Category Archives: Technology

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 …

Wego and Egypt Tourism Authority launch a campaign to get travelers to visit Egypt during all the seasons. Egypt continues its commitment and efforts in applying stringent health safety and precautionary measures to ensure the safety of citizens and tourists and has been welcoming tourists from the GCC. The campaign will focus on promoting Egypt as the most preferred destination of choice for Middle Eastern travelers showcasing the various elements of Egypt including warm weather, scenery, and a wide array of activities. The country will be marketed and retargeted on all Wego platforms through both the website and application, including online promotions, and other additional contributions. Mamoun Hmedan, Chief Commercial Officer and Managing Director, MENA and India at Wego, said: “Over 2.43 million flight and hotel searches from MENA to Egypt were performed on Wego in March, where the country ranked the second most searched destination. We’re delighted to partner with Egypt Tourism Authority, to promote Egypt’s hidden gems including one of the world’s intact temples, museums, and pyramids.” You can’t think of Egypt without imaging Aswan, Hurghada, Luxor or Sharm El Sheikh. The country is the world’s largest open-air museum and has one of the oldest temples and museums, which are a must see for everyone. Amr Al-Kady, CEO of Egypt Tourism Authority, commented: “Egypt is intensifying its efforts to boost the tourism sector in the country and attract more tourists through promotional campaigns that highlight the country’s tourist destinations. Through our partnership with Wego, the largest online travel marketplace in the region, we will attract more travelers from the Middle East to explore the best of Egypt. The country has been following stringent measures to provide a seamless …

Sabre Corporation and Gulf Air have reaffirmed their long standing relationship with an expanded, multi-year agreement. Under the renewed agreement, Gulf Air will continue to use Sabre’s passenger service system (PSS) SabreSonic to help power its digital transformation, provide a seamless traveller experience, and drive revenue growth. The PSS is designed to automate sales and reservations with enhanced functionalities that can help provide increased revenue opportunities by tailoring offers to meet the needs of travellers and help create an efficient airport experience. Gulf Air has also renewed a suite of solutions that will help ensure the airline’s operational efficiency and help incremental revenue opportunities through advanced fares management, schedule and network optimization and state-of-the-art revenue management. The agreement has also been expanded to include Sabre’s Dynamic Availability tool. A key building block for personalized retailing, the dynamic pricing engine will allow Gulf Air to identify ways to unlock greater value. “We’re delighted to reaffirm our relationship with Sabre and leverage its technology to further support our strategic plans,” said Captain Waleed Al Alawi, Acting Chief Executive Officer of Gulf Air. “We are currently undergoing a major transformation to upscale our technology strategy, advance operational efficiencies and improve traveller experience. As we move into recovery, we are confident that the flexible and intelligent nature of Sabre solutions, including SabreSonic, will enable us to be more efficient and offer a modern retail experience that enables personalized travel at scale, increases growth opportunities and allows us to create a differentiated brand experience in a highly competitive environment.” Sabre’s high performance, flexible PSS enables Sabre’s valued partners to realize increased growth opportunities through merchandising, codeshare agreements and alliance partners, plus cost savings from better …

Wego announced that it has signed a definitive agreement with the Flipkart Group, India’s homegrown e-commerce ecosystem, to acquire Cleartrip’s Middle East business. This transaction also includes the sale of Flyin.com and a technology co-operation agreement between Wego and Flipkart. The Boards of Directors of Wego and Flipkart have approved the transaction, which is expected to close in the second half of 2022, subject to customary closing conditions and regulatory approvals. Cleartrip is a pioneer of online travel in India and is famous and much loved by customers for its user-friendly interface and industry-first initiatives. Cleartrip expanded organically into the Middle East region in 2010 and acquired Riyadh based Flyin.com in 2018, which played a similar role in kick-starting online travel in Saudi Arabia. Wego and Cleartrip both have their regional headquarters located in Dubai Internet City. “Cleartrip and Flyin are both product-driven companies with best-in-class OTA technology that have established strong brands and strong positions across the Middle East,” said Ross Veitch, CEO & Co-Founder of Wego. “We are excited to welcome Cleartrip Middle East and Flyin into the Wego group. The Middle East is set to be one of the most exciting growth stories of the next decade with the travel & technology sectors taking center stage and with the Wego group playing a very crucial role. This acquisition will significantly increase our scale and capabilities and will strengthen our ability to partner and collaborate across our region. We are also excited to begin a multi-faceted partnership with Flipkart that will involve us sharing a brand across regions and co-operating on technology.” “The opportunity in travel tech for India is vast, and through Cleartrip, we have been able …

A digital marketplace for MEA hospitality & travel tech providers, ExploreTECH aims to boost audience engagement and lead generation. The platform aims to provide industry professionals with one place to compare tech products and services and receive advice from subject matter from industry experts to help improve their businesses. A first-of-its-kind platform, continues to drive the future of the hospitality and travel industry, increasing its network of vendors across the Middle East and Africa. ExploreTECH plans on connecting the entire hospitality and travel trade ecosystem to technology vendors and providing all services required by customers at a rapid pace using its current capabilities. As the platform serves as a unified source of information for multiple vendors, buyers can access the latest tech solutions that complement or further develop their strategic goals. Buyers can also access verified user reviews and conduct a comprehensive vendor comparison for informed decision making. Moreover, Buyers receive the latest content and information in one convenient location. ExploreTECH also provides buyers access to a global network with established vendor relationships that can deliver turnkey implementation and on-demand project support based on their requirements. In addition to increasing visibility and expanding their market share, vendors on the platform have the opportunity to improve customer engagement and enhance their customer experience. The subscriptions are divided into four tiers so that every tech provider can find a subscription that meets their needs, whatever their current market penetration level. Subscribers are provided with several core benefits, including improving vendor-customer engagement, providing a product comparison tool, and allowing users to request product demos. Vendor subscribers have the ability to host product training for qualified buyers, capture user reviews, spread awareness with social …