Sabre experiences strong growth across MENA in 2011

A market leader in most GCC countries, Sabre signed partnership agreements with all major Middle Eastern travel agencies including AlShamel International, Dnata, Kanoo Travel and Fursan Travel and Tourism.

In May, Sabre opened a new office in Kuwait, highlighting the importance of the market and its commitment to serving the Kuwaiti travel industry.

Sabre also opened a second office in Egypt, based in Alexandria, to meet the continued growth in travel demand through the Arab Spring.

Daniel Naoumovitch, CEO, STNME said that against all odds, it's been another exceptional year for Sabre.

"We enjoyed another healthy year of growth, renewing agreements with some of the biggest names in the travel industry including Kanoo, Alshamel, Fursan and Dnata, and expanding our presence in new countries around the region. Against a background of uncertainty, we have continued to invest significantly in new products to fuel our customers' growth and success, and we've continued to do what we do best - provide the best customer service in the industry," said Naoumovitch.

As a sign of its ongoing commitment to the region, Sabre doubled its regional headquarters in Bahrain to accommodate its growing workforce.

The only GDS with a regional headquarters in the region, Sabre is often considered the technology provider next door, with the Bahrain office supporting its 21 offices in 11 countries in the GCC, Africa and the Levant to accommodate its growing workforce.

Last year also saw the launch of Sabre Red and its award-winning platform, Sabre Red Workspace, which was specifically launched to help agents in the Middle East shop, book and manage travel in low bandwidth areas.

The subsequent launch of Sabre Red Graphical View and its social media solution AgentStream, both "firsts" for the-region, confirmed Sabre as the most innovative technology provider in the region.

Sabre ended the year by picking up an award at the annual World Traveler Awards for Egypt.