Sharaf Travel selects Amadeus to boost travel operations

The three-year exclusive deal will see Sharaf Travel network of agencies in UAE and Oman migrate from its existing global distribution system (GDS) provider to Amadeus.

"Our partnership with Amadeus is an important step for us. We evaluated the value proposition and found that Amadeus technology best met our diverse business needs. While they have a solid global presence, Amadeus has demonstrated consistent performance in the regional market, and this was a key deciding factor for us," commented Salah Sharaf, Chairman, Sharaf Travel.

"We are confident of offering specialized services to our customers and achieve better productivity and efficiencies benefits through Amadeus," he added.

One of the largest travel agency in the UAE, with outlets in prime locations including Dubai, Jebel Ali, Sharjah, Abu Dhabi and implant office in many corporations, Sharaf Travel will benefit from Amadeus' broad range of front office and e-commerce solutions. Amadues' strong global and regional presence will also assist with Sharaf Travel expansion plans in the Middle East, Africa and the Indian sub continent.

Commenting on the partnership, Ghulam Al Baloushi, Managing Director, Amadeus Gulf, said:

"The partnership is a step forward in our commitment to help local travel agencies optimize revenues and improve their profitability. We are positioned strongly to support Sharaf Travel's unique business needs and our newly established regional hub in Dubai will be instrumental in bringing Amadeus' global expertise to a local level."

Located in Festival Tower in Dubai Festival City, Amadeus' regional hub supports the growth and operations of local Amadeus Commercial Organizations (ACOs) in the region. It focuses on further increasing Amadeus' services through the support of new specialized units: Amadeus Airline Business Group, Market Management, e-Commerce, Travel Office Products and Solutions, Business Development, Amadeus Multinational Customer Group and the Amadeus Gulf' Sales and Operations Office in Dubai.

In the Middle East region, the Amadeus System is installed on more than 9,800 travel agency point of sale terminals that can make bookings on all of the Middle East Full Service Carriers.

Leading airlines in the Arab countries who have selected the full suite of Amadeus Altéa Customer Management Solution or are using the sales and reservation component as their own internal sales system include: EgyptAir, Etihad Airways, Libyan Arab Airways, Middle East Airlines, Qatar Airways, Royal Air Maroc and Tunisair.