Category Archives: Technology

Athletes and coaches from all around the world regularly criss-cross their region, country, or continent as they travel to one major sporting event after another in order to participate and compete. We spoke to Omar Al Souma, Saudi-based Al Ahli football player about the planning and preparation he needs to undertake for his travel. He has been playing football for almost two decades – his popularity skyrocketed in 2007 when he travelled from Syria to Dammam to participate in the Asian Youth Cup and lead his team to victory. Al Souma says that he has travelled frequently since and requires a visa for most countries he visits. Earlier, he had to visit the visa application centre to submit his application and biometric information but that has changed since he started using VFS Global’s new Visa At Your Doorstep service. The technology-enabled service brings the visa application process directly to the applicant, and that too at their preferred time and location. Recounting his experience, Al Souma said, “I have been playing matches all over and the visa process can be time consuming. Visa At Your Doorstep proved to be the best decision I could have taken for this process as I travel regularly – it not only enabled me to apply for my Schengen visa to France in comfort, but the team was professional, competent and consistently responsive to any questions I had.” “Throughout my Schengen visa application, VFS Global provided a personalised approach which suited my needs perfectly. The application that the French consulate received was very detailed and complete, which I feel was the reason why the whole experience was smooth and most importantly, brief,” he added.  

Apiso and Sabre Corporation announced a long-term partnership to increase virtual payments adoption in the travel industry across the Middle East region. The partnership, and resulting technical integration between Apiso and Sabre, will promote Apiso’s unique product offering as the preferred payment solution for Sabre Virtual Payments’ customers in the fast-growing Middle East. It will also enable Sabre to scale the volume of payment transactions processed through its global distribution system (GDS) and other technology solutions globally. “Sabre’s virtual payment technology and its extensive distribution reach coupled with Apiso’s advanced technical solutions and payment integration will enable us to jointly deliver compelling products to help regional and international travel companies to optimise their payments workflow, drive revenue and profitability,” said Andrew Sims, Director, Apiso. “We are excited about this partnership that will provide advanced, reliable, secured and flexible virtual payment solutions to the region.” Sabre Virtual Payments’ network of strategic banking partners enables it to effectively meet specific regional needs while providing a comprehensive global solution. “Sabre Virtual Payments continues to expand our strategic partnerships to ensure a comprehensive solution that optimises travel payments globally,” said Salman Syed, Vice President, Sabre EMEA. “Our partnership with Apiso helps us deploy Sabre Virtual Payments with flexible facilities such as multi-currency and multi-channel options, increase the value of our regional offerings in the Middle East and provide customers with a global payment solution that meets their specific payment needs.” Apiso works with back-end financial services providers that are members of the global payment schemes to automate the provision and administration of virtual cards for B2B supplier payments across multiple industry segments.

Travelport has announced the development of a blockchain solution to enhance the hotel commission reconciliation process. Working with IBM Services and BCD Travel, as well as a number of high-profile hotel chains, the blockchain technology solution aims to optimise hotel commission processing on a distributed ledger by managing reconciliation, tracking and accounting for commission payments owed from hotel chains for services purchased by travellers via booking agencies. Ross Vinograd, Senior Product Director, Travelport, said: “Blockchain technology applied to commission reconciliation has the potential to deliver real ROI to both a travel agency and the hotel. Traveller modifications at property, no shows, and complimentary room nights are just a few examples that drive commission discrepancies which in turn generate escalations, cost, and revenue loss. Our aim is to put the lifecycle of a booking on the blockchain and we believe doing so will drive transparency, trust, and ultimately booking volume.” Kurt Wedgwood, IBM Blockchain Leader-Travel, added: “Global distribution companies and providers would benefit from this use of blockchain technology to remove their never-ending work of reconciliation to spend that time adding new experiences and insights for the traveller. Eliminating the hours spent addressing dollars in dispute or the timeliness and accuracy of information allows all participants to focus on what matters most: the traveller.”  

OYO Hotels & Homes have announced multilingual support for its customer app (Android and iOS) and mobile web platforms. With a consumer-first approach backed by innovative technology, through its newly launched multilingual support on the customer app and mobile web platforms, OYO aims to offer a hassle-free and customized booking experience to millions of users across the world. With Arabic language support, OYO aims to extend support to more users in UAE and reach out to the growing number of internet users. The Change Language Functionality will enable users to simply switch from English to Arabic and enjoy customized yet quality booking experience. Commenting on the launch, Anil Goel, Group Chief Technology & Product Officer, OYO Hotels & Homes, said, “At OYO, customer experience is a priority. Being a tech-driven hospitality business, we leverage the right technology and talent to deliver predictable, affordable, good quality stay experiences for everyday travelers and city dwellers. With this multilingual support, we aim to make user interactions hassle-free and convenient, further adding to the overall customer experience across the world. We believe that Arabic language support will make us more accessible to customers in UAE.”    

A decade after introducing corporate travel solutions to businesses in the region, Sharjah-based Musafir.com is on course to revolutionise the corporate travel industry with its brand new, state-of-the-art corporate booking tool, designed to streamline the relationship between the premium travel website and their corporate clients. The region’s  sole homegrown travel provider aims to usher its 900+ corporate clients into a new age of business travel with this augmentation to their unrivalled portfolio of services. In a bid to modernise business, the new online tool will feature Advanced travel policies: These help companies stay on budget with 20+ control checks including airlines, cities, classes, refundability and rating. Automated profiles: This allows for the efficient import of all employee passport details and preferences or connect with single sign-on. Easy to track spends: Tags are used to monitor spends and segregate them by department, designation, cost centre, travel intent and more. Paperless approvals: Detailed approval requests are sent to line managers and CEOs with one-click processing. According to Musafir.com, these key features coupled with the ability to obtain real-time reports and insights, are likely to result in up to 20 percent travel budget savings for clients.  “We have invested heavily in end-to-end automation on the corporate travel front. From the booking process to the reporting, we’ve leveraged algorithmic machine learning to make business travel a seamless experience,” says Sachin Gadoya, CEO, Musafir.com. “As we continue to grow technologically, we will also branch out geographically. We’re steadily expanding further into the Middle East and India markets and are in talks to progress into key economies in South East Asia as well.”  

As the next step in its continuing support for Qantas’ New Distribution Capability, including the Qantas Distribution Platform (QDP), Travelport, a leading technology company serving the travel industry, has begun handling its first bookings with Qantas using IATA’s New Distribution Capability (NDC) standard. The bookings are being made through Travelport Smartpoint in a live production test environment as Qantas prepares distribution of differentiated NDC content from late 2019. This NDC connection to Qantas is the first by any GDS to the carrier and enables live bookings of NDC content to be made by selected agency partners taking part in the testing programme, including ATPI Corporate Travel, Globetrotter and Travel Beyond. The development is part of the airline’s plans for the QDP which is dedicated to offering an improved customer experience through enhanced and personalised content tailored to meet travellers’ unique needs. Having been the first GDS to make a live NDC booking in October 2018, Travelport has already connected to five European airlines’ NDC content. It will follow up with an API NDC connection channel through Travelport’s Trip Service API with Qantas’ content among the first to be available through this channel. The Trip Service API is also currently part of a testing programme with an Australia-based online travel agency successfully coding to it. Scott Barber, Managing Director Australia and New Zealand at Travelport, commented, “Qantas shares our vision that NDC has the potential to enhance the travel experience for its customers, offering personalised and differentiated choice and a seamless booking experience.” Peter Muller, International Board Director at ATPI Corporate Travel, added, “It’s great to be part of the team pioneering NDC for the Asia-Pacific region. We’re pleased to see …

Nor1, the global leader in hospitality upgrade, upsell, and merchandising technology, has announced the launch of game-changing merchandising features to their flagship product, eStandby. These inventory-based guest communications trigger bookings and upsell, and have driven conversion rates above 25 per cent, creating significant increases in revenues, direct to properties. “Today’s guests demand and deserve absolute transparency in the booking process,” says Jason G. Bryant, Founder and CEO, Nor1. “Accuracy and useful information are key. Our technology is different than anything else on the market because it reflects actual real-time inventory through our two-way integration. We serve up relevant data-driven offers based on a micro-segmented machine learning approach, as well as highlight what is in high-demand by others to prompt guests to make quicker and more confident buying decisions. Even without integration, we still know how many guests have requested an offer, or which offer is most likely to convert based on what similar guests have requested, or what hotels have awarded most.” Powered by machine learning, eStandby and its confirmed upsell sister product eXpress Upgrade, enable hotels to maximise revenue and drive real operational efficiencies to generate the highest ROI on upselling technology in the industry. The new merchandising banner features are designed to inspire guests to convert based on influencial buying triggers such as scarcity of product, popular demand, or customised offers. Jason adds, “By leveraging some of the top performing merchandising and recommendation mechanisms that travellers see and respond to on booking sites like Expedia, our latest enhancements level the playing field for hoteliers in their competition with third parties.”

Following the success of the first ever City-Experience Mini Programme launched by Dubai’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing in collaboration with WeChat, the programme has been further enhanced with the launch of 10 new digital audio tours which are now available for visitors to use while exploring the city. Inviting the users of China’s most popular social networking site to easily access Dubai’s tourist attractions during their stay, the newly re-branded ‘Dubai Mini Assistant’ elevates the existing programme to a more advanced digital maturity, now offering sophisticated chatbot capabilities, powered by Tencent’s AI technology, to provide seamless experiences and services to Chinese travellers. With robust growth in overnight visitors from China in the first quarter of 2019, the new audio tours further add to the ease of accessibility for these tourists when visiting Dubai, allowing them to discover the city’s many historic sites and cultural landmarks through their mobile phones. Reconfirming its continued commitment to one of the emirate’s top source markets, Dubai Mini Assistant forms part of the Department’s city-wide ‘China Readiness’ strategy, focused on designing an enriching and memorable experience for Chinese travellers. Issam Kazim, CEO of Dubai Corporation for Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DCTCM), said, “China is quickly emerging as one of the fastest growing source markets for Dubai’s tourism industry, with the city welcoming more than 290,000 visitors in the first three months of the year, representing a stellar 13 per cent increase when compared to the same period in 2018.”  

Al Murshed Travel and Tourism has inked an exclusive deal with Sabre Corporation to gain continued access to Sabre’s portfolio of innovative technology and its intelligent platform Sabre Red 360, allowing it to effectively harness data and deliver superior content to its travellers.  This unique technology will help enable the travel company to differentiate its offering, compete more effectively and grow faster in the region, as well as expand into the online sector. “As its long-standing technology partner, we are committed to supporting its plans to enter the online space and providing industry leading technology to support its growth. This is aligned with our desire to empower travel companies to become true travel consultants, and to grow and compete with global players,” said Abdul-Razzaq Iyer, Vice President, Sabre Travel Network Middle East. As a key part of its goal to leverage the growth of online travel in the Middle East, Al Murshed Travel is investing in the latest technology and solutions to advance the services and content it offers its travellers. “We are working to leverage its expertise and innovations to grow in the online space and serve our customers even better and more efficiently in the future,” said Salah Al Murshed, Commercial Director, Al Murshed Travel and Tourism.  

One of the leading travel agencies in the Kingdom of Bahrain, Al Khunaizi Travel, has signed a long-term agreement with Sabre Corporation, the leading technology provider to the global travel industry. Under this agreement, Al Khunaizi will continue to access Sabre’s marketplace of more than 400 airlines, 750,000 hotel properties, and hundreds of tour operators, rail, car and cruise providers, giving Al Khunaizi the opportunity to sell personalised travel packages from suppliers all over the world. The agency accesses the marketplace through the Sabre Red 360 platform, which features a customisable and intuitive user experience using data-driven insights to guide travel consultants. “New technology is driving changes in consumer behaviour and traveller expectations, and there’s now a greater demand for more personalised services,” said Ammar Al Khunaizi, CEO, Al Khunaizi Travel. “Sabre’s advanced technology and expertise, combined with its skilled team, have helped optimise our business, and cemented our position as a pioneer in delivering new traveller experiences. We look forward to growing with Sabre and delivering a superior personalised travel service to our customers.” “As traveller expectations evolve, so must the travel industry, and travel management companies that embrace advancements in data, online and mobile will continue to stay relevant in today’s fast-changing world,” said Abdul-Razzaq Iyer, Vice President, Sabre Travel Network Middle East. “Our advanced technology and network of travel suppliers will help Al Khunaizi to offer a wealth of choice to its travellers and provide personalised and seamless traveller experiences.”