Amadeus, a global leader in technology and distribution solutions for the travel and tourism industry, and Destinations of the World, the only dedicated global wholesale travel company and a leader in the travel wholesale industry, today announced their strategic partnership agreement that will significantly enhance the worldwide distribution of their product content.
Destinations of the World (DOTW) will supply their directly contracted wholesale rates and inventory content for hotels and apartments in the Middle East, Indian Sub Continent, South East Asia and Australia to be distributed to Amadeus users globally. DOTW will connect directly to the CRS of hotels through the Amadeus system to access the DOTW contracted rates and inventory up to the last minute. Additionally Amadeus will provide DOTW with direct connectivity to thousands of hotels worldwide that are available on Amadeus and these hotels will also be made available through DOTW new state-of-the-art system, ‘DOTWconnect’. This will increase DOTW’s hotel portfolio globally and provide their customers with a much wider choice of available product.
The tie up between the two companies offers a multitude of benefits to both the travel trade and suppliers worldwide:
Benefits to the Travel Trade
Guaranteed Hotel Commission Payments, from Destinations of the World, in local currency, fortnightly and direct to the travel agent’s account
Multiple Payment Choices
Market Specific pricing
Comprehensive range of products
Local sales and operations support
Access to the hotels dynamic pricing
User-friendly on-line Reservation system with rich multimedia content
Reliable booking application
Seamless communication
Benefits to the Suppliers
Expanded global distribution to the travel trade
Seamless reservations between the Supplier and the Travel Trade clients
Dynamic pricing to the travel trade
Rate integrity
Guaranteed payments from a reliable and credible source.
Keith Fernandez, Group Managing Director of Destinations of the World Group, said, “We are pleased to announce this new partnership that includes perfect synergies and equal opportunities for both companies. Destinations of the World will open doors for Amadeus in markets where we have a strong presence and Amadeus provides us with the opportunity to distribute our products via the GDS in territories where Amadeus have the largest penetration”.
“Enriching our hotel content is strategic for us ”, commented Sari Vähäkoski, Director Markets Middle East & Africa and CESE, at Amadeus. “Amadeus has become a one-stop shop for travel agencies globally and more specifically in the Middle East. This continous increase in content makes the booking process more efficient for the agents and helps hotels to receive many more of the high-yield bookings. Through this partnership with Destinations of the World, we will help travel agencies secure a profitable revenue stream by providing them with more Middle East hotel content”
The interface between DOTWconnect and Amadeus will be developed in several stages starting with the hotel module followed by Car Rental, Air and finally an All Inclusive Dynamic Package module.
The development will commence mid this year with plans to complete the first phase before the end of 2007.
About Destinations of the World
Destinations of the World are the only dedicated global wholesale travel company that does not sell direct to the end consumer. The company focuses on a unique blend of fair business trading, competitive pricing, global connections and innovative technology that benefits their travel trade customers and suppliers worldwide.
Destinations of the World have a network of 24 offices in 18 countries worldwide with over 400 multilingual professional staff providing sales, operations, finance and IT support to their travel trade clients and suppliers around the globe. The network will be expanded with an additional office opening in Singapore mid this year and their technology will be further enhanced in June this year with the launch of their state of the art online reservation system ‘DOTWconnect’ that will offer seamless communication between the travel trade and suppliers worldwide and include XML, online contracting and supplier extranet. More information is available at: www.dotw.com
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 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 over 7,600 employees worldwide, representing 95 nationalities. Amadeus’ revenue for the twelve months ended 31 December 2006 was EUR2.683m.
