Tag Archives: agents

Discover Saudi and the Muslim Golf Association (MGA) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to promote the world’s first Golf Umrah, Race to Makkah, in the Kingdom. As part of the MoU Discover Saudi will customise, promote & distribute a dedicated Golf Umrah package in collaboration with the Muslim Golf Association, combining the classic pilgrimage experience with premium golf activity for inbound and domestic golf enthusiasts. Participants will embark on an extraordinary journey, harmonising their passion for golf with the profound religious experience of Umrah. This event marks the launch of MGA’s World Championship, The Race to Makkah, an exclusive three-day golf tournament at the prestigious Royal Greens Golf & Country Club — celebrated as one of the Kingdom’s premier golf destinations, which has hosted several high-profile tournaments including the PIF Saudi International and LIV Golf Jeddah. Following their spiritual pilgrimage to Makkah and Madinah, participants will engage in this unparalleled golfing experience. Founded in 2020, The Muslim Golf Association is the world’s first dedicated golfing platform catering to modern, professional, Muslim male and female golfers of all abilities. It has also recently launched a groundbreaking initiative in collaboration with the European Disabled Golf Association (EDGA) to train new volunteers and deliver dedicated sessions for disabled Muslims. The partnership draws on Discover Saudi’s extensive on-the-ground expertise and vast network of local tour operators, and access to hospitality partners to elevate the travel experience for the tournament participants and attendees. Saudi Arabia’s growing clout in the international sporting arena, with the Kingdom playing host to a range of sporting events, attracting tourists and fans from around the world, gets a further boost with the Race to Makkah event expected to enhance …

The Ajman Tourism Development Department (ATDD) signed two memorandums of understanding (MOUs) with Coral Touristik GmbH, a leading tourism services provider, and Vtours, a renowned tour operator, on the sidelines of the department’s participation in the World Travel Market. The new agreements demonstrate the Department’s commitment to expanding its strategic alliances with foreign travel and tourism firms in order to share best practices and methods in the areas of hotel reservations, tourism services, and exchange of expertise and knowledge. The move is set to elevate the Emirate of Ajman’s position on the global tourism and hospitality map. The MoUs were signed in the presence of His Excellency Mahmood Khaleel Alhashmi, Director General of the Ajman Tourism Development Department, and Ms. Sabine Jordan-Glaab, CEO of Vtours, and Mr. Koray Cavdir, Chief Operating Officer – Central Europe at Coral Touristik GmbH. Commenting on the partnerships, His Excellency Mahmood Khaleel Alhashmi said: “We at the Ajman Tourism Development Department are pleased to work with Coral Touristik GmbH and Vtours as part of our efforts to deepen strategic alliances with leading tourism businesses, contributing to the Emirate of Ajman’s standing as a popular tourist destination. We are confident that these agreements will play a pivotal role in developing pathways of communication and facilitating exchange of expertise, thus enhancing our capacity to offer exceptional travel experiences and propelling the Ajman’s tourism industry to new heights.” Among the provisions of the agreements are cooperation in developing promotional plans and strategies, exchange of data and insights, as well as the exploration of new techniques and methods that will improve tourism experiences. The partnerships will also enable the provision of advisory services in support of the department’s objectives …

Travelport announced that agency customers can now access content from Greater Bay Airlines (GBA), Hong Kong’s newest carrier, through the Travelport+ platform. This new collaboration will support GBA’s aggressive expansion plans as Travelport+ connects the Hong Kong-based carrier to Travelport’s global network of travel retailers. With this multi-year agreement, Travelport is providing agents the ability to easily search, compare and book GBA’s fares and ancillary services. The agreement also includes GBA’s use of Travelport’s rich content and branding merchandizing solutions for ease of use and driving incremental sales. “We have partnered with Travelport to support our growth strategy and connect with more travel retailers, so that we can make it easy for agents and travelers to shop and book with GBA,” said Stephen Loh, Chief Operating Officer at Greater Bay Airlines. “We are impressed with Travelport’s vision to enhance traveler experiences by modernizing the retailing process and making it easier for agencies to consume our dynamic content and sell our product offerings and ancillaries.” “We’ve enhanced the multi-source content that our agency customers can search, sell and service in Travelport+ with this new partner agreement that will also support GBA in reaching more travel retailers and customers as GBA expands into additional markets,” said Damian Hickey, Global Head of Travel Partners at Travelport. “Our ability to make it easy for agencies to access and compare multi-source content from brands like GBA alongside other carriers is essential to modern travel retailing, so that travelers know they are presented with the best options and book with confidence.” GBA operates in seven destinations across the Asia-Pacific region, including Chinese Mainland, North and Southeast Asia.

At a recent interview with TravelTV, Tara Naidu, Vice President International Business, Air India Express she explained that travel agents are most important as 80% of their business come from them and they are looking at a new way to incentivise travel agents. “Travel agents are the most important source for us, about 80% of our bookings are through travel agents and within that what we see is that the segment of online travel agents is growing so online travel agents could be B2B or B2C, they could be operating through a network of sub agents or they could be operating directly to consumers. We offer commissions to them which are called transaction fees, but we have been looking at the models operated by the airlines and have seen that transaction fees are not very popular and agents may prefer to get some incentives.”

Travelport announced the debut of the Content Curation Layer (CCL). The CCL uses AI to power search while trawling billions of trip options, helping agencies find the perfect match for their customers. As the latest enhancement to the innovative Travelport+ platform, CCL uses artificial intelligence (AI) and machine-learning (ML) to quickly deliver the right range of accurate, highly intuitive search results to its travel agency partners worldwide. “Travelport’s role in the increasingly complex travel industry is to take millions of pieces of disparate information and make it simple for both travel agencies and providers to understand, search, sell and service,” said Greg Webb, Chief Executive Officer at Travelport. “We believe AI and machine learning are powerful tools to do just that. The Content Curation Layer will allow travel agencies to provide travelers the right range of normalized, enriched, bookable content at speed, via a singular search screen. Used for all content sources (LCC, EDIFACT, NDC, hotel, car, etc.), the CCL allows agents to compare apples to oranges in an apples-to-apples way.” Travelport’s Content Curation Layer is a powerful tech-enabler that uses AI and ML to sift through aggregated, multi-source content and returns search results faster than the average airline search response time. It identifies the most relevant offers for each traveler to create a faster, more intelligent search experience for the agent. This technology layer simplifies the delivery of retail-ready content to agencies and helps them curate options that are most desirable for the travelers. One of the key features of the CCL is the Content Optimizer, a new Travelport+ product that offers agency customers greater control over all content types, including both traditional and NDC content. With the ability …

Accor announced the launch of HERA, Accor Travel Advisor Program – a new worldwide loyalty and rewards program exclusively for travel advisors. Available now at HERA.Accor.com, the new program includes more brands, more features, and more capabilities as well as an enhanced digital experience with easy and efficient online tools for booking, tracking and reviewing activity. Other key features of HERA include informative and educational resources on Accor’s participating luxury and luxury lifestyle brands and hotels – including those sitting within the global lifestyle collective Ennismore. The new program generously rewards travel advisors for bookings while allowing them to increase their productivity, performance, and client satisfaction. “We are beyond excited to introduce HERA, a competitive and differentiated program that delivers the capabilities, personalization and rewards that the travel advisor community both needs and wants,” said Pascal Visintainer, Senior Vice President Global Sales, Luxury & Lifestyle, Accor. “Our aim is to inspire loyalty among leading travel professionals, by equipping them with all the resources they need to seamlessly create bespoke luxury travel experiences for their clients and granting them valuable Reward Points to use freely on their own time. With easy-to-use tools for travel planning, an efficient booking system, and plentiful rewards, we are confident that HERA, and therefore participating hotels sitting within Accor’s Luxury & Lifestyle division, will be a top choice of travel advisors around the globe.” HERA takes Accor’s ability to support and recognize travel agents up a notch and replaces the Group’s former Famous Agents program, with all previous travel advisor data, history, and Reward Points seamlessly migrated to the new platform. Using their personalized HERA member ID, travel advisors will earn Reward Points with each room …

Traveazy Group is set to revolutionize the landscape of business-to-business (B2B) travel solutions with an exclusive unveiling at the Arabian Travel Market (ATM) 2024, held from May 6th to 9th in Dubai. Attendees of this prestigious event are cordially invited to visit Traveazy Group’s stand to witness firsthand the future of B2B travel technology. As a leading online travel company, Traveazy Group is proud to announce the strategic relaunch of its subsidiary, Holidayme, as a premier provider of comprehensive travel solutions for travel providers globally. This transformative pivot marks a significant milestone in Holidayme’s journey, positioning the brand as a game-changer in the B2B travel sphere. Through cutting-edge technology and an unwavering commitment to excellence, Holidayme is set to redefine industry standards, empowering travel agents and service providers to unlock new opportunities and drive growth in the competitive travel market. At ATM 2024, Traveazy Group will unveil a suite of innovative products designed to elevate the capabilities of travel businesses. Geet Bhalla, Founder & CEO of Traveazy Group, expresses his excitement about the upcoming unveiling, stating, “We are thrilled to showcase the future of B2B travel solutions at ATM 2024. This event represents a unique opportunity for travel businesses to discover how our innovative products can drive their success in the global marketplace. We look forward to welcoming attendees to our stand and demonstrating the transformative power of Holidayme’s B2B offering.” Traveazy Group invites all attendees of ATM 2024 to visit their stand and explore the possibilities of partnering with a visionary leader in the travel industry. Don’t miss out on this exclusive opportunity to be a part of the future of travel solutions. For more information, visit www.holidayme.com or …

TravTips Travel and Tourism won ‘Best Leisure Tour Operator’ title at the sixth edition of the Arabian Travel Awards 2023. Suraj Mainat –  Founder and CEO – Travtips Travel and Tourism shared, “Thank you for putting together an exceptional event! The success of Arabian Travel Awards is a testament to the dedication and hard work put in by everyone involved & especially attendance from travel and tourism industry veterans. We were honored to receive the award for Best Leisure Tour Operator in the region. We strongly believe in our tag line “trust us to make your dream holiday reliable, safe and value for money. As we accept this award, we also recognize this responsibility it bestows upon us. I strongly believe “we could win this award due to tireless effort of our professional team members & trust of our guests”.  This award isn’t just a milestone; it is a motivation to explore new horizons, craft new innovative leisure product lines and deliver pleasant experiences to every guest who travel with us on a holiday.”

McArthurGlen Designer Outlets, a global leader in luxury outlet shopping, proudly acknowledged its top trade partners in the region for their exceptional contribution at the McArthurGlen Tourism Awards held on the 29th of November 2023 at Park Hyatt Dubai – Creek Resort hotel. This recognition is part of McArthurGlen’s commitment to fostering strong partnerships that have played a pivotal role in achieving remarkable success and record-breaking numbers throughout the year. Selected esteemed trade partners were presented with Certificates of Appreciation and McArthurGlen Tourism award trophies in highlighting their outstanding dedication to promoting the brand in the region. “We are thrilled to express our gratitude to our invaluable trade partners who have been instrumental in our success story in the Middle East. Their commitment, creativity, and collaborative spirit have significantly contributed to McArthurGlen’s strong presence and growth in the region,” said Matthias Sinner, Head of Tourism, McArthurGlen Group. The awards ceremony brought together industry leaders, partners, and stakeholders for an evening of celebration, recognition, and camaraderie. McArthurGlen Designer Outlets continues to set the standard for luxury outlet shopping worldwide, and these awards underscore the brand’s appreciation for the collaborative efforts that have contributed to its success in the Middle East.

The German National Tourist Office (GNTO) successfully concluded its five-day GCC roadshow at the German Ambassador’s residence in Abu Dhabi, marking the end of a productive journey across the region. The purpose of the roadshow was to foster relationships and gain insights with local tourism professionals and media partners in the Gulf. Starting on October 29 at the private residence of the German Consul General, Her Excellency Dr Eltje Aderhold, in Jeddah, it was followed by a visit to Riyadh and the private residence of the German Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, His Excellency Michael Kindsgrab. The roadshow then moved to Kuwait City at the private residence of the German Ambassador, His Excellency Hans-Christian Freiherr von Reibnitz, followed by a stop in Doha in the presence of the Deputy Head of Mission of the German Embassy in Doha, Mr. Thomas Triller. The roadshow concluded its journey November 2 at the residence of the German Ambassador, His Excellency Alexander Schönfelder, in Abu Dhabi. Yamina Sofo, Director of Marketing & Sales Office Gulf Countries at the GNTO, expressed her enthusiasm about the roadshow’s impact: “The GCC roadshow was an incredible experience for us. It enabled us to expand our network and explore promising opportunities in these major cities. We not only raised awareness about Germany among the local travel trade, but also diversified our campaign offerings, sharing valuable knowledge with market experts.” During the roadshow, Munich Tourism, as one of the attending partners, highlighted its hospitality offerings for GCC travellers, emphasising amenities such as Arabic-speaking staff and Khaleeji chefs during the summer season. It showcased the upcoming events such as UEFA Euro 2024 taking place in 10 German Cities 14 June – 14 …