Tag Archives: Cleartrip

Wego and Cleartrip Travel Insights Report delves into traveller sentiments and readiness to travel in a post-COVID world. These findings are brought to you from our independent research and data on MENA travellers’ behavior. Recently, around 4,390 residents from UAE and KSA were asked about their thoughts, and behaviors surrounding travel. The report also highlights the impact of COVID-19 on travel, the trends currently being witnessed and positive signs of recovery. The near-term outlook for travel looks favourable, and people are looking to spend more and travel longer in 2022.   Travel Scenario   After numerous lockdowns, never ending changes in restrictions and the constant updates on flights, airport protocols and hotel capacity changes, a lot of passengers are still eager to travel albeit being a bit more cautious.   Vaccinated travellers   Out of the total survey respondents, 99% said they were vaccinated while only 1% said they weren’t. The increase in the number of vaccinated people has had a positive impact on travel and gives reassurance for people to travel more to the countries that have high vaccination rates.   Forward look and planning a trip   As more restrictions are eased worldwide, and vaccinations rates have increased, people are eager to travel more and make up for the lost time.   According to Wego, in 2022, flights and hotel searches increased by 81% in February and 102% in March. This is testament that people are looking to travel more.   Lower risk destinations that guarantee an easy return have been prioritized. The majority of the respondents have opted for destinations which are perceived to be safe and where COVID19 protocols have been adhered to.     Remote work …

Cleartrip released new research findings and travel trends through its ‘Travel Insights Report’, disclosing an optimistic consumer sentiment for travel despite the current challenging environment. Commenting on the report announcement, Stuart Crighton, Founder and CEO, Cleartrip, said, “One of the keys to recovery will be the travel industry’s ability to respond to the changing needs of passengers and our survey provides insight into latest traveller sentiments. While it is encouraging that travellers are eager to travel again, it is the responsibility of the industry to build confidence and enable customers to make the right travel decisions with accurate real-time information on safety and travel requirements.” Adding to the findings and Insights Report reveal, Amit Taneja, CCO, Cleartrip said, “The pandemic has had a significant impact on customer behaviour. We anticipated safety and uncertainty to be a primary determinant of travel plans. In an attempt to increase customer confidence to travel, we have built TravelSafe and Flexifly, with the objectives of providing a curated view on all safety concerns that customers may have around travel and providing them with the flexibility to amend their booking with no additional charges, in case of a change in plans.”

The Middle East’s largest online travel agency Cleartrip has launched Cleartrip Holidays, offering affordable holiday packages to the region and beyond with some of the world’s leading hotels and airlines. The customers can join the Cleartrip Holiday Club, a limited membership loyalty club that allows you to buy a holiday and get your next holiday free. The membership gives you a free holiday next summer to Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan or Turkey. The holiday will include economy return airfares, a stay in a 4-star hotel, daily breakfast, airport transfers, and a sightseeing tour. Cleartrip has also launched an Unlimited Option for holidays in Georgia, Azerbaijan, and Armenia which allows customers the freedom to select their own itinerary. Travellers will have a dedicated driver and guide and can customise their daily itinerary from a selection of over 20 sightseeing tours at their own pace. The Cleartrip guide offers expert local insights and recommendations on the widest range of experiences. “Cleartrip Holidays are a perfect mix that offers convenience, comfort, and flexibility. With our bespoke offerings and on-the-ground concierge service, we are meeting a growing need for customers to have the freedom and control while travelling” said Anand Kandadai, Executive Vice President – Holidays, Accommodation & Experiences.

WiT Middle East 2019 returns to Dubai after a gap of four years. WiT 2019, which will adopt the theme of WiT 2018 Singapore conference–‘Through The Looking Glass’– is making its comeback with three Foundation Sponsors as a one-day event on April 9, 2019. “After four years away, we feel it’s time to make a comeback plus we’ve had numerous requests from key players in the region, who have attended both our events in Dubai and Singapore, to return. When we were there in 2014 and 2015, we definitely felt the excitement and dynamism of an emerging market and observed it had very similar characteristics to the South-east Asian markets – fragmented, diverse, young, social and even then, it was mobile first – so we look forward to seeing what else has changed and how the industry has grown. With the way the Middle East travel market has grown, we expect a bigger, more international audience. In particular, we are looking forward to seeing how the startup ecosystem has grown and evolved,” said Yeoh Siew Hoon, founder, WiT. “Wego, Cleartrip and Travelstart are three leading travel brands from outside the region that have invested in the Middle East market and are committed to seeing its development and growth,” said Siew Hoon. “We will also be working with Insight Out Consultancy and tap into their regional expertise to ensure our content is locally relevant,” she said.

Travelport has won a competitive tender process undertaken by Air India for the sole provision of distribution of its domestic flight content. The contract will begin to come into effect from November 2018 and be fully implemented by the end of 2019. The agreement confirms Air India’s continued deployment of Travelport Rich Content and Branding, now used by over 270 airlines. This displays airlines’ graphical content, their fares families and a full range of ancillary products. Travelport has seen a rapid expansion in India in recent years following the acquisition of business from the largest online travel agencies like MakeMyTrip, Ibibo, Yatra, EaseMyTrip and ClearTrip as well as working with corporate travel agencies and new entrants to the travel sector such as Paytm. Pradeep Singh Kharola, Chairman and Managing Director, Air India, said, “Air India is pleased to award this important contract to Travelport. In written submissions and in discussion with their team, the company demonstrated a clear understanding of our needs and displayed impressive technological and financial capability. As we make the switch to Travelport, we hope to be able to deliver even better value for money and a superior distribution to our customers in India and abroad.” Gordon Wilson, President and CEO, Travelport, commented, “Travelport is delighted to have been selected by Air India to provide these services. It is another welcome endorsement of our technology and our services in India. We look forward to implementing the agreement and delivering a world-class service to the airline.”

Cleartrip has agreed to buy Saudi Arabia-based Flyin to strengthen its control in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, which is home to a large population of tech-savvy consumers. Together, the combined company will have over 60 per cent market share throughout the Middle East. This transaction, the largest in the travel space in MENA, will offer Cleartrip a wider outreach and a larger client base in a key market, providing economies of scale as well as enhanced competencies and regional knowledge. Cleartrip has recorded rapid growth year-on-year since the company launched its regional operations in 2012 to become the largest OTA in Middle East. Stuart Crighton, Founder and CEO of Cleartrip, said, “We are pushing ahead with our ambitious expansion plans in the MENA region, and together with Flyin, we have reached a major milestone in our journey. The deal represents the culmination of our search for a strategic partner that has outstanding market association in Saudi Arabia and shares our business ethos and principles. Building on Saudi Arabia’s evolving entrepreneurial ecosystem, Flyin has firmly established itself as the leading player in the Kingdom’s online travel market. With its strong customer base and rich travel offerings, Flyin is the natural partner for us in the region. We will leverage each other’s strengths to enhance product development and customer experience.”

As part of its efforts to make travel simple for its customers, Cleartrip, a leading online travel company in the Middle East, announced the integration of Apple Pay on its mobile application. With the launch of Apple’s digital wallet in the UAE, Cleartrip customers can now look forward to a quicker and safer way to check out on the Cleartrip mobile app. Apple Pay supports all devices running iOS 11 and works with iPhone SE, iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus and later and Apple Watch. “As the preferred travel partner of consumers in the UAE as well as the wider region, we are dedicated to building industry-leading travel solutions. Addressing our customers’ needs, like easy payment options, is at the heart of why we launched Apple Pay on the Cleartrip app,” said Stuart Crighton, Founder & CEO of Cleartrip. Customers using Apple Pay to purchase on the Cleartrip iOS app will benefit from an instant discount of AED 100 on flights. Apple rolled out Apple Pay in the UAE from October 24, 2017 in a move that is expected to revolutionise the country’s digital economy.

Cleartrip has officially launched a website in Arabic to support its GCC market expansion efforts and provide users in the region with localized browsing and booking capability. The new website includes content and promotions relevant for Arabic-speaking audiences and comes with a host of useful features, tools and functionalities designed to allow travellers to more easily make and manage reservations. There are also exciting offers and benefits displayed on the website which the users can make use of when booking online through Cleartrip. Cleartrip’s website experienced a 30% increase in traffic from mobile devices during the first week of Ramadan, and the launch of a dedicated website in Arabic is expected to further accelerate bookings. Innovations in payment security, along with the launch of new government initiatives in the UAE and the proliferation of e-commerce startups, have increased consumer trust in online payments. This, in turn, is expanding the market opportunity for Cleartrip.