position as leaders in the Kingdom.” In addition to being the first to use Amadeus’ post-booking technologies for reissuing tickets in the Kingdom, Seera Group is also the first to use these technologies to issue and reissue tickets for Saudi government entities, reflecting Seera’s leading digital capabilities. The advanced post-booking technology solutions were specially developed by Amadeus to meet the needs of Seera Group and its …

HyperPay announced that it has achieved an Oracle Validated Integration with Oracle Hospitality OPERA, the property management system for hospitality businesses. HyperPay will showcase HyperBill’s Hospitality Payment Solution for the first time at Arabian Travel Market 2022. The integration will allow hotels across the MENA region to benefit from HyperPay’s e-invoicing payments platform (HyperBill) without the need for the long and complex integration processes. HyperPay recently launched a production Oracle Marketplace APP, the first app that combines the power of Oracle Hospitality Integration Platform (OHIP), Oracle Hospitality Industry Connector (OIC), and Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI). The Oracle system partners with brands who can share their expertise, and offer solutions to some of the most complex problems of running a business. This now includes handling all of the billing for even the biggest companies. “Hotels and hospitality professionals from around the world can benefit from the integrated hospitality solution that will debut for the first time at ATM 2022. Combining Oracle Hospitality OPERA with HyperPay’s powerful e-invoicing system HyperBill, to deliver a frictionless, unified customer experience. This will enable guests to secure their reservations and hotels to seamlessly collect their payments.” said Products Development Manager, Obaida Khaleel. Oracle partners need to meet stringent requirements, and brands must show that their integration meets the specified security standards and specifications. This assures the safety and security of the partners. As Oracle describes it, “differentiated services, combined with Oracle’s technology, help enable our customers to achieve their business goals”. One such tool is Opera, the hotel management system that moves the organisation forward, used by hotel chains, resorts, and other hospitality businesses. Opera already makes it simpler to track travel agent and individual bookings, group …

Wego and Tourism Ireland, sign a campaign to get GCC travelers to visit the Island again. Wego is working with leading tourism boards across the world to boost tourism recovery and help travelers select the best destinations for their next holiday. Wego and Tourism Ireland are bringing the best of the island of Ireland to GCC travelers offering them a glimpse of Ireland’s wonderful city breaks. With Eid holidays coming up, travelers can book their holiday to enjoy one of the exciting experiences the island of Ireland has waiting for you. Discover UNESCO City of literature, the culturally rich and invigorating Dublin. Travelers can opt to visit the vibrant galleries and old museums and castles, try exceptional food experiences, learn the story of this incredible city and much more. Mamoun Hmedan, Chief Commercial Officer and Managing Director, Middle East, North Africa (MENA) and India of Wego, said: “We are excited to partner with Tourism Ireland to promote yet another marvelous country to our users. Wego is seeing a great demand for this country with marvelous city escapes for all types of travelers. We are seeing positive signs of recovery for tourism and through these collaborations, we aim to encourage people to travel more in the new norm.” Another city that is a must see for everyone, is Belfast. People come to Belfast to explore the maritime heritage and, to experience Titanic Belfast, which tells the story of the famous liner which was built in Belfast city. Belfast is also home to an incredible music heritage, wonderful Botanic Gardens, and lots of great places to eat and listen to traditional Irish music. Aisling McDermott, Manager Middle East & Asia for Tourism …

Wego reveals that travelers will be taking longer holidays and spending more on travel in summer 2022. Our data shows that the average booking value for flights this summer has increased by 57% in comparison to the same period in 2019. Similarly, that of hotels saw a spike of 55% compared to 2019. It is a testament that people are looking to spend more and book leisure trips. We also see travelers opting for all-inclusive leisure travel which gives them a safe travel experience during the pandemic. Mamoun Hmedan, Chief Commercial Officer and Managing Director, Middle East, North Africa (MENA) and India of Wego, said: “Summer 2022 will be all about long holidays and travelers will be spending more on leisure travel to make up for the lost time. There’s a lot of pent-up demand, people have accumulated leaves and are ready to travel again in the new norm. Our data also shows that the average trip duration has increased by 80% for some destinations.” Wego also reveals that the overall trip duration for people traveling to MENA countries has increased by 73% to 24 days, up from 14 days in 2019. It has increased by 80% for Oman for travel dates between May and July 2022. Saudi Arabia saw a rise of 62%, Egypt 58%, Turkey 42%, Lebanon 41%, Morocco 31%, India 28% and 21% for the UAE.

Recent research by Gartner states over the next five years, an exponential rise in digital interactions between buyers and suppliers will break traditional sales models. The Gartner Future of Sales research further shows that by 2025, 80% of B2B sales interactions between suppliers and buyers will occur on digital channels. Riding on this trend, ExploreTECH has now introduced a revolutionary solution with its comprehensive vendor/product comparison tool for users. The new functionality will assist hospitality & travel buyers in making informed business decisions based on their requirements while offering vendors with the perfect platform to showcase their products and technology. This latest feature helps buyers from the travel and hospitality industry save time and money by offering an in-depth breakdown of key features & functionalities per products of different providers all on one unified platform. On the other hand, technology providers are presented with a unique opportunity to showcase their key products and features, reaching out to a wide range of buyers all with different objectives and budgets.  By connecting with the right vendors, buyers can navigate challenges and create long-term strategies, the platform also allows subscribers to request demos and buy products directly from vendors. “Being part of the industry, we understand the constant challenges, especially in the new normal environment. Our comparison tool is disruptive as it is truly a unified source of information of multiple vendors.  ExploreTECH offers the opportunity for hospitality and travel professionals to expand their network beyond local sources, as well as discover the newest technologies that can enhance their business strategies.” says Ralph Melis, Co-founder of ExploreTECH The one-of-a-kind digital marketplace assists vendors in boosting their audience engagement and lead generation through cost-effective …

Sabre Corporation hosted a series of technology sessions in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia last week. The events offered a unique view into the industry’s recovery and rising trends and expectations, celebrated resilience and growth and marked the opening of its new offices in Riyadh.  To celebrate the opening, Sabre brought together representatives of travel companies and partners.  “At this pivotal time in travel, we are proud to mark the opening of our new offices in Riyadh,” said Salman Syed, vice president, Sabre Travel Solutions.  “Sabre has shown resilience during the pandemic, and today we confirm our commitment to this region. Saudi Arabia is a key growth region for Sabre, and we continue to expand our operations and team there. We have invested in building a knowledgeable and diverse team of the best talent in the industry, to give our customers the support they require.” “Saudi travellers have traditionally been fast adaptors of latest technologies, and the pandemic has raised their expectations and demands,” said Abdul-Razzaq Iyer, vice president, Sabre Travel Network Middle East. “With such high expectations from all travel players, travel companies have an opportunity to engage the right technology to respond to these expectations and provide a more intuitive and personalised travel experience built around their preferences, choices and needs.” “The industry has become more complex and working together to simplify the travel journey in today’s environment continues to be important. We will continue to seek to deliver best-in-class technologies, including AI-driven products to travel agencies across the region to help enable them to grow.” He added. In Jeddah, Sabre executives hosted a roundtable with travel companies and partners discussing trends and technologies and travel retailing. “We …