Amadeus strengthens partnerships with region's leading travel agencies at ATM 2012

The event enabled Amadeus to strengthen its partnerships with some of the region's leading travel management companies including Regency Travel & Tours in Qatar, the Sharjah National Travel & Tourist Agency (SNTTA) and the Abu Dhabi Travel Bureau (ATB) in the UAE. The on-going strategic partnerships reflect Amadeus' growing presence in the region.

Nasser Batha, Regional Director Markets, Amadeus MENA, said, "The regional travel landscape has undergone phenomenal changes in the past few years and is expected to see further transformation over the next decade, particularly owing to the high technology adoption rates across the globe. As a technology provider, it remains our priority to continually invest in innovating products and solutions that work towards narrowing the gap between fast escalating traveller demands and the means by which travel agents meet them."

He said, "Arabian Travel Market has provided us with the ideal platform to gain visibility into market trends and showcase our portfolio of solutions to new and existing clients. The loyalty of our customers is testimony to the key role we play in the region's industry; it is indeed gratifying to see that we have succeeded in further strengthening our relationships with leading agencies that share our vision to contribute to the growth and advancement of the regional travel and tourism sector."

Mohamed Salehi, General Manager, Abu Dhabi Travel Bureau, said, "As our technology partner, Amadeus has been successful in delivering top class service in all aspects. They continue to be proactive and innovative with products that suit evolving market conditions. A recent consultancy workshop organized by Amadeus has helped us better manage gaps with solutions that enable us to meet our business needs, increase efficiency and market reach and, of course, enhance the customer experience."

Established in 1966, ATB has built its reputation as one of the largest travel companies in the region with a network of 19 offices across the UAE that enable it to operate in the business and leisure travel segments, as well as inbound and outbound tourism.

Sai Rattan, Senior General Manager, SNTTA, said, "Amadeus has precisely assessed our needs and provided us with the right counsel and solutions that have helped us meet the needs of our customers. With access to an exceptional support team, innovative solutions with user-friendly platforms and products such as e-Travel Management, an excellent self-booking tool for our corporate accounts, we are convinced that Amadeus is the right partner for our expanding business."

With a wide network of 22 travel offices across the emirates of Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, Ras Al Khaimah, Ajman and Fujairah, SNTTA is one of the leading travel brands in the UAE. The first in the country to achieve the ISO 9001 certification in 1999, the agency has been serving business and leisure travellers for over 35 years.

Furthermore, Regency Travel & Tours, Doha's largest travel agency, announced that it will be the first agency in the MENA region to deploy Amadeus Air Preferences, a unique and powerful solution that enables travel agents to strengthen premium partnership agreements by prioritising them in their displays. It thereby enables agents to respond instantly to market change by updating preferences in real time and displaying what is best for their business and their customers at any given moment in time.

ATM 2012, which ran from 30 April to 3 May at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre, also saw the launch of Amadeus Mobile Traveller, a fully integrated and complete mobile application designed to support pre-trip, in-trip and post-trip functionalities. Developed specifically for the MENA region in Arabic, English and French, the application provides travellers with access to a range of real time information and enables travel agents to enrich the customer travel experience, streamline operational costs and increase customer loyalty and revenues.

With its regional headquarters in Dubai, Amadeus is present in the MENA territories through 17 local Amadeus Commercial Organisations servicing 21 countries and continues to innovate as a key technology partner for the travel industry.