Here's our roundup of the people, product and partner news from the global travel industry this week.
Amadeus' new partners
Travel technology company Amadeus and LATAM Airlines and its affiliates have announced a
multi-year distribution agreement.
Under this agreement, LATAM Airlines NDC-sourced content and
traditionally-sourced content (EDIFACT) will be available through the Amadeus
Travel Platform for all Amadeus travel agents.
Amadeus has also reached a new agreement with Atriis, a shared managed travel platform to
deliver New Distribution Capability (NDC) content across its platforms. This
deal will expand Amadeus’ distribution of NDC and bring content to a global
corporate audience through Atriis’ solutions.
Hostaway, Safely
Hostaway, a provider of vacation rental property management
software, has announced the launch of Hostaway Insurance after entering
its partnership with Safely, an insurtech for vacation rentals.
The new product provides protection against
guest-related damages, covering a range of incidents including accidental
damage to furnishings, theft of property and pet-related incidents.
"This partnership with Safely allows us to offer a seamless
insurance experience – from quick claim resolution to complete coverage – all
integrated within our dashboard,” said Marcus Rader, CEO and co-founder of
Hostaway.
“This ensures that property managers can focus on optimizing their
guest experience rather than grappling with red tape and managing insurance
logistics.”
Sabre, Garuda Indonesia
Software and technology provider Sabre has entered
a new agreement with Garuda Indonesia, the national airline of Indonesia.
The airline will use fare management solutions from Sabre to
enhance its pricing management capabilities, streamline operations and
reinforce its competitive positioning. By adopting Sabre’s advanced
solutions, Garuda Indonesia intends to support its broader
transformation strategy and address critical challenges in fare management.
"This agreement with Sabre represents a significant step
forward in our ongoing efforts to optimize our operations and enhance our
competitive edge,” said Muhamad Yusuf, product development group head at Garuda Indonesia.
“We are confident that Sabre’s innovative fare management solutions will
provide us with the tools we need to drive revenue growth, improve pricing
accuracy and support our overall business strategy.”
TTS, Travelport
Travel Technology and Solutions (TTS) will fully integrate
Travelport’s New Distribution Capability (NDC) into TTS Corporate in the first semester
of 2025.
This integration will provide corporate travel agents with
access to a wider range of booking content and more competitive pricing,
enabling them to offer tailored solutions and greater value to their clients.
“NDC is a game-changer for corporate travel agents,” said
Joao Santos, CEO of TTS. “This integration reflects our commitment to staying
at the forefront of technology, ensuring our users have the tools they need to
deliver exceptional service to their clients in a rapidly evolving market.”
VisitBritain's new appointments
VisitBritain, a national tourism agency for Great Britain,
has appointed Jeffrey Yau and Taryn McCarthy to strengthen its trade and media
engagement in market.
Taryn McCarthy has been appointed as vice president of communication for the United States and Jeffrey Yau has been appointed as the company’s vice
president of travel trade and aviation industry, U.S.
"We are thrilled to welcome Jeffrey and Taryn to the
VisitBritain’s team in the U.S. Their industry knowledge and experience will
drive forward and strengthen our travel trade and communications strategy,”
said Carl Walsh, VisitBritain’s senior vice president, U.S. “The U.S. is the
UK’s top source market for tourism visits and spending and these roles
highlight the importance of the market and our commitment to continuing to
drive the strong growth we’ve seen.”
Travalyst appoints new chair of board
Travalyst, a coalition of brands in travel and technology, has
appointed Gianni Marostica as its new chair of the board.
Marostica brings over three decades of leadership experience
spanning the travel and technology sectors. He held positions at ITA Software,
along with Sabre and Google, who are partners of Travalyst.
"Travalyst’s mission deeply resonates with me.” Marostica said.
“Travel connects us to the world, and it should come with a responsibility to
protect it. The sector has widespread repercussions on climate, communities,
biodiversity, economic equity and more. By making sustainability data
accessible for travelers, we can empower everyone to make more informed choices
that preserve the joys of travel and the planet for future generations. I look
forward to working with this exceptional coalition to drive this mission
forward.”
Traveltek, TProfile
Traveltek, a travel technology solutions provider, has partnered
TProfile, a software suite for businesses.
TProfile will now be able to offer Traveltek customers their
dynamic travel CRM and documentation software to enhance their mutual
customers’ software capabilities.
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“This is an excellent partnership for TProfile and I want to
thank the team at Traveltek for making it happen,” said Tony Evans, CEO of TProfile.
“We are totally committed to delivering advanced solutions and workflow
efficiencies and, given the existing mutual customers and potential new
opportunities, a strategic tie-up with Traveltek is both logical and exciting.
Both development teams have been working meticulously during this first phase
to deliver seamless integration and data synchronization between the two
systems, and we look forward to delivering immediate improvements in our mutual
customers' business workflow and customer service delivery.”
BeOnd, Zytlyn Technologies
BeOnd, a leisure airline, has partnered with Zytlyn
Technologies, a travel AI platform and a 2023 Phocuswire
Hot 25 Startup.
This partnership allows beyond to leverage Zytlyn's travel
AI platform to accelerate growth across direct channels, adopting the
autonomous travel AI technology in digital marketing, while also leveraging the
predictive travel analytics for commercial planning strategic and tactical
decisions.
"At beOnd, we are firmly committed to innovating and
delivering the best experiences for our customers," said Dhaz Hunjan, chief
commercial officer of beOnd. “Partnering with Zytlyn allows us to maximize the
potential of our digital marketing efforts, unlocking significant growth in our
direct channels and passing the gains to our customers."
ATPCO introduces Loyalty Rewards
ATPCO, a provider of merchandising and pricing data for the
airline industry, has introduced its new Universal Ticket Attribute (UTA)
category, Loyalty Rewards.
Loyalty Rewards UTA highlights potential mileage accrual
benefits at the time of shopping and, by offering clear visibility into these
benefits, the new attribute allows flight shoppers to make more informed
choices while optimizing their loyalty earnings.
"Loyalty is the cornerstone of the airline-customer
relationship, and the Loyalty Rewards UTA gives airlines a powerful way to
showcase their value to passengers,” said Darie Dreptate, director of strategy
at ATPCO.
“By providing travelers with clear, accessible information about
mileage accrual, we are not only enhancing the flight shopping experience, but
also helping airlines drive retention and upsell opportunities. This is a
win-win for everyone."
Servantrip's new partnerships
Servantrip, a B2B platform for activities and transfers, has
announced its expansion into the Italian market through a strategic partnership
with WayPlans, a B2B platform for travel agencies.
This partnership
grants WayPlans access to Servantrip’s extensive global portfolio of
over 750,000 activities and transfers, providing their clients with
unparalleled travel options. In addition, Servantrip’s supplier partners will benefit from bookings through
WayPlans’ network of 2,600+
points of sale, further solidifying Servantrip’s footprint in the region.
Servantrip also partnered with Schmetterling
International, a German travel operator, to enhance travel agency offerings across
Europe.
Through this collaboration, Schmetterling International’s
network of 14,000 travel agents, operating across 30 countries, will gain
access to Servantrip’s portfolio of curated tours, attractions and activities.
Omio closes year EBITDA profitable
Travel booking platform Omio is closing 2024 successfully,
reporting its first EBITDA-positive year.
The company now sells 80,000 tickets daily across its
platforms and its app has grown 30% year-on-year. Its expansion continues
with the company securing $120 million in growth capital and with plans to use the
funds to fuel further global expansion as it prepares to enter Southeast Asia
in 2025.
“Our vision is to enable billions of people to travel
seamlessly – anywhere, anyway,” said Veronica Diquattro, president of consumer andsupply business in Europe at Omio.
“Our platform continues to redefine how people
travel by connecting the fragmented global travel landscape and championing
greater transparency and accessibility. We want to empower all travelers
to make informed decisions and manage their trips effortlessly. The
accomplishments of 2024 are a testament to our commitment, and they form the
foundation for a future where seamless multi-modal journeys become a default
way of travel.”
See Monterey launches new website
See Monterey, a non-profit organization that drives tourism
for Monterey County has launched its new website that integrates AI trip
planning technology.
The new website combines advanced technology and
user-centric design, while embodying the destination’s core tenet of
connectivity. It is the first destination in the United States to launch a new
site with AI-powered itinerary-building technology from tourism tech provider, Mindtrip.
“Launching this new site is in direct alignment with our
Monterey County Tourism 2030 Roadmap, a guide to navigating the ever-evolving
landscape,” said Rob O’Keefe, president and CEO of See Monterey. “Evolving and
enhancing our digital presence gives us the power to connect people around the
globe with Monterey County and inspire them to visit, while providing them with
real-time information and connectivity to our many hospitality
businesses.”
Hubby eSIM appoints chief growth officer
Hubby eSIM, a platform that offers internet solutions for
travel sellers and travel providers has appointed Falk Rudolph as its chief
growth officer.
"Falk brings an impressive 19-year track record in travel industry sales
to Hubby," said Thijs van de Wijk, founder and CEO of Hubby eSIM.
"His previous success within this sector has equipped him with a skill set
and extensive network, which is directly applicable to our strategic
objectives. His expertise will be invaluable as we forge new partnerships and
venture into new markets.”
“Joining Hubby eSIM as a chief growth officer opens an
exciting chapter in my professional career” Rudolph said.
“Hubby combines
innovation, a talented team and a compelling vision with its easy-to-use and
affordable worldwide mobile internet solution for travel providers to keep
customers connected in-destination. With these elements, we will be able to
establish the company as a leading player in the global B2B eSIM industry.”