Tag Archives: Accenture

Riyadh Air has signed a three-year strategic agreement with Accenture to help deliver its technology foundation and capabilities as part of its vision to be the world’s first digitally native airline. The initiative will enable Riyadh Air to operate in a new era of aviation with digital services at its core, using cutting-edge technologies such as cloud data and AI to help deliver a seamless travel experience for its guests and employees. The core enterprise system will enable the company to scale as it aims to offer over 100 destinations by 2030. Accenture will help set up Riyadh Air’s cloud-only infrastructure, cybersecurity capabilities, managed services and operations as the airline gears up for its launch. Adam Boukadida, chief financial officer of Riyadh Air, said, “As a digitally native airline, Riyadh Air will be at the forefront of innovation and technology, allowing us to deliver world-class service to our guests. There is a considerable amount of unseen work taking place behind the scenes enabling both our operations and user experience, with Accenture, as our strategic technology partner, helping us to deliver, secure and operate foundational capabilities.” Emily Weiss, senior managing director at Accenture and head of its Travel practice globally, said, “The launch of Riyadh Air is a landmark moment for the aviation industry as a whole; a brand-new airline that’s designed from the ground up, harnessing the latest technologies to create hyper-connected experiences that meet the demands of today’s, and tomorrow’s travelers. Drawing on our deep industry and digital expertise, we are proud to be collaborating with Riyadh Air to help shape the future of travel.” Boukadida added, “Accenture is pivotal in enabling Riyadh Air’s cloud-first strategy, and our unique …

On the side lines of COP28, the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) launched its new ground-breaking report, ‘Water Roadmap for Travel & Tourism’, revealing total water intensity by global Travel & Tourism continues to decrease as the sector continues to grow. Despite being one the fastest growing sectors, accounting for one in 10 jobs globally and contributing 10.4% of global GDP in 2019, Travel & Tourism’s water usage ranged between 3.5% and 5.8% of global available freshwater, in 2021 and 2019 respectively. While this is a lower share than other key sectors, such as agriculture and food, which accounted for 70% of global water usage, there is more work to be done as growing water scarcity has become one of the most pressing challenges for sustainable development. Today, over 2.2 billion people do not have access to safe drinking water, while 4.2 billion do not have access to safe sanitation services. Water is a vital natural resource, sustaining life on earth, making it an essential asset that must be protected. The report highlights that further progress can be made if Travel & Tourism stakeholders take a series of actions, and sustainable water practices are implemented globally. In a collaborative effort, WTTC worked with Accenture and Oxford Economics to leverage their expertise in data analysis, best practices, and proven methodologies, providing a framework to help the global travel and tourism sector set water targets, reduce their water footprint and increase water resilience. The data is a result of to the partnership between WTTC and the Saudi-based Sustainable Tourism Global Center. According to the research, from 2010 to 2019, Asia Pacific, Americas and the Middle East saw their Travel & Tourism …

SAUDIA has signed an agreement with global professional services firm Accenture paving the way for a digital transformation program that will make the airline’s guest experience seamless and highly personalized while improving operational efficiency. His Excellency the Director General of SAUDIA Group, Eng. Ibrahim bin Abdul Rahman Al-Omar and the Chief Executive Officer of Accenture, Julie Sweet, during a meeting to announce the new collaboration. Through this agreement, SAUDIA will use artificial intelligence technologies to significantly enhance its digital infrastructure and build more than 260 new digital and electronic services in two years. SAUDIA’s guests will be able to enjoy more personalized services and a smooth travel experience possible across the entire travel cycle, from ticket search and booking to check-in, and from in-flight services to post-sale support. All the digital systems developed by Accenture will be designed specifically for SAUDIA, increasing operational efficiency and reducing operational costs, thanks to a new enterprise-wide cloud-based data foundation. This agreement will include several tracks to enhance SAUDIA’s guest value and help deliver the company’s strategic objectives. Specific initiatives will include a digital experience studio, digital infrastructure decoupling that accelerates and de-risks digital transformation processes, modernization of technical systems, creation of a cloud data lake, and development of a smart guest care center. “SAUDIA is looking to reimagine how our guests can choose, buy and enjoy leisure, business, and religious experiences,” said Dr. Khaled Alhazmi, Chief Information Officer, SAUDIA. “With Accenture’s support, we will create seamless and curated journeys with hyper-relevant experiences across digital and human-driven interactions. Guests will be able to modify flights, purchase transit eVisas, and enjoy new self-service features across all digital channels.” “Through this strategic collaboration, our primary aim …

Accenture opened Dubai Tourism Innovation Hub, the company’s first innovation hub in the Middle East & North Africa region. Located in Dubai Media City, the Dubai Tourism Innovation Hub is an immersive environment that showcases Accenture’s capabilities across a variety of innovative technologies, including extended reality, artificial intelligence, the internet of things, and more. Through industry-focused demos, co-creation sessions, prototyping, and a startup showcase, the Dubai Tourism Innovation Hub provides a platform for clients and partners to tap into Accenture’s global industry knowledge to ideate and develop smart and scalable innovative solutions that help them transform their businesses in the tourism sector. “With tourism development a priority on national agendas across the Gulf Cooperation Council region, we’re excited to launch our very first Tourism Innovation Hub in Dubai,” said Norberto Cibien, Managing Director and Accenture Products industry group lead in the Middle East. “Millions of people will visit Expo 2020 Dubai, and with 70 per cent expected to come from abroad, it’s critical to develop a seamless travel experience, which requires bridging disconnected ecosystem players and catering to unique and evolving customer needs.” Xavier Anglada, Managing Director and Accenture Digital lead in the Middle East, added, “Accenture is proud to harness innovative technologies to support the government and private-sector stakeholders in bringing tailored and new concepts and features to the region. Through the Dubai Tourism Innovation Hub, we will create sustainable and valuable opportunities for business transformation in the tourism sector here in the UAE and across the wider region.”

In partnership with Accenture Strategy, Emaar Hospitality Group has unveiled three new projects for digitalisation that will leverage the Internet of Things and Artificial Intelligence to promote organisation-wide digital innovation and enhance guest experience. Olivier Harnisch, Chief Executive Officer, Emaar Hospitality Group, said, “The three new projects will position us a leading digital player in the hospitality sector, underpinned by our commitment to maximising the guest experience by drawing on the power of data to do our work better and more efficiently.” The new projects cover the digital transformation of Emaar Hospitality Group, which has three brands – Address Hotels + Resorts, Vida Hotels and Resorts and Rove Hotels – as well as Emaar Leisure Group assets and Lifestyle Dining outlets. Using its innovation and design capabilities, as well as its global expertise in the travel and hospitality sector, Accenture will help design and build new capabilities aimed at improving guest satisfaction. Alexis Lecanuet, Managing Director and Products Lead for Accenture in the Middle East and Turkey said, “To keep up with the demands of an increasingly tech savvy clientele, hoteliers have to think of innovative ways to reinvent the entire guest experience—even from the time before they book through to after check out.”