Tag Archives: Wego

Wego partners with the German National Tourist Office, Gulf countries (GNTO) to invite travellers to discover the destination of Germany and virtually explore its amazing attractions and hidden gems. Until it is safe to travel again, Wego brings the world to you in the comfort of your home. With the message ‘dream now – visit later’, this joint partnership with ‘Wego’ introduces the global campaign ‘#DiscoverGermanyFromHome’ to tomorrow’s travellers in the GCC by providing them with inspiring and informative content, virtual experiences in its 16 federal states, Spotify playlists, an interactive map, quizzes, recipes and much more to keep their interest in the destination alive until travel is resumed. Speaking of the partnership, Yamina Sofo, Director Sales & Marketing, German National Tourist Office, Gulf countries (GNTO) commented, “The Gulf region is among the Top 20 of the most important source markets to Germany and the third largest source market outside Europe. Our partnership with Wego is a great opportunity to highlight that Germany ticks all boxes of the GCC travellers aiming for wellness and recreation, nature and sightseeing or simply for entertainment and shopping, while enjoying high quality services, great value for money, luxury accommodation and facilities.” Mamoun Hmedan, Managing Director, MENA and India, Wego, said, “We are bringing the world to our users until it is safe to travel again and we’re thrilled to partner with GNTO to promote one of the most beautiful European countries. Germany entices tourists with its rich and vibrant nature and culture; it’s a must-see destination for everyone.”

Wego today announced signing a retailing agreement with ATPCO. Wego will integrate Routehappy Rich Content to enhance flight shopping displays across its meta-search site in 22 languages including – English, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and Arabic. Through this partnership, Wego will provide Middle East travellers with a richer flight shopping experience in their local language. Wego will integrate all three of ATPCO Routehappy Rich Content types: Amenities, Universal Ticket Attributes (UTAs), and Universal Product Attributes (UPAs) into its shopping display, Amenities: provide at-a-glance information about flight features; UTAs (Universal Ticket Attributes) provide travellers with easy-to-understand benefits and restrictions such as cancellation, refund policies and boarding priority by fare; UPAs (Universal Product Attributes) provide relevant media, captions, and descriptions that define the airline’s products and services by aircraft type, cabin, time of day, etc.; Routehappy Rich Content has been steadily growing in both EMEA and APAC regions with coverage of more than 90 per cent total flight schedule (Available Seat Kilometres) for airlines in EMEA and more than 89 per cent in APAC for both for Amenities and UTAs. Wego will begin its Routehappy Rich Content integration with Amenities and UTAs, which are anticipated to go live in Q1 2020, followed by UPAs later in the year. Wego is urging more MENA carriers to partner with ATPCO in the creation and distribution of rich content so Wego can consume their Amenities, UTA, and UPA content and get it in front of more passengers.

Wego, the largest online travel marketplace in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), announced its partnership with Oman Ministry of Tourism, to promote Oman as the destination of choice for GCC travellers and drive more visitors to the country. The partnership will facilitate activities in the GCC region to promote tourism to Oman with the spotlight on the trending destinations in Oman, including Muscat, Salalah, Sohar, Khasab and Duqm. Through this collaboration, Oman Ministry of Tourism will generate brand and destination awareness positioning Oman as a friendly, beautiful, cultural and one of the top historic destinations in the region. Wego will also present an informative guide of the accessible places in Oman during the summer period and highlight some of the hidden gems to explore.  From sightseeing to the historical forts and castles, diving and snorkeling, the mesmerising beaches in Musandam and the beauty of Salalah, Oman ensures to have activities for families, couples, adventurers and explorers. Mamoun Hmedan, Managing Director, MENA and India, Wego, said, “We are delighted to partner with Oman Ministry of Tourism, to showcase what Oman offers from a wide array of activities, adventure and wonderful experiences to discover all year round. We’ve been witnessing an increase in the number of searches in Q1 2019 compared to 2018 from Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt, Kuwait, Qatar and India. We will be working closely with Oman Ministry of Tourism through this campaign to expand the searches from GCC market.” Salim Bin Adey Al Mamari, Director General of Tourism Promotion, Ministry of Tourism, said, “Our latest partnership with Wego is the result of our efforts to connect with a platform that is capable of effectively promoting Oman’s tourism …

Wego and Airbnb have announced a partnership to include properties listed on Airbnb in Wego search results in a move to offer Wego users more accommodation choices. With the addition of listings on Airbnb, travellers using the Wego metasearch apps and websites will have easier access to a wide range of local homes and other unique types of accommodation in destinations worldwide. Wego users simply have to enter their destination city and dates of travel, and to follow the recommended filters to search for a wide array of Airbnb vacation rentals. This announcement comes at a time when MENA based travellers and inbound visitors to the MENA region, have demonstrated an appetite for innovative travel experiences and cost-effective holiday options. As the leading travel metasearch player across the MENA region, Wego helps users to quickly compare the widest possible range of accommodation options available in the marketplace, including hotels, serviced apartments, homes and villas and to compare rates across local and global travel agencies, hotel direct websites and other merchants. Anna Trushkina, Director, Hotels at Wego, commented, “We are excited to be entering into this partnership with Airbnb which will significantly expand the supply of alternative accommodation on Wego and which is perfectly matched with types of demand we see from Saudi Arabia and the other GCC markets. Analysis of search and booking data from across the 60 countries worldwide that Wego operates, shows that users from GCC countries have the longest length of stay, highest spend per night and most frequent instance of multiple room bookings to accommodate family groups. We also know that many families from the GCC place a premium on privacy when travelling.”

Huawei Consumer Business Group (CBG) has partnered with Wego to integrate the travel app into Huawei smartphones. The new Huawei devices in the Middle East will come pre-installed with the Wego app, which will help simplify travel shopping experiences for Huawei device users. “The world of travel and hospitality has entered a new era of m-commerce, as more than 60% of travellers rely entirely on smartphone applications when making their travel plans. Pre-installing the Wego app into smartphones is part of our continuous efforts to enable these travellers to get the best deals and options when shopping for their holiday,” said Mamoun Hmedan, Wego Managing Director for MENA and India. “Huawei was an obvious choice for us to partner with; given the company’s global pedigree, strong resonance with the customers, and immense R&D capabilities.” Starting May this year, all Huawei smartphones EMUI 5 and above bundled with the Wego app will be made available across stores in the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Bahrain, Kuwait, Iraq, Egypt, Lebanon, Jordan, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia and Pakistan. “We are excited for this partnership as Wego has been a market leader, bringing seamless travel services to the MENA region. Now Huawei device users can access Wego through one click as Wego would be available on all Huawei device EMUI 5 and above,” said Managing Director, Huawei Consumer Cloud Services. Huawei mobile services ecosystem has been simplifying device users’ daily life through technology by providing device user best in class travel services.

A new campaign deal has been inked between Wego and Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority (SCTDA) for an innovative destination co-marketing campaign to boost tourism in the Emirate of Sharjah. The campaign will promote authentic tourist experiences and hidden gems exclusive to the emirate, enabling tourists to surpass traditional generic pursuits. By showcasing some of Sharjah’s biggest tourist attractions, through innovative online marketing activities, the campaign seeks to position the Emirate as a destination of choice amongst global travellers. Sharjah’s delightful mix of fun attractions, traditional hospitality and old-world charm, which resonate with a variety of audiences from around the world, will be promoted through this campaign. The campaign will focus on promoting the Emirate’s much-loved events and activities such as, but not limited to, the Sharjah International Book Fair, Sharjah Calligraphy Biennial and Sharjah Traditional Crafts Forum. “Sharjah is the perfect Middle Eastern city for travellers who wish to explore a ‘fresh’ destination packed with unique history and rich heritage and traditions,” said Mamoun Hmedan, Wego Managing Director for MENA and India. “In order to boost the emirate’s image as a family-friendly and culturally-charged destination, Wego will harness online tools such as high-impact display advertising, Search Engine Marketing (SEM), and unique content marketing tactics. Together, these digital marketing tactics seek to further strengthen SCTDA’s ongoing marketing efforts,” he added.

At the Arabian Travel Market in Dubai, Wego revealed the ‘MENA Traveller Destination Leaderboards’ that showcases the relative popularity of global destinations amongst travellers based in the MENA region. As the largest online travel marketplace across the MENA region, Wego users shop for tens of millions of trips each quarter and it’s this flight and hotel search data that has been analysed to determine the destination rankings. The leaderboard announced today is for Q1 2018 and subsequent updates will be released shortly after the close of each quarter. Egypt retains its top ranking in Q1 2018 as the most popular destination for travellers, from across the MENA region. “MENA travellers are lured by the culture, scenic attractions, and incredible food that can be experienced in Egypt”, said Mamoun Hmedan, Managing Director – MENA and India, Wego. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia retains its second ranking and received a steady mix of business, expatriate and religious travel. India at the third position and Turkey at the fourth slot stepped up one rung each in the destination leaderboard for Q1 2018 vs Q1 2017, while UAE fell from the third to the fifth position. Despite the overall drop, Dubai remains a popular destination for MENA travellers. The biggest gainer in Q1 2018 was Oman which jumped a massive 9 places to #15, an improvement likely related to the opening of a new airport in Muscat and a host of new hotels and other facilities opening in the Sultanate.

Wego, the largest online travel marketplace in the MENA region, announced their partnership with Gulf Air which will provide Wego users online access to the airline’s flight-related information and booking capabilities. “Our agreement with Gulf Air reinforces Wego’s leading position in the Middle East,” commented Dean Wicks, Chief Flights Officer, Wego. “Wego will distribute Gulf Air flights, pricing and schedule information across our extensive marketing channels, allowing travellers easy access to flights with an airline that is famous for its traditional Arabian hospitality and renowned for being family and business friendly,” Wicks continued. “Wego’s business is crucial to helping key industry providers extend into new markets in what’s become a fast paced and highly competitive business,” he added. As Gulf Air prepares to welcome 39 new Boeing and Airbus aircraft, greater network expansion is anticipated alongside significant product and service enhancements. In 2017, Wego introduced Progressive Web App (PWA) technology combined with Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP), to become the fastest loading mobile marketplace in the world.

According to a recent Pricewaterhouse Cooper report, global megatrends and their impact on the Middle East’s travel and tourism industry, highlight that travellers in the GCC now do the majority of their holiday research and booking on smartphones and tablets. Smartphone usage for the GCC markets is among the highest in the world, 78 per cent in the UAE and 77 per cent in Saudi Arabia. Due to the ubiquity of high-speed mobile internet, travellers can easily access mobile applications to book flights and hotels online, and compare online reviews. Wego, a leading travel search website for GCC travellers living in the Middle East, was the first to enter the MENA region by launching fully localised services to meet the needs of a new generation of travellers wanting to shop for and book flights and hotels on their smartphones. “The response from GCC countries to Wego’s fully Arabised websites and mobile apps has been overwhelming,” said Mamoun Hmedan, Wego Managing Director of MENA and India. “Wego has grown rapidly to become the most popular and trusted travel search service in the region with over 10 million monthly visits.”