Category Archives: Technology

Khimji’s House of Travel, one of the leading travel companies in Oman, has extended its partnership with Amadeus to build momentum around its digital transformation and the development of integrated travel services. Since 2012, Amadeus has worked with the agency to strengthen its position in Oman’s travel and tourism market as well as helping it expand across the region. Cashio Vettom, General Manager of Khimji’s House of Travel, said: “One of the pillars of our success has been an unwavering focus on digital transformation and innovation. We have developed state-of-the-art service platforms with the support and expertise of Amadeus – a pioneer of the global travel industry. Our experience means we can completely trust Amadeus to offer solutions that ensure we exceed our customers’ expectations. This is especially important considering the uncertainties of the COVID-19 pandemic, and as we strive to give confidence to the local travel market.” Ernesto Sanchez Beaumont, Managing Director of Amadeus Gulf, said, “Our priority in Oman has always been on maintaining strong, long-lasting relationships with our customers. Khimji’s House of Travel is a great example of how trust built over time brings dividends to our customers and the travelers they serve. We are determined to keep delivering digital solutions that enable the agency to offer its customers an even more rewarding and seamless, travel experience.”

A new e-learning platform for future Swiss public transport experts was launched recently. Heidi and Peter take trade specialists on a virtual learning journey through Swiss public transport. In the process, agents can broaden their knowledge in an entertaining way and ac- quire essential public transport know-how to support their clients professionally and competently. Everything is quick and easy: the fascinating world of train, bus and boat is always at your fingertips. As multipliers central to the Swiss Travel System AG (STS AG), the worldwide network of trade specialists plays an important role. Trade experts are in direct contact with clients and sell the Swiss Travel System around the globe. The new Swiss Travel System Excellence Program imparts up-to-date knowledge and thereby enables agents to support their clients in a confident and competent manner. Maurus Lauber, CEO of STS AG, affirms: “We are convinced that this attractive platform will help trade specialists to sell even more travels by train bus and boat in Switzerland.” The Swiss Travel System Excellence Program is the only e-learning program worldwide to cover the entire public transport system of a country. In the individual courses, participants learn everything about the characteristics of the Swiss Travel System – from tickets and passes to premium panoramic trains to luggage transport. Thanks to the modular structure, learners choose for themselves which content they would like to explore in more detail. And it can be done in a very short time: on average, a module takes only about six minutes to complete. Learners are accompanied on this journey by Heidi and Peter, two animated characters personifying two important Swiss qualities: reliability and enthusiasm. The innovative program is available in …

dnata continues to enhance its offering to ensure the safety and wellbeing of travellers and help airlines restore confidence in air travel. The company has partnered with the Disinfect Group and Ecas4 Australia to launch a safe, highly efficient and environment-friendly baggage disinfection service at Singapore Changi Airport (SIN). Passengers arriving at Changi Airport’s Terminal 3 can take advantage of the innovative solution and have their baggage quickly and safely disinfected before leaving the airport. Disinfect Group’s advanced equipment creates an almost invisible mist that is 100% natural, non-toxic, bio-degradable and can effectively kill over 99,99% of bacteria and pathogens, such as coronavirus, on all types of baggage. Elvis Crook, Diversification Director for Asia Pacific, dnata, said: “We are delighted to launch an innovative service to further enhance safety and customer experience across the Asia Pacific region. Our partnership with Disinfect Group and Ecas4 Australia will enable dnata to engage new customers beyond the airport, supporting businesses that work towards reopening. We are confident that the innovative mist technology, which is harmless to humans but effective in killing viruses and bacteria, will help companies provide additional peace of mind to customers and employees in a post-COVID world.” Dieter Veulemans, the founder of Disinfect Group, said, “Our units add not only a layer of safety but also a level of reassurance to everyone on-site. Our product helps create a sense of safety, allowing customers to re-engage at various types of locations.” Tony Amorico, Director of Ecas4 Australia, said: “Ecas4 Australia has worked with its partners to provide technological solutions that utilise our Electrolysed Water solution to destroy pathogens and the coronavirus. We are keen to see this technology fast-tracked and provide …

Lumi, the car rental business of Seera Group, is expanding its retail service network in Saudi Arabia, having won the bid to open counters at Jeddah King Abdulaziz International Airport, Ta’if Regional Airport, and Al-Baha Domestic Airport in Saudi Arabia. These join the current network of 8 airport counters and the total network of 26 branches in the region. Azfar Shakeel, Vice President of Lumi, said, “Winning the bid to open airport counters at three major airports in the Kingdom is an important step in the expansion of our network, and reinforces us as the preferred car rental partner. The airport counters will serve international visitors as well as domestic customers seeking convenience, value, and service. Our goal is to sustain our market leadership through innovative services that meet the requirements of our growing base of government clients, corporates, families, and individuals.”

Swiss Tourism launched a new e-learning platform for the travel trade partners to help them with updated information on the Swiss public transport system and support them to sell the system better. This Swiss Travel System Excellence Program, an e-learning programme imparts up-to-date knowledge and thereby enables agents to support their clients in a confident and competent manner. Heidi and Peter take trade specialists on a virtual learning journey through Swiss public transport. In the process, agents can broaden their knowledge in an entertaining way and ac- quire essential public transport know-how to support their clients professionally and competently. Everything is quick and easy: the fascinating world of train, bus and boat is always at your fingertips. As multipliers central to the Swiss Travel System AG (STS AG), the worldwide network of trade specialists plays an important role. Trade experts are in direct contact with clients and sell the Swiss Travel System around the globe. The new Swiss Travel System Excellence Program imparts up-to-date knowledge and thereby enables agents to support their clients in a confident and competent manner. Maurus Lauber, CEO of STS AG, affirms, “We are convinced that this attractive platform will help trade specialists to sell even more travels by train bus and boat in Switzerland.” The Swiss Travel System Excellence Program is the only e-learning program worldwide to cover the entire public transport system of a country. In the individual courses, participants learn everything about the characteristics of the Swiss Travel System – from tickets and pass to premium panoramic trains to luggage transport. Thanks to the modular structure, learners choose for themselves which content they would like to explore in more detail. And it can …

Verteil and dnata Travel Group have entered into an agreement for powering the dnata Travel Group’s NDC adoption via Verteil Direct Connect (VDC) platform. The dnata Travel Group of companies will now be able to access airline NDC content across multiple business lines that serve the travel requirements of a diverse market. By virtue of integrating VDC APIs into its current technology stack, a full range of air content will be available in one place for the dnata Travel Group, thus making it easier for its agents to compare offers and provide its customers with the best value proposition. Using VDC, dnata Travel Group can now directly enjoy the benefits of value-added and differentiated products and services made available by the airline on its NDC channel. “As part of the dnata Travel Group’s NDC initiative, we are excited to partner with Verteil Technologies to bring NDC capabilities to our Corporate and B2B businesses. This new capability will enable our consultants to seamlessly search, book, and issue NDC fares and offers, and also conduct all post-issuance processes in order to support our customers,” said Geoff Wood, Senior Vice President, Destination Management and Supplier Relations, dnata Travel Group. “Our NDC initiative will ensure that our customers have continued access to the best available fares and enhance their capability to access airline ancillary products. It will also support our airline partners in efficiently implementing their NDC strategies in the UAE and GCC region. We continue to invest in innovative solutions to deliver best-in-class services for our customers and airline partners.” On this partnership, Jerrin Jos, Founder and CEO of Verteil Technologies stated, “Verteil is honored to be powering the dnata Travel Group’s NDC …

Kiwi.com and Sabre Corporation, a leading software and technology provider powering the global travel industry, announced a new strategic partnership. The agreement will see Kiwi.com leverage Sabre’s well-established global position to support its continued growth and expand its market reach. Since its foundation in 2012, Kiwi.com has grown into one of the most successful online travel businesses of the past decade, offering the content of more than 800 ground and air carriers from around the world. Already well-established in numerous markets, particularly across Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA), the company is looking to further improve its competitive position and advance its global market share. Sabre is the premier global distribution system (GDS) in the Americas and the Asia-Pacific region and will fuel Kiwi.com with unique content, competitive pricing, state-of-the-art business intelligence and online expertise. “We are looking to serve our customers even more effectively and deliver a seamless experience, which will set us up for success once the travel industry enters a phase of recovery,” said Gilles Karlé, Chief Strategy Officer at Kiwi.com.  “Sabre is the right addition to our partnerships to help us increase our footprint across the globe; we appreciate its responsiveness amid the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as its continued investment in innovative technology.” “To fuel recovery, travel tech companies like Kiwi.com need access to the broadest range of content”, said Madhavan Kasthuri, senior director – online EMEA for Sabre Travel Solutions. “Kiwi.com is already a proven industry innovator that is delivering a highly sophisticated end-to-end experience to its customers. In addition, it is now providing increased choice and flexibility, which is crucial in helping gain peoples’ trust to travel again. We are looking forward …

Sabre Corporation and Akbar Travels announced a new long-term, strategic partnership agreement to further expand Sabre’s footprint in the Indian subcontinent while driving operational efficiencies to increase productivity and profitability for Akbar. Under the extended and expanded agreement, Sabre will continue to be Akbar’s preferred global distribution (GDS) partner in India, ensuring that the firm, which is the largest travel company in India in terms of IATA-approved branches, staff numbers and business turnover, can continue to access real-time, rich content from hundreds of thousands of airlines, hoteliers and other travel providers through Sabre’s intuitive Sabre Red 360 interface. “For many years, Akbar has utilized a broad portfolio of Sabre technology and solutions to leverage growth, streamline operations, expand our geographic reach and differentiate our own services within our markets,” said K.V. Abdul Nazar, founder, chairman and managing director, Akbar Group. “So, we’re not only delighted to continue to benefit from Sabre’s robust and scalable solutions but also proud to build on our successful, shared history by further extending Sabre’s world-class products and services in the Indian subcontinent through the new partnership agreement between our subsidiary Benzy and Sabre.” “Our new agreement and renewal with Akbar is testament to their confidence in Sabre’s technological solutions,” said Todd Arthur, Vice President, Sabre Travel Solutions, Agency Sales, Asia Pacific. “There’s no question about the extent to which the entire travel ecosystem has been impacted by the ongoing pandemic. However, what is also not in any doubt is the commitment of both Sabre and Akbar Travels to continue to invest in technological innovation for the future of our companies, our shared relationship and the recovery and growth of the travel industry as a whole …

Sabre Corporation announced a strategic long-term technology partnership with Louvre Hotels Group, Europe’s second-largest enterprise hotel group counting almost 1,600 hotels across 54 countries and a subsidiary of Jin Jiang International. With this new agreement, Louvre Hotels Group will benefit from SynXis Central Reservations and its industry-leading reach with connections to almost 900,000 travel agents and nearly 700 online channels across the globe, including hundreds of online travel agencies (OTAs) and metasearch engines. Louvre Hotels Group will be able to pursue its ambitious plans to expand its hotel portfolio footprint and global distribution reach while benefiting from improved operational efficiencies. “This partnership with Sabre is a priority to sustain our ambitions, especially in this global context. We constantly develop our network across the world with our brands from 1 star to 5 stars. Therefore, we want to deploy innovative distribution strategies with robust technology solutions, to provide cutting edge solutions to our investors and franchisees while ensuring technical and operational efficiency for our hotels,” said Pierre-Frédéric Roulot, CEO at Louvre Hotels Group. “For us, Sabre Hospitality Solutions is offering the best combination of innovation, platform, security, scale and service.” “In today’s evolving travel and hospitality industry, it is critical that hoteliers have a unified, highly-flexible technology platform that allows them to drive commercial performance, enable operational excellence, and do this on a reliable platform that just works,” said Scott Wilson, president of Sabre Hospitality Solutions. “Sabre’s industry-leading solutions will extend Louvre Hotels Group’s distribution reach with the speed of innovation, performance, and stability inherent in an industry-leading platform while providing the ability to create highly differentiated experiences for both its brands and its guests.”

Travelport launched a bold and distinct new visual identity, which has been created as part of the company’s first-ever end-to-end rebrand. “Travelport has transformed”, said Greg Webb, Chief Executive Officer. “We are now fully focused on what we do best – connecting buyers and sellers that share our passion for delivering exceptional travel experiences. We are also embracing our strengths – our agility, our independence and our ability to make the bold long-term decisions needed to simplify travel’s complex ecosystem. Our new brand reflects all this – who we’ve become, through our investments in the right people, products and technology and our vision for the future, as we get ready for a year of significant advances for Travelport. We’re proud to show it to the world today and are looking forward to following it up very soon with the launch our next-generation platform, which will change the game in travel retailing.” “This is a holistic rebrand”, said Catto. “While we’ve kept the essence of what makes Travelport great, we’ve refined our vision, what we stand for, how we act, how we look and how we market our business. Most importantly, this is a new promise we’re making to our customers; we’ll work harder for you than anyone else to build a better, simpler and smarter future for travel retailing.” Travelport’s new visual identity can already be seen on its website and social media channels, which now include Instagram. The full rebrand of all assets, including products and office spaces, will be completed in the coming months.