Spain’s Secretary of State for International Cooperation and Amadeus IT Group sign Framework Agreement for Cooperation in the Sustainable Development of Tourism
The two parties will carry out activities to promote social development and the sustainable development of tourism in developing countries, particularly in Latin America and Africa.
Amadeus Benelux, 14 October 2009 - Soraya Rodríguez Ramos, Spain’s Secretary of State for International Cooperation and David V. Jones, CEO of Amadeus IT Group, a global company which develops travel distribution technology, have signed a few days ago a framework agreement for cooperation in the sustainable development of tourism.
The agreement will lead to the implementation of activity promoting social development and the sustainable development of tourism in developing countries, through Corporate Social Responsibility actions. The joint activity will be carried out particularly in Latin America and Africa, and in specific areas such as: the training of professionals in the tourism sector, technology transfer, promotion and development of local tourism, strengthening and improvement of management systems in micro, small and medium sized travel companies, support for travel distribution businesses and the fostering of a strong tourist culture, amongst others.
Soraya Rodríguez Ramos, Spain’s Secretary of State for International Cooperation, stated: "We are very pleased to be able to work with a leading technology company and expert in the travel sector".
David V. Jones, CEO of Amadeus IT Group, said: "Through this agreement, Spain will lead the process of transferring technology to sectors in need, in various countries." The alliance gives a strong impetus to Amadeus' Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programme. The company’s CSR strategy focuses on contributing to the development of the most disadvantaged regions, through its natural activity in the sector: providing technology and applying this technology to the development of the travel and tourism sector.
David Jones also pointed out that Amadeus’ CSR strategy was established on a basis of cooperation: “This alliance is a good example of how the private sector and the public sector can efficiently contribute to development of international cooperation projects."
One of the objectives of the III Director Plan for Spanish Cooperation is to establish “public-private partnerships” to help meet the challenges in development and to overcome the social and environmental obstacles in meeting the Millennium Development Goals.
The Spanish Agency for International Cooperation for Development aims – among other things - to incorporate the business sector into the development plan by encouraging the adoption of responsible practices in countries in the South, through the inclusion of pro-development business models.
Soraya Rodríguez Ramos added "Amadeus is a technology leader with a broad range of cutting-edge technology. It is exactly this experience that we want to use and which has become available through the agreement signed today, which will allow us to work in the 50 countries where the Spanish International Cooperation is active. We are grateful to Amadeus for its offer, to the Office of the Secretary of State for Cooperation, to begin work in this strategic association, and to allow us to benefit from the support of a leading company in its field”.
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Note to the editors
About AECID
The Spanish Agency for International Cooperation for Development (AECID), an entity affiliated with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation through the Office of the Secretary of State for International Cooperation (SECI), is the managing body for Spanish policies on international cooperation for development, and its objective is the promotion, the management and the implementation of public policies for international cooperation for development, aimed at the fight against poverty and the attainment of sustainable human development in developing countries.
About Amadeus
Amadeus is the chosen technology partner for providers, sellers, and buyers of travel. The company provides distribution, IT and point-of-sale solutions to help its customers adapt, grow and succeed in the fast changing travel industry. Customer groups include travel providers (airlines, hotels, car rental companies, railway companies, ferry lines, cruise lines, insurance companies and tour operators), travel sellers (travel agencies) and travel buyers (corporations and travellers). Solutions are grouped in four solution categories – Distribution & Content, Sales & e-Commerce, Business Management and Services & Consulting.
Amadeus has central sites in Madrid (corporate headquarters & marketing), Nice (development) and Erding (Operations – data processing centre) and regional offices in Miami, Buenos Aires and Bangkok. At market level, Amadeus maintains customer operations in 71 local Amadeus Commercial Organisations covering 219 markets.
The company is majority owned by WAM Acquisition, whose shareholders are BC Partners, Cinven, Air France, Iberia and Lufthansa. Amadeus employs over 8,600 employees worldwide, representing 105 nationalities.
For more information on Amadeus please go to www.benelux.amadeus.com.
Contact details
Amadeus Benelux
Luc Pannecoeck
T: +32 2 257 99 11 / +31 23 554 1430
F: +32 2 460 03 84 / +31 23 562 4272
E-mail : infobe@benelux.amadeus.com / infonl@benelux.amadeus.com
Grupo Albión
Sofía García
Leticia Fajardo
tel : +34 91 531 23 88
fax.: +34 91 521 81 87
E-mail: sgarcia@grupoalbion.net
AECID
Tel.: 91 583 82 65
E-mail: comunicacion@aecid.es
