Amadeus: sixth consecutive year of growth in the Middle East

 Amadeus, a global leader in technology and distribution solutions for the travel and tourism industry, today announced its growth in the region at the Arabian Travel Market (ATM) 2007 edition. The launch of the first insurance solution for travel agents in the region, sustained leadership in e-commerce solutions and IT services  were highlighted by Amadeus Senior Management attending the Middle East’ biggest travel trade show.

“For the sixth consecutive year, Amadeus is the travel distribution company with the more remarkable growth in the region”, explained Sari Vähäkoski, Director Markets Middle East & Africa and CESE, at Amadeus. “The Middle East is the fastest growing region in passenger traffic according to IATA, with a growth of 15.4% in 2006. Amadeus’ growth was well above the market as we increased our market share in the Middle East by more than 23% last year. The Middle East region’s excellent geographic location and very good accessibility have turned it into the natural travel hub between Europe and Asia”, added Ms Vähäkoski. “We are committed to continue increasing our support as the preferred provider of technology solutions for the travel industry in the region.”

Innovation

Amadeus introduced in the Middle East market a new concept with the launch of the first insurance solution for travel agents in the region through the implementation in UAE, Oman, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Kuwait of Amadeus Insurance. This is a pioneering solution that enables travel agencies to automatically issue insurance policies at the planning stage of travel. Travel agents will be able to book products of AIG, specialist provider of travel and leisure insurance policies and launch partner of Amadeus, through the Amadeus system.

e-commerce

On the e-commerce side, Amadeus Agency Internet Engine (e-Power), the Internet Booking Engine for travel agencies and travel portals presented during ATM’s previous edition, has proved successful in the region. Currently implemented in 32 travel agencies and with 11 sites fully in production in the Middle East, this solution has provided an effective answer to travel agencies and travel portals looking for an online booking system without any development, with minimum cost.

Qatar Airways, Etihad Airways and EgyptAir signed for Amadeus e-Retail Engine (Planitgo), the number one global Internet Booking Engine powering over 250 websites for 70 airlines. These same three carriers choose Amadeus Revenue Integrity, a suite of tools designed to safeguard the airlines’ inventory and take the carriers’ time out of checking for non-profitable bookings.

IT solutions for airlines

The company spent 2006 consolidating its leading position as technology provider for airlines. Amadeus successfully migrated Etihad Airways, EgyptAir and Libyan Arab Airlines to Amadeus Altéa Customer Management Solution. Adoption of the new generation IT solution strengthens these carriers’ capacity to maximise revenue on every seat as well as to revolutionise its customer service and equip itself with the technology to react quickly to changing market forces.

e-ticketing

In parallel, Amadeus continues to lead the industry in helping to reach IATA’s deadline of 100% e-ticketing by the end of 2007. By the end of 2006, Amadeus had enabled e-ticketing for 174 airlines, including the implementations of Qatar Airways, Etihad Airways, EgyptAir, Tunis air, Royal Air Maroc, MEA, Oman Air, Gulf Air. Amadeus provides e-ticketing in the following countries: Oman, Bahrain, Qatar, UAE, Egypt, Pakistan, KSA, Morocco, Tunisia, Jordan and Kuwait.

Distribution

Yemenia and Kuwait Airways upgraded their participation to the highest level of connectivity in the Amadeus System. This brings numerous benefits to all Amadeus subscribers to offer superior levels of service to their customers. This agreement will improve the airlines product global reach and performance, offering travel agencies and their customers the best facilities.

Markets success

The Amadeus push in the different markets included highlights such as:

Amadeus business in Saudi Arabia grew by more than 38% in 2006, whereas the market increased by 6.30%. Amadeus has become the second biggest travel distribution company in the Kingdom, and the number one in terms of e-tickets deployed. Online tools for key customers have been successfully introduced and the Amadeus content offering has been increased with non-air products to help travel agents differentiate and grow their revenues.

Among the achievements in other countries, Amadeus Egypt became number one travel distribution company as well as Amadeus Qatar, which retained its number one position and further increased the gap with the competition.  Both Kuwait and Jordan consolidated their position as number two travel distribution company in their respective markets, growing much faster than the rest of the competitors. In addition, Amadeus Kuwait successfully added new content to help travel agents differentiate in the market, including solutions such as Amadeus Insurance (launched with AIG) and Amadeus Cruise (launched with Royal Caribbean and Celebrity Cruise).

Consulting

The Amadeus commitment to the region was underlined by the market-specific survey, led by Amadeus and the consulting firm Hermes, among Saudi Arabia’ travel agent community to track the needs of travel agents in their daily work activities. Saudi Arabia was chosen as a benchmark to reflect the needs of the Middle East average travel agent. “We invest in the region because we want to know in depth the way travel agencies work in the Middle East to better serve their requirements and grab opportunities for the agents to further grow their business”, says Sari Vähäkoski. The full findings of this survey will be unveiled soon.