Amadeus Asia Pacific Reports Strong Momentum in 2009, Despite Economic Challenges
Australia, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia and Malaysia help drive 2 percentage points of market share growth
Bangkok, Thailand - November 12, 2009 - Amadeus, a global leader in technology and distribution solutions for the travel and tourism industry, has maintained a strong level of performance in Asia Pacific (APAC) in 2009. The company increased its market share by nearly 2 percentage points, confirming Amadeus' leadership position in the region
The company achieved this growth despite the 2009 slump in regional travel due to the depressed global economy. Amadeus grew its market share of travel agency air bookings in APAC to 33% for Year to Date (YTD) 2009. Amadeus also extended its lead in online bookings, achieving 18.8% growth YTD to capture a 51% market share of all online travel agency bookings in Asia Pacific (YTD September 2009).
The primary drivers of this market share growth were gains in Australia, Hong Kong, India Indonesia and Malaysia. During 2009, Amadeus has increased its headcount in Asia Pacific by 15% to 1,400 employees, and opened two new offices - one in Koh Samui, Thailand and another in Yangon, Myanmar.
Major new airline agreements signed in 2009 in APAC include AirAsia, SEAir, Zest Airways, and a Memorandum of Understanding with Thai Airways who is assessing the Amadeus Altéa Customer Management System. Travel agencies in APAC using Amadeus to process their reservations increased to 19,500.
“Despite a difficult year for the travel and tourism industry in APAC, Amadeus has managed to emerge in a very strong position,” said David Brett, President of Amadeus Asia Pacific. “The region’s performance is testament to the hard work of our 1,400 employees and our focus on delivering cutting-edge technology that has a real impact on business results for our customers. Amadeus invests heavily in R&D and has a strong understanding of each of the local markets. We have proven our ability to provide tremendous value to customers, especially in the midst of such a challenging business climate.”
David V. Jones, President & CEO of Amadeus IT Group, said, “The performance of Amadeus APAC in 2009 has been outstanding, cementing its place as a key region in our business and contributing significantly to our global leadership. The market share growth is impressive in its own right, but against the backdrop of the global financial crisis it really highlights the strength, depth and resilience of Amadeus in APAC. Our commitment to technology innovation, our global reach and our local expertise will form the foundation of continued growth in Asia Pacific in 2010.”
Some key achievements for Amadeus Asia Pacific in 2009 include:
Airline Distribution –
· Boosted its presence in China through an agreement with China Southern Airlines to deploy the Amadeus e-Retail solution, which powers all international online bookings for the carrier's inbound and outbound customers. Amadeus’ e-Commerce solutions currently power all major airlines in Greater China, including Air China, Cathay Pacific, China Eastern Airlines, DragonAir and Hainan Airlines
· Implemented a ground-breaking agreement with AirAsia, one of the world’s leading LCCs, to enable travel agencies worldwide to book AirAsia flights in the same way they would for a full-service carrier, using Amadeus Ticketless Access solution.
Travel IT --
· Announced partnerships with MakeMyTrip.com and Yatra.com, strengthening Amadeus’ leading position in online travel agency bookings
· Announced a partnership with Airport Transport Service Co., Ltd. (Friendly Airport Limousine, Japan) to make available for the first time, its limousine bus tickets to travellers at the time when they make flight and accommodation bookings through their travel agents on Amadeus GDS
Airline IT –
· Announced a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Thai Airways to assess the full Altéa Customer Management System
Hotel IT –
· Enhanced independent and mid-range hotel content in the Amadeus GDS through partnerships with DerbySoft China and the launch of Amadeus Hotel Store, which is currently rolling out across Asia Pacific
Research Papers –
· Launched a report commissioned from the Economic Intelligence Unit “The Austere Traveller – The Effects of Corporate Cutbacks on Hotels” providing insights to corporate travel trends resulting from the economic downturn
· Commissioned a report “Corporate Travel Management and Practices in China” with PhoCusWright on corporate travel in the world’s fastest growing economy as part of Amadeus’ ongoing commitment to understanding local markets
Industry Partnership --
· Formed a partnership with the National Business Travel Association (NBTA) to offer complimentary accreditation programs to Corporate Travel Managers in Singapore and Hong Kong
Corporate Social Responsibility --
· Demonstrated leadership on environmental and social issues. Amadeus developed the technology to support the MASSIVEGOOD project, which allows travellers to give a micro-contribution every time they purchase travel services. Funds raised will go towards fighting HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis in developing countries. The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and Amadeus signed an agreement for ICAO to supply Amadeus with data from its Carbon Emissions Calculator
