Last year, all eyes around the world were on the Middle East. Our region continued to go through heavy motions politically, economically, as well as socially – and it appears that this focus will carry on in 2013.
As such, the debate about the strength and resilience of the Middle East travel industry is as relevant as ever, with varying opinions emerging from different sides of the trade.
At Travelport, our outlook is very positive – in fact, according to recent Travelport co-sponsored research, the travel sector in the Middle East will continue to experience healthy growth over the next few years, increasing from nearly $58 billion in 2012 to $71 billion by 2014.
And, as the Middle East travel industry continues to expand, Travelport is better positioned than ever to support it in 2013 through our innovative technology solutions and customer-centred services.
Investing to empower travel providers
Travel agents across the region continuously require new tools and products to take advantage of this trend.
In 2012, we launched a number of highly successful solutions for the travel agents including Travelport Universal API and View Trip Mobile, and signed up UAE-based Cozmo Travel to trial Travelport Universal Desktop – our next generation booking solution.
This year, the industry can expect further releases of Travelport Universal Desktop and further enhancements to itinerary products to concentrate on the changing needs of the travelling consumers.
For example, we will shortly be launching Travelport Rapid Reprice – our travel itinerary management tool for travel agents. Using Rapid Reprice, travel providers employ the same technology used by the world’s largest airlines to research old and new fares and rules, and generate a new ticket in minutes.
On hospitality side, Travelport will continue to grow Travelport Rooms and More – our industry leading hotel booking engine. In 2012 Travelport Rooms and More gained strong momentum in the Middle East and we will continue to work closely with our hospitality partners to build on this success.
Empowering the modern traveller
Travelport will also have an additional focus on the rapid development of online and mobile technology. Web bookings are expected to grow significantly over the next few years and we will continue to work closely with agents to help them meet these demands by offering broader content through faster distribution and sharing our expertise so they can firmly establish themselves in this rapidly evolving industry.
The same research revealed the continued growth of smartphone and mobile technology in the region.
With this in mind, Travelport we will soon be launching Travelport Worldsurfer – an app which will use leading edge augmented reality to allow travellers to access, search and book activities in real time whilst on their trip.
Working with airline partners
On the airline side, Travelport recognises that carriers are continuously looking for ways to increase their revenues, to be more competitive and to get closer to their customers.
In the Low Cost Carrier sector, Travelport gained a number of important partners in 2012 including nas air, Flydubai and RAK Airways – all of whom were keen to tap into Travelport’s global reach and high yielding passenger demand.
This year, we will continue to grow our supplier portfolio, as well as put a continued focus on ancillary sales. Travelport is already working with British Airways, Air Canada, easyJet, Air France/KLM and Delta, to mention just a few, through the integration of innovative merchandising and retail technology. It allows airlines to connect with Travelport either through the industry standard, increasingly agile API connectivity or a blend of both.
Through these new marketing and retailing capabilities, Travelport enables airlines to support customer centric pricing and ancillary offerings. We also give carriers the opportunity to upload and display images, apply branding and descriptions in the Travelport agency workflow, helping agencies become more effective brand champions.
By Rabih Saab, president and managing director, Middle East and Africa, Travelport