Global leader in technology and distribution solutions for the travel and tourism industry Amadeus has announced the commissioning of a major report into the potential for the Middle East to become the world’s dominant travel hub.
The study will cover the GCC region and include assessments of the airline, travel agency and hotel sectors. It will include interviews with senior business figures as well as industry bodies and government officials.
It has been commissioned by Amadeus from the consultancy companies Insights Management Consultancy and h2c Consulting and will be launched in the second quarter of the year.
The report will make a major review of the current and future economic prospects for the region to position as a global hub.
It will consider the infrastructure and technology requirements as well as the business social, cultural and environmental impacts.
The role of government, regulators and industry bodies will also be examined.
The importance of the GCC region for worldwide travel will be analysed, particularly in comparison with other emerging hubs such as those in Asia.
The potential for growth will also be reviewed against the impact of the recent economic downturn.
“Asking the question about whether the Middle East can fulfill its potential as the world’s most important global hub is vital,” said Antoine Medawar, vice president, Mena, at Amadeus.
“We have commissioned this report to help bring the issues and actions into focus.
“Across the region there are so many important players involved and many complexities to address, we thought it was important to help draw all the threads together to enable a clear view to be obtained.
“It is also particularly timely to make this review now in light of the impact of the economic downturn. It will help us take a fresh look.
“We will be speaking to a wide range of business and government people but also influencer groups like industry associations. Do please get in touch if you would like to make a contribution.”
Amadeus’ spread in the Mena region includes 12 local Amadeus Commercial Organisations (ACOs) servicing 15 countries. In the region, Amadeus is used by some 7,400 travel agency locations and is installed on 22,740 travel agency terminals.
Through a recent deal with the Arab Air Carriers Organisation (AACO), Amadeus entered into 10-year exclusive distribution agreements with 13 leading airlines from the AACO.
The 13 airlines – Air Algérie, Afriqiyah Airways, EgyptAir, Etihad Airways, Kuwait Airways, Libyan Airlines, Qatar Airways, Saudi Arabian Airlines, Sudan Airways, Syrian Arab Airlines, Tunisair, Yemen Airways and Royal Air Maroc – account for 68 per cent of reservations made by travel agencies in the Mena region.