SHARAF Travel and Al Rais Travel of the UAE have joined Sabre Travel Network Middle East.
Both are the first in the UAE to take advantage of the SabreSonic Web, enabling their travel consultants to compete cost-effectively in the online arena.
“These two new partnerships are based on our common desire for long-term growth,” said Daniel Naoumovitch, Sabre Travel Network Middle East’s CEO. As part of the migration process travel consultants from both agencies were trained by a number of specialised Sabre trainers.
“We wanted to partner with a technology and content provider with a good strategy for future growth, and who we felt would support the agency community,” said Salah Sharaf, chairman, Sharaf Travel.
“At Al Rais Travel we are committed to providing complete travel services to our customers using innovative, high quality and cost-effective travel solutions. The products and services of Sabre Travel Network will enhance our value proposition at a critical time in the region's changing travel environment,” said Hussain Tehrani, group general manager, Al Rais Travel.
“Sabre has been operating in the region for more than 15 years, but last year we became fully incorporated as a joint venture with Gulf Air,” said Naoumovitch, adding that Sabre is the only GDS system today with a regional head office in the Middle East. “Our investments are part of our plan to address the very specific needs of the region's travel suppliers and agencies. Operating in the region is not about taking global products and selling them in the region; our aim is to pick the best solutions we have available world-wide and tailor them to the very specific technical and business needs of the Middle East.”
Sabre has 36 per cent of global marketshare, said Naoumovitch, and increasing that means providing localised products that are tailormade for the region. “Tools that work in the US and Europe don’t necessarily work here. Our tools are created to provide agents in the region the opportunity to lower costs, increase revenue and ultimately increase profits.”