This is a roundup for product news and announcements for travel DISTRIBUTION in tourism and hospitality for July 2016.
Wednesday 27 July 2016:
Travelport lands Roibek agency deal
- The Saudi Arabian travel agency network will use Travelport to access flight, hotel and car rental content, including ancillary services. The network has 55 branches in the country.
Tuesday 26 July 2016:Kayak.sg adds tours
- Kayak's Singapore site has launched a new Activities channel, integrating content from Viator and GetYourGuide.
Edmond Travel signs
Travelport deal
- The Hong Kong-based leisure travel agency will use Travelport to access fares and ancillary services from airlines alongside hotel content. The agreement will also include using the Travelport API to power its consumer-facing website, Ticket7.
Travolutionary gets
GetABed- The accommodation provider will connect with Israel-based Travolutionary to distribute its 110,000-strong portfolio of properties around the world. GetABed is celebrating a quarter of a century in operation during 2016.
Monday 25 July 2016:Travix signs Travelport agreement
- The Netherlands-based online travel agency group will use the Travelport Universal API to access air content, including ancillary products. Brands in the include Vayama, BudgetAir and CheapTickets.
Amadeus flies high with
Himalaya Airlines- The new Nepal-China joint venture will use Amadeus as its first distribution partner as it looks to ramp up services following its debut flights from Kathmandu to Doha earlier this year. Amadeus-connected agencies will have access to its fares, schedules and availability, coinciding with the introduction of new routes to India, Thailand, China and Hong Kong.
Thursday 21 July 2016:Deem catches trains via SilverRail
- The corporate travel technology provider has extended its existing partnership (dating back to 2009) to include rail content from SilverRail in its travel platform. The extension is aimed at capitalising on the growing use of rail in business travel in both Europe and North America.
Wednesday 20 July 2016:Concur connects with Uber
- An expansion of the existing partnership between the pair will give customers free use of Uber For Business services. including the ability to monitor cost savings within the Concur platform and adherence to policy controls.
Egencia gets branded fares
- The Expedia Inc-owned corporate travel agency will gradually introduce a new platform that will include access to multiple fare classes from North American carriers and their branded packages (incl ancillary services). The platform will more widely available during Q4 of 2016.
Tuesday 19 July 2016:Travelport renews with Aeroflot
- The Russian carrier hs signed a long-term, full content agreement with Travelport, giving connected agencies access to its fares and content. Part of the new deal includes signing with Travelport's Rich Content and Branding service.
SilverRail powers
Concur rail move
- The train distribution network will work with Concur as part of a three-year agreement to power its rail product. The SilverCore platform will connect Concur customer's to European rail content in multiple markets.
Lots of Hotels deal with
Travolutionary- The Webjet Australia subsidiary has an inventory of over 300,000 hotels worldwide, including 30,000 direct contracts. Travolutionary will help distribute LoH's content to customers of the Israel-based travel tech provider.
Monday 18 July 2016:Expedia brings rail to the UK
- The online travel agency claims it will be the first to offer rail tickets alongside rail, hotel and car rental products. The platform will be powered by SilverRail Technologies and will feature tickets from all operators in the country.
EVA Air gets
Amadeus- The Taiwan-based carrier will adopt the full ALTEA Revenue Management Suite of services, giving it the ability to price fares based on the entire passenger journey, rather than leg-by-leg. EVA is gradually expanding to more international destinations including Turkey and, later this year, Chicago in the US.
Friday 15 July 2016:Sabre extends Lebanon deal
- Lebanon-based travel agency El Ajouz Travel has signed up for Sabre's new merchandising and content solutions, extending its ten-year-long, exclusive relationship. The latest version of Sabre Red Workspace, previewed at the end of June, is slated to arrive in the Middle East in 2017.
Thursday 14 July 2016:Travelport checks in with OYO Rooms
- The Indian branded hotel platform will make its enrire portfolio of properties available to Travelport-connected travel agencies in both its domestic market and worldwide. The company currently operates in 180 cities in India, including Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore. Travelport has also renewed its distribution agreement Piloot Koen, a travel agency in The Netherlands.
SilverRail trains with
NuTravel- The US-based provider of booking technology to corporate travellers will integrate with SilverRail's SilverCore platform so that users can search and book VIA Rail services.
Wednesday 13 July 2016:KDS gets Booking.com integration
- The deal with Booking.com For Business will give the corporate travel management system access to the Priceline Group-owned brand's portfolio of accommodation. Over one million hotels, B&Bs, rentals and homestay's will now be available to KDS business travel customers, including reporting tools and reviews.
Tuesday 12 July 2016:Distribusion signs Amadeus deal
- Initially for Amadeus-connected agencies in German-speaking markets, Distribusion will provide bus search and bookings for its entire portfolio of intercity and shuttle bus operators. Distribusion currently has inventory from more than 25 countries.
Monday 11 July 2016:DHISCO finds Nirvana in the Middle East
- Nirvana Travel and Tourism, an Abu Dhabi-based tour operator, will the DHISCO platform to power the distribution of its hotels in the region. The nine-year-old company also has offices in China, Spain and Saudi Arabia.
Findandbook finds Malta supply
- Findandbook, the travel agency booking platform from Multicom, has added inventory from Maltese islands specialist Robert Arrigo & Sons. Multicom was bought by Sweden's Paxport at the start of the year.
New hotels site for Myanmar
- Thahara.com - an online platform for boutique hotels - has launched in Myanmar. The site has 18 properties, in 11 different destinations in the country. It has operated two hotels of its own since 2013 and is backed by Anthem Asia, an investment group supporting sustainable businesses in Myanmar.
Thursday 7 July 2016:CarTrawler gives Hotels.com car hire offering
- The new Hotels.com For Partners white label will now also include a car rental channel, allowing airlines and other partners to integrate the platform into their own websites. CarTrawler has products in 42,000 locations in 195 countries.
Blacklane expands in Europe
- The online private car hire service has launched in Venice, Toulouse and Monaco this week. The Venitian version of the product will include water taxis to take passengers from Marco Polo Airport into the water-locked city. Blacklane now operates in 50 countries around the world.
Tuesday 5 July 2016:Mauritania Airlines signs Travelport deal
- The multi-year agreement is the first time the Mauritanian carrier has distributed its fares and schedules through the Travelport GDS. The airline flies short and long-haul routes from its base at Nouakchott International Airport to domestic destinations and other countries in West Africa.
Iberia has branded fares on
Amadeus- The IAG-operated carrier will now have its full range of branded fares made available to Amadeus-connected travel agencies. Fares include its Flexible, Classic and Basic packages
Friday 1 July 2016:Hotels.com For Partners goes live
- The white label service of Hotels is being targeted at airlines and other travel brands that need an accommodation search and booking service within their own websites. The platform is powered by sister company Expedia Affiliate Network. Swiss International Airlines is a launch partner.
Fiji Airways brands with
Travelport- The South Pacific airline will join the Rich Content and Branding element of Travelport's Merchandising Platform, allowing it to showcase its fares and ancillary services to agencies in the same way as it does online. The airlines flies from Fiji to various destinations including Canada, US, Australia, New Zealand and Singapore.
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