Amadeus & ACTE study finds travel managers are optimistic over future roles
IT not seen as threat but as potential for expanded role
Madrid, Spain, June 27, 2006: Amadeus, a global leader in technology and distribution solutions for the travel and tourism industry, and The Association of Corporate Travel Executives (ACTE), today announced more news from its study. The study challenges theories that travel managers believe they are under threat from increased software use and strategic sourcing, with 84.3% of respondents seeing their roles continuing into the future.
The overwhelming percentage of those polled believe that the strategic benefits of an experienced travel professional are the perfect complement to technical efficiencies, with the corporate travel manager best placed to oversee the IT capabilities in conjunction with the needs of their company.
The research, which surveyed 123 corporate travel executives in North America, EMEA and Asia Pacific, also highlighted that more than 9 out of 10 (92.7%) respondents thought that the increasing technology component of the corporate travel manager function will allow them to devote more time to travel strategy development.
“As technology replaces previously non-automated travel processes, it’s easy to assume there would be less need for the role of the travel manager," explained one European travel manager. However, transactions are really only a small part of our role. The increased use of technology has unlocked the potential for corporate travel managers to contribute even more."
“A corporate travel manager can provide much more value by focusing on the areas such as travel policy compliance, the management process and the safety of their travelers rather than on the logistical elements of making a booking, which are easily managed by a self-booking solution."
The huge growth in the cost of business travel has already led many companies to automate and streamline their travel management process, with many elements of the traditional role of a corporate travel manager now being made easier by technology.
“The capabilities of IT have enabled corporate travel managers to evolve into taking a more strategic role within their organization to focus on the part of their job that can really bring value to their employers," commented Jérome Destors, Director, e-Travel, the e-commerce division of Amadeus.
“The corporate travel manager is the strategic decision maker who combines a complex mix of understanding the internal dynamics of the company, proficiency in procurement techniques and handling the human aspects of travel to ensure the traveler’s comfort, safety and productivity."
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Notes to the editors
About the survey
This is the second press release to be issued based on the Amadeus and ACTE commissioned study. The study is available at http://www.amadeus.com/acte0506nl
The study was undertaken to investigate how travel managers deal with the complexities surrounding the purchase, integration and management of travel technology tools today, and what they imagine the future of their roles will be after technology has been integrated into their travel management programs.
A total of 123 responses were recorded in October 2005 to a Web-based questionnaire released in September 2005. Half (50.8%) of respondents work in the United States; slightly more than one-quarter (27%) work in EMEA, 10.7% in Canada, 5.7% in Asia-Pacific, and less than 1% in Latin America. There was a nearly even split on the size of the respondent’s company, as measured in annual sales; 32.7% reported annual sales of between US$250 million and $1 billion; 35.4% reported US$1-10 billion in sales, and 31.9% $10 billion or more.
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 & Consultancy.
Solutions for corporations
In e-commerce, Amadeus is the global leader in online travel technology and corporate travel management solutions. It services travel agencies in 90 countries, and powers the websites of over 1,000 corporations and more than 70 airlines and hotels. Amadeus e-Travel Management is an online travel booking solution to help corporations manage their travel policy more efficiently. Both Amadeus and its partners enable corporations to integrate all the elements of their global travel programmes, into one easy-to-use and easy-to-administrate solution. Customers include Altria, Cemex, Daimler Chrysler, Ericsson, Nestlé, Total, Thales, Oracle and Siemens.
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 76 countries covering more than 215 markets.
The company is owned by WAM Acquisition, whose shareholders are BC Partners, Cinven, Air France, Iberia and Lufthansa. Amadeus employs nearly 6,700 employees worldwide, representing 95 nationalities. For the full year ended on 31 December, 2005, Amadeus reported revenues of €2,418.3m.
More information about Amadeus is available at www.amadeus.com
