Travelport’s e-Volve two-day summit in Istanbul on October 12 and 13 threw light on how technology redefines and shapes the Middle East’s increasingly competitive $72 billion travel industry.
The region’s travel industry is forecast to grow significantly over the next five years and online travel bookings, which represent 25 per cent of all bookings in the Middle East, are forecast to grow in 2015 and 2016 to reach 36 per cent by the end of 2017, when online revenue is expected to reach $35 billion. Offline sales are forecast to continue to grow from $54 billion in 2014 to $63 billion in 2017. The technology summit squarely addressed how technology is supporting trends and driving advancements across the Middle East’s evolving travel industry in the fields of travel payments, hospitality, airline merchandising and travel mobile technology. The summit, in its second year running, is fast establishing its place as an essential event for industry leaders in the Middle East.Rabih Saab, Travelport’s president and managing director for Africa, Middle East and South Asia, said: 'Given the ever-changing and rapid-paced environment of the travel industry, it’s paramount for those part of it to stay ahead of the curve when it comes to how technology is redefining the industry. Current trends such as airlines increasingly driving business growth through differentiation of their product offerings and the strong emergence of hybrid’ travel agents in the Middle East- those whose transactions take place online and offline- are shaping the industry, and technology is redefining the platform to support and fuel these trends.'Industry innovators from MTT, the leading mobile travel technology player and eNett, who provide secure virtual payment solutions, were among those addressing the delegates at the event. With regard to mobile technology, research shows there is great potential for a mobile breakthrough in the Middle East. Airlines and hotel-focused online travel agents have had the most success with online mobile bookings to date, but only 4 per cent of all online travel transaction revenues in the Middle East are completed on a mobile device.Saab concluded: 'Sophisticated technologies in mobile technology products for airlines and travel agencies to translate their mobile vision into reality and instil confidence in Middle East consumers to make online travel transactions, will be a key success factor for industry leaders.' Gordon Wilson, president, Travelport, in his speech, illustrated the company’s leading areas of airline branding and merchandising, hotel distribution, mobile commerce and business-to-business online payment solution.'Technology is changing the world,' pointed out Matt Minetola, chief information officer, Travelport, who expatiated how the company is heavily investing in its software development to enable clients to differentiate their brand, image, product and overall offering, with an end-to-end service on their platform.eNett International, as a global expert of dedicated payment solutions for the industry, is a recent and fully integrated partner of Travelport which is driving security, efficiency and value for travel providers.'Travelport has provided fantastic industry expertise at a global level. They certainly bring domain expertise to our business which is phenomenal,' said, Anthony Hynes, CEO, eNett International, whose revenues grew 49 per cent in 2014.With over 650,000 unique properties fully bookable on its platform, Travelport is the fourth largest hotel distributor in the world, having sold 63 million room nights in 2014.A key driving segment for Travelport, airline merchandising is taking strides within travel technology through its innovative Merchandising Suite, incorporating its latest project, rich content and branding, which provides carriers personalised and broad selling capabilities.Etihad Airways and Gulf Air have already signed up for the tool and the company looking to win a larger share of the regional airlines.Will Owen Hughes, senior director, air commerce, Middle East and Africa, Travelport, said: 'Air Commerce has been a big success in other parts of the world. However, in the Middle East it is taking time to click.'Niklas Andréen, senior vice-president, hospitality commerce, Travelport, dwelled on the current stance of online hotel bookings, loyalty programmes and ancillary investment opportunities. He pointed out how the company can assist travel agents to boost sales through a breadth of choice, easily accessible information pertaining to hotels, as well as through its Hotelzon and Smartpoint solutions.Glenville Morris, head of consulting, Mobile Travel Technologies (MTT), said travel in the region is fundamentally evolving into being more mobile-centric. He shared his insight into what Middle Eastern travellers expect from airlines’ mobile applications.With the recent acquisition of MTT by Travelport, the mobile technology company already has an impressive list of clients under its fold, including Singapore Airlines, easyJet, Jumeirah and Saudia.Alison Bell, senior director, MTT, noted: 'We are committed to the region. Being here is a very good opportunity for us to meet a broader range of customers and for us to be able to share some of the trends and information we feel we have access to.'Matthew Powell, senior director, India, and agency commerce solutions, Africa, Middle East and South Asia, Travelport, said in this age customers seek next generation travel agents who have evolved and kept up with technology in order to cater to all client needs.As travellers are becoming more demanding, as they have easier access to information, Travelport enables agents to stay ahead of the game, especially through the Smartpoint solution which aggregates all information in a single workflow, ensuring efficiency, he added.By K S Sreekumar