Amadeus Middle East regional hub to support e-Commerce growth in Arab countries

The newly opened Amadeus Middle East Regional Hub, based in Dubai, will ensure greater support to the e-Commerce needs of the travel agencies. Amadeus portfolio of solutions will enable the online success of its regional customer segments, with solutions that are easy to deploy and addressed to the specific needs of the region.

While Europe has an Internet penetration of 48% and North America boasts 73% (source: Internet World Stats, 2008), it accounts for 21.3% in the Middle East region.

However, Fernando Cuesta, Executive Director, Middle East and Africa, at Amadeus, commented:

"Amadeus knows that Middle East travel agencies demand the same cutting-edge solutions for their e-business needs. Amadeus is here to provide a wealth of technology solutions that will enable the region's travel industry players to compete and succeed in this demanding sector."

Amadeus is committed to play a significant role in this growth as the provider of choice of the latest e-Commerce technology to travel agencies, corporations and airlines.

Commenting on the pioneering technology in the region, Shibu George, Amadeus Online Sales Engineer at Dubai-based Middle East Regional Hub said, "Amadeus Agency Internet Engine (e-Power) offers complete solution for travel agencies looking for an online booking system that requires no development, and with minimum cost. A total of 84 portals with this technology have been implemented in MEA until now and the orders keep growing."

"In addition," continues George, "We have developed the most complete e-Commerce solutions portfolio tailored to all markets' different customer segments. These range from those agencies wishing to step into the online world with a basic e-Commerce strategy and limited functional customisation requirements (a profile for which we have successfully deployed 33 portals in MEA), to medium and larger agencies that need to address more complex e-Commerce requirements including full customisation. Amadeus has the right answer for specific requirements to successfully compete in the e-Commerce arena."

Airlines in the Middle East that are currently using Amadeus e-Commerce solutions include Etihad, Royal Air Maroc, Middle East Airlines, EgyptAir, Tunisair and Qatar Airways. Amadeus is the leading online booking solution provider in the world powering more than 250 websites for over 80 airlines in more than 110 markets.