Amadeus: sixth consecutive year of growth in the Middle East

"For the sixth consecutive year, Amadeus is the travel distribution & IT company with the most remarkable growth in the region", explained Sari Vähäkoski, Director Markets Middle East & Africa and Central Eastern Southern Europe, at Amadeus. "The Middle East is the fastest growing region in passenger traffic according to IATA, with a growth of 15.4% in 2006. Amadeus' growth was well above the market as we increased our booking by close to 24 % whereas our market share grew by more than 4% year end 2006 as compared to 2005. The Middle East region's excellent geographic location and very good accessibility have turned it into the natural travel hub between Europe and Asia", added Ms Vähäkoski. "We are committed to continue increasing our support as the preferred provider of technology solutions for the travel industry in the region."

Innovation

Amadeus introduced in the Middle East market a new concept with the launch of the first insurance solution for travel agents in the region through the implementation of Amadeus Insurance in UAE, Oman, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. This is a pioneering solution that enables travel agencies to automatically issue insurance policies at the planning stage of travel.

e-commerce

On the e-commerce side, Amadeus Agency Internet Engine (e-Power), the Internet Booking Engine for travel agencies and travel portals presented during ATM's previous edition, has proved successful in the region. Currently implemented in 32 travel agencies and with 11 sites fully in production in the Middle East, this solution has provided an effective answer to travel agencies and travel portals looking for an online booking system without any development, with minimum cost.

Qatar Airways, Etihad Airways and EgyptAir signed for Amadeus e-Retail Engine (Planitgo), the number one global Internet Booking Engine powering over 250 websites for 70 airlines. These same three carriers choose Amadeus Revenue Integrity, a suite of tools designed to safeguard the airlines' inventory and take the carriers' time out of checking for non-profitable bookings.

IT solutions for airlines

The company spent 2006 consolidating its leading position as technology provider for airlines. Amadeus successfully migrated Etihad Airways and EgyptAir to Amadeus Altéa Customer Management Solution, and Libyan Arab Airlines is under implementation.

e-ticketing

In parallel, Amadeus continues to lead the industry in helping to reach IATA's deadline of 100% e-ticketing by the end of 2007. By the end of 2006, Amadeus had enabled e-ticketing for 174 airlines, including the implementations of Qatar Airways, Etihad Airways, EgyptAir, Tunis air, Royal Air Maroc, MEA, Oman Air and Gulf Air. Amadeus provides e-ticketing in the following countries: Oman, Bahrain, Qatar, United Arab Emirates (UAE), Egypt, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Tunisia, Jordan and Kuwait.

Distribution

Yemenia and Kuwait Airways upgraded their participation to the highest level of connectivity in the Amadeus System. This brings numerous benefits to all Amadeus subscribers to offer superior levels of service to their customers.

Markets success

The Amadeus push in the different markets included highlights such as:
Amadeus business in Saudi Arabia grew by more than 38% in 2006, whereas the market increased by 6.30%. Amadeus has become the second biggest travel distribution company in the Kingdom, and the number one in terms of e-tickets deployed.

Among the achievements in other countries, Amadeus surpassed the competition in Egypt and retained its number one position in Qatar. Amadeus grew much faster than the rest of the competition in Jordan and Kuwait. In addition, Amadeus Kuwait successfully added new content to help travel agents differentiate in the market, including solutions such as Amadeus Insurance (launched with AIG) and Amadeus Cruise (launched with Royal Caribbean and Celebrity Cruise).

Consulting for Travel Agencies

The commitment of Amadeus to the region was underlined by a market-specific study on the Saudi Arabian travel agency community, commissioned by Amadeus and led by the consulting firm Hermes. The main objective was to understand the activities, costs, needs and growth opportunities for travel agencies in the Middle East's fastest growing market. Saudi Arabia was chosen as a benchmark to reflect the needs of the average Middle East travel agent. "We invest in the region because we want to understand more fully the way travel agencies work in the region to better serve their requirements and help them to exploit key opporunities that the implementation of the right technology can bring", says Sari Vähäkoski. The full findings of this research paper will be unveiled soon.