Category Archives: Agents

GCC-based travel conglomerate Kanoo Travel and premium destination management company Desert Adventures Tourism have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to establish a joint venture in Saudi Arabia at Arabian Travel Market 2023. The collaboration brings together two of the largest and most reputable travel trade organisations in the Middle East, aiming to create the most comprehensive destination services company in the region. The joint venture marks a significant milestone in both companies’ history as they combine their expertise, resources, and capabilities to provide travellers with unparalleled travel experiences in Saudi Arabia. Desert Adventures Tourism, managed by Thomas Cook India Group and wholly owned by Fairfax Financial Holdings Canada, has been a leading company and partner of choice for many worldwide tour operators with 25 years of experience in destination management in the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, and Oman. The company has developed a reputation for providing stability, consistency, and quality of service that its partners have come to trust. Kanoo Travel, an esteemed travel company with a legacy spanning over eight decades, offers the most comprehensive and reliable travel solutions. With a focus on corporate travel, Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Events (MICE), leisure and holiday travel, airline representation, and marine travel, Kanoo Travel has established itself as a leader in the travel industry. The company’s commitment to delivering exceptional solutions and services has been consistently acknowledged, resulting in numerous regional industry awards. Peter Payet, CEO of Desert Adventures, expressed excitement about the new venture, saying, “We are delighted to partner with Kanoo Travel to provide the most comprehensive destination services in Saudi Arabia. With their extensive local knowledge and resources and our international expertise, we are confident that this …

Rayna Tours announced its plans for expansion into new destinations, along with the appointment of a CEO to lead the company’s tourism businesses sector. The company’s expansion plans include establishing new destinations in the main European, Asian, and Middle Eastern countries, to create a comprehensive fully fledge products for the travel and tourism industry and communities. Since its inception in 2009, Rayna Tours has established itself as a leading player in the tourism and hospitality industry in UAE. With a major focus on adopting technology across all facets of its businesses and a commitment to excellence, Rayna Tours has been at the forefront of creating innovative travel solutions for its partners across the globe. To accelerate its growth strategy, Rayna Tours is pleased to welcome Mr. Senthil Velan, an accomplished leader in the tourism industry, as its new CEO. With over two decades of a proven track record of success in driving business growth in some of the leading DMCs in the region. Velan is ideally positioned to lead the company’s expansion into new markets and to build upon the company’s strong reputation. Mr. Velan will take over the CEO duties from the company owner and founder Mr. Manoj Tulsani who will continue to oversee the whole group of companies with a major focus on initiatives such as driving overseas expansions in addition to leading the innovation and technology developments across the group. In his new role, Mr. Velan will be responsible for accelerating the growth of Rayna Tours and its various tourism ventures, assets, and brands across the Middle East. He will oversee the company’s operations, strategic planning, and business development initiatives. “We are thrilled to welcome Senthil to …

Sharing insights to their travel plans and preferences, the majority 43% of respondents expressed the desire to travel to Europe for their next holiday, followed by the Indian Ocean islands (20%). The most popular countries on travellers’ bucket lists include Switzerland, the Maldives and Turkey. A majority 28% of respondents plan to book leisure travel two to six months in advance, compared to a matter of days or weeks in previous years. Travellers are also booking more extensive holiday packages, with 37% of travellers adding ‘all-inclusive’ as part of an ideal travel package in 2023. A majority of respondents plan to travel in July 2023, while other travel peaks expected this year include April, June, August and December. The results of a widescale survey conducted by dnata Travel, the UAE’s longest serving travel provider, revealed Europe as the most desired destination for UAE travellers in 2023. Meerah Ketait, Head of Retail and Leisure at dnata Travel, commented: “We conducted our latest survey at a time of high demand, with every expectation that this will continue to grow. Locations such as Europe are popular for the diverse landscapes on offer, from a modern or historic city break to a beach escape, or an island retreat. Experiences focused on wellness and nature are also trending for travellers in 2023. “Our experts constantly monitor trends to offer the best possible, tailor-made holiday packages to UAE travellers.” Based on the results of the survey and overall booking trends, dnata Travel experts are sourcing a wider range of extensive holiday packages for 2023 working with its partners, worldwide. As an example, Club Med’s premium all-inclusive ‘summer mountain’ offering in Europe will form a focus for the …

The world’s leading aerospace event, Dubai Airshow has grown immensely in significance and influence over the years, highlighted by the success of the November 2021 edition, which saw more than USD 74 billion worth of deals announced during the mega event. It welcomed more than 104,000 attendees and witnessed a 50% increase in trade visitors, which included global senior executives from 148 countries. Held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister of the UAE, Ruler of Dubai and UAE Minister of Defence, the 18th edition of Dubai Airshow is set to take place from 13-17 November 2023 at Dubai World Central (DWC), Dubai Airshow Site. The event is supported by key aviation industry stakeholders including Dubai Airports, the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority (DCAA), the UAE Ministry of Defence, Dubai Aviation Engineering Projects (DAEP) and the UAE Space Agency. With 2023 announced by UAE President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan as the ‘Year of Sustainability’, the latest edition will focus on showcasing the sustainability initiatives and technologies from government entities and the wider aerospace industry, further reinforcing the UAE’s unwavering commitment to promoting sustainable circularity ahead of COP28 summit in Dubai. Across the country, industry players continue to invest in new projects and initiatives such as Emirates operating its first demo flight powered with 100% Sustainable Aviation Fuel and Dubai Airports implementing efficiencies and innovative solutions to limit its environmental impact. Significant growth is also expected within aerial mobility, with Dubai pledging to launch flying taxis in 2026, advancements in electric and hybrid eVTOL’s and the DCAA publishing the world’s first national regulations related to vertiports. His Highness Sheikh …

Seabourn Encore, the ultra-luxury cruise ship, visited  Dubai Harbour, the city’s extraordinary seafront district designed for a maritime lifestyle. Discover the World, the Middle East representative for Seabourn, hosted guests for a ship tour event onboard Seabourn Encore. The stunning Seabourn Encore entered service in January 2017, once again re-defining the industry’s expectations for an ultra-luxury experience. Designed by hospitality design icon Adam D. Tihany who intended Seabourn Encore “to feel more like a luxury yacht,” the vessel, together with her sister ship Seabourn Ovation (2018) features modern design elements and innovations in keeping with Seabourn’s reputation for understated elegance, as well as one additional deck and expanded public areas. Seabourn Encore offers 300 spacious and luxuriously-appointed all-veranda suites and maintains the line’s high ratio of space per guest, enabling highly personalized service. Features include seven lounges and bars, The Spa at Seabourn featuring a variety of wellness and spa treatments, and The Retreat, a sanctuary designed for guests to relax in private cabanas, with a Spa Treatment Cabana for personalised spa services. In addition, guests may enjoy superb cuisine at seven dining venues, including The Grill by Thomas Keller, Earth & Ocean on The Patio, and Sushi. Seabourn Encore will spend summer 2023 in the Mediterranean, with a series of voyages to Greece & Turkey itineraries. The itineraries explore the wonders of the classical world, and select voyages include Seabourn’s iconic ‘Evening at Ephesus,’ a complimentary private event with a classical concert at the ancient site of Ephesus. In November 2023, Seabourn Encore ends its Europe season with an 18-night Holy Land, Egypt & Arabia voyage travelling from Athens to Dubai. From there, the ship heads to Asia, where …

Sabre Corporation and Al Manal Travel, Tours and Cargo, Salalah, the Sultanate of Oman, have announced an exclusive multiyear technology agreement to help the agency advance its operations and provide travellers with personalized travel experiences. Al Manal Travel has been working with Sabre for more than two decades, delivering comprehensive travel solutions and offerings – including travel packages, cruises and adventurous holidays. Al Manal Travel will be exclusively using Sabre Red 360 to deliver highly personalised offers for its customers, by deploying intelligent and consultative services and features. Furthermore, it will benefit from Sabre’s Automated Exchanges and refunds to drive operational efficiency. “For more than 20 years, Sabre has been the trusted and innovative technology partner that helped us deliver comprehensive travel services and customized products in the Omani market,” said Ahmad Mustafa, General Manager, Al Manal Travel, Tours and Cargo. “We choose Sabre for its expertise, dedicated team, and innovative technology, which will help us to keep our business agile and advance the services that we offer our travellers.” Al Manal Travel will continue to have access to Sabre’s marketplace of more than 400 airlines, 750,000 hotel properties, and hundreds of tour operators, rail, car and cruise providers, to sell customized travel packages from suppliers around the world. “We are thrilled to extend our longstanding relationship with Al Manal Travel as its preferred GDS partner,” said John Matthew, Oman Country Manager, Sabre Travel Network Middle East. “We are constantly evolving our technology, enabling us to offer agencies faster innovation and more flexible solutions infused with data-driven insights. This helps agencies to differentiate their offerings and create compelling travel shopping experiences.”

Saudi Tourism Authority (STA) has successfully concluded its first roadshow in China with 13 partners including DMCs, hoteliers and airline partners in attendance. The roadshow showcased the country’s rich cultural and heritage offerings and why Saudi is the perfect travel destination for Chinese travelers. A series of events, meetings, round table discussions and networking events were hosted, resulting in over twenty strategic partnership announcements. During the multicity roadshow, Saudi Tourism Authority held meetings with over 300 trade partners and travel buyers in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou to promote Saudi as a leisure destination, sharing insights into the emerging trends in MICE tourism. Saudi’s inclusion in the ‘Approved Destination Scheme’, alongside China’s inclusion in Saudi’s e-visa program and 96-hour Stopover Visa – where guests flying onwards on SAUDIA can avail a complimentary one-night hotel stay in Saudi – facilitates seamless group travel. Saudi’s presence in China is an indication of how important the Chinese market is for the Kingdom and its commitment to China as a key source market for Saudi. Saudi has witnessed incredible growth since opening to tourism in 2019 as its post-pandemic tourism recovery outpaced G20 countries with a 121% YoY growth according to UNWTO. As part of Saudi’s ambition to achieve 100 million visits annually by 2030, China represents immense potential as it is expected to be Saudi’s 3rd top source market by then. Fahd Hamidaddin, CEO and Member of the Board at Saudi Tourism Authority said, “Our first roadshow in China has been a tremendous success and a testament to Saudi’s potential to become the region’s tourism hub and a gateway to the cultural and natural riches of Arabia for Chinese travelers. Supporting us in realising …

Travelport announced the launch of Smartpoint Cloud on Travelport+. As the only modern retailing platform built for agencies, Travelport+ will now deliver a more intuitive and efficient way for travel agents to sell and service travel, all while increasing sales of higher-value services for suppliers. Through Smartpoint Cloud, agents will be able to easily search, filter, find and create tailored packages to suit every customer type, including fully customizable hotel and flight search options and NDC offers. “Travel agents are the true retailers of our industry, and launching Smartpoint Cloud on Travelport+ will help our partners to deliver more value to both their clients and suppliers,” said Tom Kershaw, Chief Product & Technology Officer at Travelport. “Like any good tech innovation, these tools are simple to use and tackle key challenges faced by the travel advisor community. Smartpoint Cloud will further personalize agent workflows, help drive more revenue, and most importantly, impress customers.” Built with the insight that agencies need to train and onboard new agents, the graphical user interface (GUI) on Travelport+ is designed to provide a more user-friendly, simpler experience that speeds up agent workflow. Agents who prefer to work in a traditional (cryptic) interface have the flexibility to do so. Smartpoint Cloud’s retailing storefront helps agents understand offers and make more informed decisions within the robust offerings of air, hotel, car, and rail content available. It provides better criteria to allow easy comparisons from any source, including both NDC and traditional air content side by side. Smartpoint Cloud also helps provide more transparency on offers, enabling agents to have the relevant information for comparison shopping at their fingertips. Additionally, the newly expanded Trip Quote capabilities integrate both …

Ibrahim Nalkhande is the newly appointed General Manager at Business Travel LLC, a leading Dubai based Travel Management Company. Nalkhande, described as a man of wisdom, insight and understanding, said he is very excited about the upcoming challenges and opportunities. Having established reputation in the travel industry and got experience from some of the renowned brands of the industry, Nalkhande said he had a clear mandate to take Business Travel to the next summit. The fiscal year 2023 started with a very positive note special mention to first two months recorded performance, the momentum will gain further pace , and I am optimistic that we will exceed the pre-pandemic numbers in this year stated Nalkhande. I am very excited with the new role and challenges that lie ahead for m in my new assignment. I will use the diversified experience and expertise of Travel Industry for the betterment, growth and profitable business development of Business Travel LLC said Nalkhande who shares the vision of Rashid Al Noori, the Chairman and stalwart of the industry, the visionary of ‘Business Travel LLC ‘an expanding conglomerate that saw its beginning in Dubai in 2006.

Almatar Travel Group and Sabre Corporation signed a new technology agreement at the Saudi Tourism Forum in Riyadh, that will see the travel company uses Sabre’s industry-leading technology and solutions to help drive operational efficiency, advance its virtual payments strategy and transform travellers experience. Under this agreement, Almatar Travel Group will benefit from Sabre’s extensive travel ecosystem including its wide geographic scope and breadth of travel content, which includes air, lodging, ancillary and NDC content. Furthermore, Almatar will access Sabre’s portfolio of innovative technology and intelligent platform, Sabre Red 360, which will help enable the travel company to differentiate its offering, compete more effectively, grow faster in the region, and expand its online travel business. Additionally, Almatar will use Sabre’s APIs and Automation Hub to help it stay competitive in the dynamic Saudi marketplace. “With the impressive developments of the Saudi Vision 2030, we are witnessing increased tourism in the country, allowing us to deal with travellers from around the world with different expectations and accustomed to different technology,” said Faisal Al Rajhi, President, Almatar Travel Group. “We turned to Sabre to advance our technology, expand our reach and equip ourselves with intelligent solutions that make shopping and booking travel intuitive, personalised and flexible which is important to differentiate our offerings in a competitive marketplace.” Almatar Travel Group is advancing its payments solution and will deploy Sabre Virtual Payments (SVP) to help maximize value of its B2B payments and to provide payments flexibility and control, increased fraud protection and security, accurate reconciliation and better automation and efficiency. “We are excited to partner with Sabre at this exciting time to support the Kingdom’s vision and the travel and tourism developments,” said …