Category Archives: Agents

Christopherson Business Travel and Travelport jointly announced an industry first: being the first travel management company (TMC) to successfully issue a ticket on the revolutionary Deem platform since its integration with Travelport+. The move signals a significant advancement in corporate travel management and marks the dawn of a new era in modern retailing. The integration of Deem with Travelport+ demonstrates Christopherson’s commitment to providing its customers with the most efficient and advanced travel booking options. New distribution capability (NDC) technology allows for more personalization, flexibility, and transparency in booking and servicing travel, ultimately enhancing the customer experience. As longtime partners of Travelport, Christopherson was one of the first North American TMCs to upgrade to Travelport+, enabling the agency to deliver the modern retailing experience their customers expect. Travelport+ simplifies access to multi-source content and generates value for agents and travelers, with advanced retailing capabilities, sophisticated cloud-based point of sale solutions, and tools that make operations easier. “Adopting Deem with Travelport+ is a game-changer for our clients,” said Mike Cameron, CEO of Christopherson Business Travel. “This successful implementation not only positions us at the industry’s forefront, but it ensures our customers benefit from a consumer-like booking tool with multi-source content, including NDC, displayed in a modern storefront, all powered by Travelport+.”

Kanoo Travel and Abu Dhabi Distribution Company (ADDC) have signed a travel services agreement. The agreement will provide ADDC employees, and their families access to Kanoo Travel’s comprehensive travel services, including flights, hotels, car rentals, and travel insurance. Aubrey Heldt, Divisional General Manager in Operations of Kanoo Travel, said, “We are delighted to partner with ADDC, one of the most important government entities in Abu Dhabi. This agreement is a testament to our commitment to providing our clients with the highest quality travel services and our strong relationships with leading companies in the region.” Kanoo Travel Divisional CEO Zaeem Gama, commented, “The service agreement is a significant milestone in our pursuit of innovation and consumer experience. Our partnership with ADDC adds a distinct and compelling dynamic as we unlock an exceptional potential to serve our high-profile clients with unique opportunities for travel suited to their specific needs.” “We are forging an innovative path in the sector by leveraging our skills to push the boundaries of travel management and provide remarkable experiences that exceed expectations. This agreement highlights our dedication to staying ahead of changing industry trends and cements our position as a leader in the field of travel management”, Gama added.

The Israel Ministry of Tourism (IMOT) has launched a global initiative to train and support professionals from the travel industry, enabling them to become “Israeli Specialists” through a self-learning module program in collaboration with Travel Agent Academy. The e-learning program consists of five interactive and engaging sessions, each followed by a quiz. Its goal is to make Israel as the preferred Mediterranean destination among travel professionals. The introductory module provides a comprehensive overview of the main sights, cities, hotels, and distinctive experiences in the country, along with captivating information about its multicultural population. The four advance modules are designed to empower learners to fully grasp the destination’s experiences and offerings: Christian Travel through Israel – General and Faith-Based Multigenerational and Heritage Travel in Israel Food, Wine, and Culture Outdoor Adventure in Israel’s- Diverse Landscapes Travel industry professionals from the United Arab Emirates can register for the Israel Destination Specialist e-learning portal free of charge and commence their educational journey. A onetime self-registration is required on the Israel Destination Specialist portal, which can be completed promptly to accommodate work and learning schedules. The first 40 learners who successfully complete the modules and submit the electronic certificate from the portal to tourism@vfsglobal.com before September 30,2023, will receive incentive vouchers as a token of appreciation from the Israel Ministry of Tourism. Qualified learners will be notified via email by October 10, 2023. Her Excellency Ms. Liron Zaslansky – Consul General of the State of Israel in Dubai emphasized the significance of strengthening ties between Israel and the UAE through tourism stakeholders. “The Israel Destination Specialist serves as a platform for UAE travel professionals to explore and showcase Israel’s diverse tourism offerings, ultimately inspiring …

The Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi kicked off Abu Dhabi Travel & Tourism Week (25-30 September), a platform which brings together the emirate’s travel and tourism industry to foster growth and reinforce Abu Dhabi’s status as a global tourism hub. The initiative aligns with the emirate’s broader vision to welcome over 24 million visitors this year and further enhance the business and leisure tourism industries, driving economic impact to the UAE capital and beyond. The week starts with the first City Tourism Briefing event and supports the roll-out of Abu Dhabi Business Events Forum, Abu Dhabi Wedding Show and the Future Hospitality Summit, leveraging the collective power of many tourism stakeholders from diverse industries all contributing their expertise and insights to drive progress. HE Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak, Chairman of the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi, said: “The Abu Dhabi Economic Vision 2030 drives our ambitions to build a strong foundation of strategic partnerships that facilitate the establishment of the emirate as a thriving global hub for business, investment, and leisure travel.  The Abu Dhabi Travel & Tourism Week is set to unlock new opportunities that reaffirm our commitment to positioning Abu Dhabi as a dynamic and sustainable hub for tourism.  We look forward to fostering growth in the sector by accelerating high-potential industries such as gastronomy, aviation, and business events and welcome all of our partners and future collaborators to join us in our journey.” Abu Dhabi Travel & Tourism Week will advance the emirate’s tourism industry across a range of sectors, such as Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions (MICE) events, hospitality, destination marketing, weddings, tourism strategy, and more.

Travelport announced the launch of more transparent, enhanced carbon dioxide (CO2) emission estimates for flights on Travelport+ calculated using the publicly accessible Travel Impact Model (TIM), which has been developed by Google in partnership with the Travalyst coalition. This new feature is the first of Travelport’s wider product offering that is focused on helping agents, travel managers and travelers easily make more eco-conscious choices when planning and booking their trips. “Agents, corporate and leisure travelers want to feel more confident in making better travel decisions that put environmental impact as a top priority,” said Tom Kershaw, Chief Product and Technology Officer at Travelport. “Agents and travelers are seeing different carbon emissions scores and rankings for the exact same flight options when searching them in different channels. As an industry, adopting a free, publicly accessible data framework will allow us all to be more transparent and consistent in the way travel options are displayed and scored based on factors like carbon emissions, environmental certifications, or waste initiatives. We’re committed to standardizing the information on the environmental impact of transportation and accommodation options and displaying it in a way that makes it easy for agents and customers to incorporate that information in their decisions.” Travel retailers using Travelport can easily compare CO2 estimates generated by the TIM per flight, per passenger, across carriers, at the point of sale based on factors such as the type of aircraft, seat configuration, distance of the flight, load factors and more. These enhanced TIM carbon emission estimates for air segments can be accessed via Smartpoint, Trip Quote and the Travelport API Suite in the Flight Service Information Display and In-Flight Search Response views. The TIM was …

World Travel Market London 2023 has signed up more than 14% new exhibitors, ranging from household names to specialist firms and niche brands. They will make up around 4,000 exhibitors at ExCeL London (6-8th November) to exchange ideas, drive innovation and accelerate their businesses. High-profile names debuting this year this year include Eurostar – the high-speed international rail service connecting the UK with mainland Europe – and ABBA Voyage, a live concert staged in London with virtual ‘Abbatars’. Also exhibiting for the first time is the Bermuda Tourism Authority, which is heading to WTM London to highlight its culture, heritage, cuisine, wellness and sustainability offerings. Other tourism boards making their first appearance at WTM London come from destinations as diverse as Sabah – promoting travel to northern Borneo, in Malaysia – and Almaty, the largest city in Kazakhstan. Other new exhibitors from Asia are Ayana Hospitality, which offers luxury resorts and hotels in Indonesia, and Vietnam’s Thien Minh Group, showcasing its wide range of services, such as destination management, hospitality, online solutions and aviation. Rapidly growing global online travel agency Trip.com Group will be attending to target growth within the European market, while UK-based package holiday specialist HolidayBest will promote its worldwide range of destinations and vacation styles. Other new exhibitors will be travelling from Turkey, such as the Turkish travel agency association TURSAB, and Salkantay Trekking will be visiting from Peru, where it is a leading tour operator offering treks and adventure tours to Machu Picchu. Delegates in the technology zone will be able to meet new tech exhibitors such as search marketing agency Vertical Leap, and payments specialist flywire – which exhibited with WTM for the first time …

Emirates, the Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism (DET) and Association of South African Travel Agents (ASATA) have launched online training courses for new travel professionals to help them develop and build stronger skillsets, as well as enhance understanding around the industry’s key principles to support the wider travel and tourism sector. Using the Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism’s already established Dubai College of Tourism (DCT) online platform, travel professionals in South Africa have free access to various online courses and training resources to help them develop the essential skills required to enter the industry or expand their abilities, improve their knowledge around industry systems and processes, ultimately helping them to maximise their career potential and employability. Courses start with the fundamentals: understanding the role of a travel agent, gaining familiarity with key industry terminology, understanding different procedures in relation to travel bookings, from the initial quotation stage through to the time of travel. Participants will explore the types of enquiries and proposals common within the industry, alongside developing the skills and knowledge required to prepare quotations, book supplier products and services and process travel related documentation. The rich, interactive content delivered in the courses contextually use Dubai as the primary market example when explaining the skills and terms associated with the travel industry value chain. Emirates’ products and services are also utilised to simulate and explain the airline retailing journey and the fundamentals of distribution systems for travel agents. In addition to acquiring valuable industry knowledge, professionals gain extensive insight into Dubai as a destination, already a popular city for South Africans, as well as Emirates products and services. Upon completion of the courses, participating travel professionals will …

Wego acquired Travelstop. This strategic move will expand Wego’s reach into business travel and expense management. The acquisition will also empower Travelstop to tap into Wego’s regional network and leverage its deep understanding of the travel industry to drive growth and provide enhanced services to their customers. Wego has long been a leader in the travel industry, known for its innovative solutions and commitment to delivering exceptional and seamless travel experiences. Since its launch, Travelstop has emerged as a game-changer in the business travel industry, providing businesses of all sizes with a modern platform that streamlines travel management and automates expense processes. By combining their resources and expertise, Wego and Travelstop aim to revolutionize the way companies navigate the complexities of corporate travel as well as contribute to the growth and development of the travel industry in the Middle East and Asia-Pacific regions. “We are thrilled to announce the acquisition of Travelstop,” said Ross Veitch, CEO and Co-founder of Wego. “This strategic move is in line with our vision of offering comprehensive travel solutions to businesses in the region. Together, Travelstop and Wego will empower businesses to streamline their travel and expense management processes, introducing new levels of convenience and cost-efficiency.” Through this acquisition, Wego aims to address the unique challenges faced by businesses operating in emerging markets, such as fragmented travel options and manual expense reporting. The combined platform will provide businesses with a one-stop solution, enabling them to seamlessly manage their corporate travel needs while gaining greater visibility and control over expenses. “We are excited about the immense potential that this partnership brings,” said Prashant Kirtane, CEO & Co-founder of Travelstop. “With our combined expertise and assets, we …

Amadeus’ Demand360® subscribers using the BEONx Revenue Management System (RMS) can now gain access to the in-depth, forward-looking market insights provided by Amadeus’ business intelligence solution in their RMS. Fluctuating demand and economic conditions brought on by the pandemic have highlighted the importance of revenue management systems and business intelligence within the hospitality industry. Having access to both historical and forward-looking data has become critical in enabling hoteliers to develop smarter, more informed business strategies. Going beyond the existing integration with iHotelier®, Amadeus, a global provider of hospitality technology solutions, and BEONx, a leading hospitality revenue management service provider, announce an extension of their partnership to bring comprehensive business intelligence to BEONx customers that subscribe to Demand360®. The integration will allow hoteliers using BEONx to gain access to Amadeus’ Demand360® business intelligence insights within their RMS. This will significantly improve a hotelier’s ability to understand market demand, historical and forward-looking business performance, and track results against their competitive set to best optimize revenue. BEONx hotels will also able to join Amadeus’ Demand360 network, strengthening the data available in that solution. “Expanding our partnership with Amadeus will better serve the interests of common clients,” said Rubén Sánchez, CEO and Founder at BEONx. “The two-way data exchange will enhance the revenue insights and competitiveness of hotels connected to BEONx and Amadeus by giving them improved visibility into market trends. It will also improve the BEONx algorithms that provide forecasting and inventory control systems capabilities to their participating hotels.” “With fiercer competition and leaner teams, revenue managers are often managing multiple properties now, rather than a single hotel,” said Michael Yeomans, Senior Vice President, Business Intelligence & Data Solutions, Hospitality, Amadeus. “This kind …

Beond Airline in Saudi Arabia has selected Almosafer as the exclusive general sales agent (GSA) in Saudi Arabia. Almosafer will lead Beond’s sales, promotions and ground staff activities in Saudi Arabia through its dedicated service solution Almosafer Business, leveraging the large customer base across Almosafer’s businesses including the consumer segment, Discover Saudi, the destination management company,and Mawasim, the Hajj and Umrah tour operator. Under the agreement, Almosafer Business will handle the reservations, transactions and administration relating to general sales for Beond. Beond’s fleet is comprised of an all-premium cabin configuration that delivers maximum comfort, elegance and style. It plans to operate a non-stop route between Riyadh and Malé. The newly launched airline has set out to capitalise on the ever-increasing demand for travel from KSA to the archipelago in the Indian Ocean, which as a destination has seen a steady influx of visitors from the Saudi market, especially in the luxury segment. Tero Taskila, Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of Beond, said: “Beond is pleased to be represented by Almosafer in Saudi Arabia. They have the standards, experience and consumer trust necessary to offer Beond’s premium leisure experience to discerning customers in the Saudi market.” Muzzammil Ahussain, Chief Executive Officer of Almosafer, said: “The Maldives is a very popular destination for Saudi travellers and a very important market for our company. At a time where travellers are increasingly looking for exclusive and meaningful experiences, we are delivering on our commitment to our customers and partners by offering a wide range of products and services that cater to their needs. We look forward to working with Beond to provide our customers with premium experiences.” This year, there has been increasingly strong …