Category Archives: Technology

Almosafer Business has become a member of the One Global Community, formed by World Travel Inc and Clarity as a community of world-leading travel management companies.  Almosafer Business is the first travel management company to join One Global from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, showcasing its innovative strategy to lead from the front. Almosafer Business caters to corporate and government entities with cutting-edge travel management solutions designed around innovation and technological advancements. The partnership will enable Almosafer Business to amplify its digital-first services and offerings to benefit its clients and suppliers. Khalid Alyahia, VP of Almosafer, said; “We are excited to join forces with One Global Community to expand our innovative services across our digital platforms. This marks a milestone for Almosafer Business as we embark on a new chapter together, leveraging our best-in-class local expertise in the region and One Global’s network of worldwide suppliers and partners to enhance our offerings to our customers. Collaborations and partnerships are key to Almosafer’s success today, and we look forward to widening our imprint as we deliver even more innovative services.” Jodie Gentles, Managing Director of One Global, said; “Almosafer’s market leadership within the Saudi tourism sphere and their on-ground collaborations with service providers will be an asset for us at One Global. We look forward to enhancing their global reach even as our community of travel management companies will gain from their best-in-class practices.” One Global – a global community of world-leading travel management companies – formed by two of the world’s largest – Clarity Travel Management and World Travel, Inc. – is powered by partnerships. With industry-leading technology supplemented by local experience, One Global offers customers and service providers access …

Etihad Airways has enhanced its digital platforms with new features that make travel easier and more personalised for guests. The improvements to etihad.com and the Etihad Airways mobile app introduce new market-specific payment options, expanded self-service capabilities, and enhanced loyalty programme features. Guests can now pay using local payment methods across key markets including India and Europe, easily modify their bookings through the improved self-service options, and seamlessly redeem Etihad Guest miles for flights and upgrades. The enhanced platforms also offer a more intuitive booking process with features such as calendar-based fare searches and local language options. In the Indian market specifically, customers benefit from Hindi language support, locally preferred payment options, and an innovative fare calendar that makes finding the best travel deals easier. These market-specific improvements reflect Etihad’s commitment to meeting the distinct needs of its global customer base. Looking ahead, Etihad Airways is focused on further enhancing the customer experience, with upcoming improvements to the check-in process and more accurate, timely travel updates. These changes will make the entire travel journey, from booking to arrival, even more seamless for guests. Frank Meyer, Chief Digital Officer at Etihad Airways, said: “Our commitment to digital innovation is unwavering. By consistently refining our digital touchpoints, we’ve been able to rapidly implement enhancements that directly benefit our customers. This agile approach allows us to stay at the forefront of the competitive airline industry and consistently exceed passenger expectations.” Arik De, Chief Revenue and Commercial Officer at Etihad Airways, added: “The growth in our digital channels has been remarkable, with online direct sales increasing significantly across our key markets. The close collaboration between our Commercial and Digital Technology teams has enabled us to …

Almosafer entered into a global strategic partnership with Mandarin Oriental. The significant partnership, announced at World Travel Market London 2024, provides Almosafer exclusive access to Mandarin’s highly rated global property portfolio of 41 hotels and resorts, elevating Almosafer’s luxury hospitality segment. The global direct connectivity agreement with a special focus on Saudi Arabia follows the growing demand for ultra-luxury travel among Almosafer’s clients. It will enable Almosafer’s B2B and B2C customers to gain access to Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group’s global portfolio of 41 properties across 26 countries. Travellers will enjoy direct access to real-time inventory and competitive pricing through Almosafer’s consumer platforms as Almosafer elevates its luxury offerings and enhances its services to high-end customers. The partnership will further enable Almosafer to promote Mandarin Oriental to travellers from Saudi Arabia and beyond. The partnership will also provide the luxury Group access to Almosafer’s extensive network of agents through their Destination Management Company, Discover Saudi, resulting in greater brand visibility and reach for Mandarin Oriental’s KSA properties. Muzzammil Ahussain, Chief Executive Officer of Almosafer, said: “We are delighted to elevate our luxury offerings through our newly inked agreement with the prestigious and iconic Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group. While enabling the award-winning hotel group greater brand visibility through our omnichannel portfolio, we look forward to enhancing our unique offerings to our discerning clients through this significant partnership. At Almosafer, we’ve always strived to set industry benchmarks, and I’m confident the luxurious Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group will add to the allure of our attractive hospitality portfolio.” Geoffrey Webb, Vice President, Global Sales at Mandarin Oriental adds: “We are thrilled to embark on this strategic partnership with Almosafer, which allows us to expand our …

Trip.com Group is globally committed to a customer-centric approach highlighting the technology to empower it, as a key to travel’s future. Boon Sian Chai, Managing Director and Vice President, International Markets, Trip.com Group, took the stage as the keynote speaker for the Technology Track taking place at World Travel Market London. Chai’s perspective on customer-centricity was put into context by the moderator Timothy O’Neil Dunne, who told the packed auditorium that what they were about to hear about “[is] not pie in the sky stuff, this is live, in operation, today.” Artificial intelligence underpins most of Trip.com Group’s innovations. He mentioned initiatives including: Trip.Best, a tool that provides personalized hotels, destination, restaurants, and experiences recommendations based on analysing over 100 million user reviews and TripGenie, an AI travel assistant capable of crafting itineraries and answering queries, which has served about 3 million users and elevated engagement. Chai also talked about Hotel + X, a product which allows hoteliers to promote their property on Trip.com as a holistic experience by allowing them to upsell the unique features of the property or its location as a “rooms-plus” package. The 8,000 hotels who have signed up for the product are seeing an average increase of 30% in their ADR, he said. Trip.com Group is taking a global approach to its innovation roadmap, with localisation capabilities built in. Chai noted that travellers in Europe have a greater interest in sustainability, so Trip.com’s points of sale in Europe can surface sustainability information during the search stage and provide recommendations. Conversely in the Middle East, delivering the correct tone of voice of the many languages needed to serve the region’s travellers is essential. Chai also hinted …

Travelport and Transportes Aéreos Portugueses (TAP Air Portugal)  announced that they have signed a multi-source content distribution agreement that includes both NDC content and traditional content for Travelport’s agency customers. “This upcoming launch of our NDC content in Travelport+ will be a pivotal moment in our decades-long relationship,” said Mario Cruz, Chief Commercial and Revenue Officer at TAP Air Portugal. “Together, we are looking to deliver a solution that makes it easy for agents to access, sell, and service tailored NDC content and offers from TAP Air Portugal through the Travelport+ marketplace.” TAP Air Portugal and Travelport are actively collaborating to deliver TAP Air Portugal’s NDC content so that agents can easily access its wide range of fares and offers in the Travelport+ platform. Agents using Travelport’s API, Smartpoint Cloud and Smartpoint Desktop solutions will be able to seamlessly view and compare the airline’s NDC offers alongside traditional content and book the best offers for their travelers. Travelport’s comprehensive solutions also enable agents to service NDC bookings for their travelers. “Our updated agreement with TAP Air Portugal highlights our mutual dedication to creating a modern, personalized shopping and service experience for agents and travelers with NDC,” said Damian Hickey, Global Head of Travel Partners at Travelport. “With the future delivery of TAP Air Portugal’s NDC content and servicing in Travelport+, we’re continuing our mission to ensure that agencies can easily shop, compare, book and service the best offerings from leading airlines, all in one place.” Travelport’s AI-powered Content Curation Layer (CCL) helps retailers minimize challenges with viewing and comparing multi-source content offers, enabling agents to easily compare both NDC and traditional content side-by-side in one place. Built into Travelport+, CCL …

BuzzAR is working with the Saudi Tourism Authority to integrate BuzzAR’s AI tour guide, BAE (Buzz AI Experience) to digitalise the country’s hospitality industry. With US$1.16 million from HSBC, BuzzAR has 4 times their revenue in Saudi Arabia and is on track to bring in US$3.2 billion of tourism dollars to Saudi Arabia by 2026. 100 million tourists are targeted for 2030 and Saudi Arabia is facing a shortage of registered tour guides. With BAE, tour guides can handle bigger groups, target a wider audience, and free up their bandwidth to further personalise services and enhance the tourist experience. BuzzAR acquired US$1.16 million through the HSBC New Economy Fund to catalyse their expansion. BuzzAR was founded by Bell Beh and Ken Lim in 2018 and has hit significant milestones since, including a US$3.8 million fundraise in 2022, and the launch of BAE, the world’s first AI travel companion in April this year. BuzzAR saw the MENA region as having the potential to be a prime tourist destination and began expanding into the market in 2022. Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund’s (PIF) Vision 2030 aims to diversify the economy, with a US$64b investment plan geared to help the entertainment sector contribute more than US$23b, or 3% of GDP by 2030. “BuzzAR is committed to digitalising the Saudi Arabian hospitality industry through BAE. The company has been breaking boundaries since their inception, and we are impressed with their expansion plans. Their track record in finding success in other markets makes them the ideal hospitality tech partner for companies and governments in the MENA region. I expect them to scale rapidly given the huge growth in tourism in the region.” says Ian Wilson, CEO …

Sabre Corporation announced a new collaboration with Philippine Airlines to launch the “Fly with Sabre’s Pal” campaign in Saudi Arabia. The campaign, running from October 20 to December 10, 2024, will reward travel agents using the Sabre Global Distribution System (GDS) with exciting prizes for the highest number of bookings on Philippine Airlines. This initiative aims to foster stronger ties between Sabre and its valued travel agency community in Saudi Arabia, while supporting the growth of Philippine Airlines in the region. The campaign reflects Sabre’s commitment to offering dynamic and rewarding opportunities to travel agents in the Kingdom, particularly in supporting popular destinations. “The ‘Fly with Sabre’s Pal’ campaign is designed to recognize and reward the hard work of our travel agency partners in Saudi Arabia,” said Hasan Qannati, Head of Business Development for Saudi Arabia, Sabre Travel Network Middle East. “At Sabre, we believe in creating opportunities that benefit both our airline partners and our agents, and this campaign is a testament to that.” Sabre and Philippine Airline teams with agents from Almatar in Riyadh during the campaign launch Throughout the campaign, the top performers will be recognized and awarded with four key prizes, marking the end of the campaign with a celebration of their achievements.

HBX Group launched its Marketing Suite, a combination of marketing services designed to inspire, convert, and drive growth in the travel space. With this launch, HBX Group aspires to become the primary retail media network within the travel industry, serving as a point of reference for hotels, DMOs, airlines, mobility providers and any business seeking to engage with travellers and travel distributors. HBX Group Marketing Suite is composed of two key solutions: Travel Media Solutions and a Digital Marketing Agency. HBX Group’s Travel Media Solutions offers a suite of complete advertising products in an extensive network of hard-to-reach digital spaces, with the potential to reach over 50.000 travel agencies and 3.500 tour operators across 65 countries, as well as travellers from over 100 booking websites and strategic partners. These advertising solutions include digital banners on B2B and B2C websites, social media marketing, bespoke newsletters, email sponsorships, and landing pages. On the other hand, the Digital Marketing Agency is focused on tailor-made strategies developed by expert travel marketers to accelerate business growth within the B2C audience. Services include B2C digital campaign management, marketing advisory, insights, creative services, brand management, and more. HBX Group brings years of experience in the travel sector, giving the company a deep understanding of its unique needs and challenges. This knowledge allows HBX Group to design its services specifically to the demands of travel businesses, ensuring more effective and relevant marketing strategies. Its team of digital marketing experts, specialised in the travel industry, ensure that clients receive thorough, personalised support and guidance, from strategy development to execution and optimisation. The company also has access to the latest technologies to implement and refine marketing strategies. This includes advanced analytics, innovative advertising platforms, …

Furthering its commitment to sustainable tourism, the Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority (SCTDA) unveiled the ‘Sustainable Tourism AI Assistant,’ an innovative virtual assistant designed to empower travellers, businesses, and institutions to make informed eco-friendly decisions. Launched at GITEX Global, one of the world’s largest and most influential tech exhibitions, this forward-thinking initiative highlights Sharjah’s dedication to environmental preservation while reinforcing its position as a leader in sustainable tourism. Supporting more than 40 languages, it offers tailored insights that promote responsible travel choices and support environmental stewardship on a global scale. Commenting on the project, HE Khalid Jasim Al Midfa, Chairman of SCTDA, stated: “Sharjah, through its practices, emphasises the importance of sustainability as a key pillar of its developmental operations, particularly in the tourism sector, which is one of the most vibrant sectors contributing to national economy. Amid global challenges related to climate change, the ‘Sustainable Tourism Smart Assistant’ comes as a practical model for applying global sustainable development goals, aligning with the UN World Tourism Organisation’s initiative ‘Towards a Statistical Framework for Measuring Sustainability’. The application provides comprehensive information for travellers, tourists, and stakeholders to adopt the best sustainable travel practices, enabling them to make informed decisions that protect the environment and reduce the ecological footprint.” He added: “This project is an advanced technological tool that integrates the concept of sustainable tourism into daily practices. Its objectives are an integral part of Sharjah’s identity, and we are confident that it will contribute to enhancing cooperation between the public and private sectors, attracting sustainable investments, and encouraging civil society to adopt environmentally friendly behaviours, thereby reinforcing the emirate’s status as a global sustainable tourism destination.” The Sustainable Tourism AI Assistant …

Ajman Tourism Development Department (ATDD) unveiled a suite of new digital services aimed at enhancing and supporting the tourism sector in the emirate of Ajman during its participation at GITEX Global 2024. Among the highlights is the launch of the Department’s revamped website and updated digital services system, alongside the AI-powered ‘Plan Your Trip’ service. These innovative offerings reflect the department’s ongoing commitment to delivering smart and proactive government services that leverage the latest advancements in AI technology and data analytics. The aim is to assist visitors in planning tailored trips to Ajman, offering a flexible and personalised experience. The Department also seeks to enhance the experience of visitors, starting with the website and digital services system, and extending to the emirate’s rich tourism offerings. The newly launched ATDD website and digital services system offer a more interactive and user-friendly interface, designed to meet the highest government quality standards. The updated website features an AI-powered smart personal assistant that can handle customer inquiries, service procedures, requirements, and fees, in addition to tourist guidance services such as information about the emirate, tourist sites, museums, and activities. The new website’s smart personal assistant allows users to make direct calls to customers via audio, video, or screen sharing, allowing them to talk and share their screen with the customer happiness and service staff, catering to their requirements in record time without having to visit the department headquarters. Additionally, the website provides access to all government services and tourism information, such as reports, decrees, and resolutions, along with quick services and open data. ATDD launched the ‘Plan Your Trip’ platform, another innovation showcased at GITEX, which is fully AI-based and designed to help visitors customise …