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TECHNOLOGY
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Travelport partners with Amazon Web Services to accelerate digital transformation in travel retailing
News Desk
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As part of the long-term collaboration, Travelport will migrate its global platform that connects travel agencies and travel suppliers to AWS. It will also use AWS technologies, including High Performance Compute (HPC), storage, security, analytics, machine learning and databases to deliver a faster, easier, and more personalised travel booking experience. In addition, Travelport will use AWS Managed Services (AMS) to provide trusted operational expertise to help optimise platform efficiency and security. The collaboration, which unites globally renowned expertise in travel technology, cloud technology, and hyperpersonalised retailing, will focus on optimizing Travelport’s recently launched next-generation platform, Travelport+. It will also drive innovation in travel merchandising with the launch of a new accelerator programme that will incorporate talent from the tech startup community.
Optimising Travelport+
Travelport+ is an extensive, next-generation platform that creates a simplified, capabilityrich marketplace for travel retailing. To optimize the platform, Travelport+ will leverage AWS compute, which will enhance efficiency by enabling Travelport to easily scale capacity for processing while maintaining superior performance for HPC workloads. The company will also speed up content delivery through Travelport+ by leveraging its global network to cache content at “the edge” of the cloud, bringing it closer to end users anywhere in the world. “The travel industry has struggled to keep up with the pace of change in digital
Greg Webb
Chief Executive Officer Travelport
retail,” said Greg Webb, Chief Executive Officer at Travelport. “This landmark collaboration is specifically designed to address just that. AWS’s retail heritage makes them uniquely qualified to optimise digital retail platforms, simplify complex environments, and enable gamechanging innovation in the travel retailing space. With AWS as our preferred cloud partner, we are going to create a simpler, smarter, and better future for travel retailing.” Sandeep Dwivedi, Chief Operating Officer at InterGlobe Technology Quotient, said, “With growing demand for and
Sandeep Dwivedi
Chief Operating Officer InterGlobe Technology Quotient
application of digital, especially in the unprecedented times, this collaboration with Amazon Web Services shall certainly bring long-term advantage to our customers. Hyper-personalized retailing in the industry has been a rather futuristic goal for many but not anymore. Travelport is indeed reinventing travel retailing as promised.” “Travelport is using the flexibility, scalability, and reliability of the world’s leading cloud to provide the speed and insights needed to put the customer first,” said Adam Selipsky, Incoming CEO of Amazon Web Services, Inc. “By leveraging the broadest and deepest set of cloud capabilities and AWS’s proven global infrastructure, Travelport can enhance the performance of its platform and continue to develop new ways to simplify the travel booking experience. With people around the world beginning to return to travel, we look forward to working with Travelport to help the travel industry continue to innovate.”
Driving Innovation
To accelerate innovation in travel retailing, AWS will further enhance Travelport’s development and delivery model, enabling more rapid speed to market and the production deployment of solutions. This will give Travelport developers the ability to innovate faster and provide expanded access to solutions developed by AWS’s established and startup travel technology community. Travelport will also use AWS’s world-class capabilities, such as machine learning and advanced analytics, to improve its personalisation offering, leveraging the company’s latest technologies to explore new ways to simplify the way travel is retailed.
Tel Aviv to host first mega-event since COVID-19 outbreak
News Desk
As Saudi Arabia is preparing to reopen its borders for foreign tourists imminently, and it is well on its way to realising its ambition for attracting 100 million tourists per year by 2030. The country forges ahead with Vision 2030, with tourism earmarked as a key economic driver, tourism and travel leaders from the Kingdom convened at the ATM 2021 Saudi Arabia Tourism Summit on the Global Stage to discuss the strategy’s positive repercussions for the country, its people, investors and millions of global travellers. Addressing a capacity crowd at the inperson ATM 2021, were Fahd Hamidaddin, CEO, Saudi Tourism Authority, Majed Alnefaie, Acting CEO of Seera, Captain Ibrahim Koshy, CEO, Saudi Arabian Airlines (SAUDIA), and Dr Afnan Al Shuaiby, Founder and CEO of FNN International and Chair of the Arab International Women’s Forum. Fahd Hamidaddin, CEO of Saudi Tourism Authority, discussed the Kingdom’s response to the Coronavirus pandemic, having just opened up to international tourism in September 2019: “While the travel and tourism sector was paralysed globally, Saudi Arabia kept moving. Although the priority was to save lives, we were also committed to protecting livelihoods and saving jobs through our successful domestic tourism campaign, which resulted in a 33% increase in spending, hotel occupancy was at 50%, and the number of Destination Marketing Companies (DMCs) within the Kingdom increased from 17 to 93.” Discussing the outlook for Saudia (Saudi Arabian Airlines), CEO Captain Ibrahim Koshy said: “There are many things taking place in Saudi Arabia that will accelerate a return to profit for the airline. We will come out much leaner and stronger as a business, with expected profitability in 2024, if not earlier, as the potential market for the Kingdom continues to grow at a fast pace. We may also see aircraft orders this year to meet that expected demand in capacity.” The domestic market strength was underscored in 2020 and Q1 2021, with SAUDIA operating its 28 domestic airports at close to 80% of its 2019 levels, and demand exceeding capacity at times. The numbers are expected to pick up even further with the recent resumption of international travel for residents and citizens and the operation of the new King Abdulaziz International Airport (KAIA) as a true regional hub.
Tel Aviv-Yafo Municipality has announced the return of its iconic Tel Aviv Pride Parade on June 25th .
News Desk
The Tel Aviv Pride Parade will be one of the first mass parades worldwide to return in a physical, in-person format – courtesy of Israel's high vaccination rates and lifting of restrictions following the country's emergence from the pandemic. The famous parade marks the climax of the annual Pride Month celebrations that have been taking place in the city of Tel Aviv-Yafo every year in the month of June since 1998. This year’s theme ‘A Community That Creates Change’ will be at the center of the Pride Month events, born of the desire to strengthen social involvement and shared activities within the LGBTQ+ community groups and wider society. The cultural sector will assume a prominent place in the Pride schedule. The city will salute gay artists in the fields of music, visual arts, writing, drag and more, who have always stood at the forefront of the LGBTQ campaign for equality and repeatedly proved that culture creates change and has a veritable impact on our reality. Ron Huldai, Mayor of Tel Aviv-Yafo:"Pride events in Tel Aviv-Yafo are a long-standing tradition, centered on a message of equality, acceptance, and human and civil rights. Tel Aviv-Yafo represents a warm home for all communities residing here and is proud to be a groundbreaking city in its approach to the LGBTQ community and a source of international inspiration. This year, more than ever, we will celebrate together, march together, and fight together for equality." The Pride celebrations in Tel Aviv have attracted hundreds of thousands of visitors and Israelis who join in the citywide festivities every year. The 2019 Tel Aviv Pride Parade was attended by over 250,000, making it one of the leading events on the global LGBTQ calendar and the largest event of its kind in the Middle East.
Key events taking place during Pride month 2021
June 15-26, 2021: Beach Parties at Hilton
Beach
The Gay Beach will open on June 15th, hosting 11 days of beach parties on the sandy shores of Tel Aviv's Hilton Beach. June 22, 2021: Wigstock 2021 The Wigstock drag festival will take place at Meir Garden, starring the best drag artists in Israel – including Ziona Patriot,
Rama Rimming and Kay Long. June 16-19, 2021: Subculture Festival Temporary Farewell to the Tel Aviv Municipal LGBTQ Community Center.
GNTO optimistic to regain pre-crisis level of incoming travel from UAE by end of 2022
Manaco re-launches campaign ahead of summer season
News Desk
With a recent YouGov survey revealing that nearly half of United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Saudi Arabia residents are planning to make an international trip in 2021, the GNTB is eager to increase the GCC’s share of the 89.9 million overnight stays by foreign visitors it welcomed in 2019. Germany is extremely popular with GCC visitors, it recorded 1.6 million overnight stays from the Gulf region in 2019 and has a goal of reaching 3.6 million overnight stays by 2030.
L to R: Burkhard Kieker, Yamina Sofo and Ralf Ostendorf
“With the success of the national vaccination programmes in the GCC countries, particularly in the UAE where more than 11.5 million doses have been administered so far (over 70% of the UAE population have received vaccines and 40% are fully vaccinated), we remain optimistic that the pre-crisis level of incoming travel from the UAE to Germany can be regained by end of 2022,” said Yamina Sofo, Director Sales & Marketing, German National Tourist Office Gulf Countries while speaking at Arabian Travel Market in Dubai. Commenting on Berlin’s readiness for the return of inbound tourism, Burkhard Kieker, CEO, VisitBerlin, said: “Like no other city, Berlin is poised for yet another new start in 2021 – off into the future – when we emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic. Whatever the changes to our city, Berlin always retains an irresistible fascination and a multitude of possibilities – from bigcity thrills to unwinding, from adventures to relaxation, and from inspiring culinary adventures to traditional food and drink.”
“As a vibrant cosmopolitan city, you can explore living history, internationally renowned museums, unique galleries, UNESCO sites and major historical buildings. Still, there is also space for waterside activities and beautiful countryside to discover around the city,” added Ralf Ostendorf, Director Market Management and Market & Media Relations Manager Asia, Australia, Middle East, visitBerlin.
News Desk
The Monaco Tourist and Convention Authority re-launching its communication campaign with a slogan which is definitely evolving; ‘Monaco For You At Last’. The campaign represents diversity of what Monaco has to offer tourists, focusing on themes including wellbeing, fine dining, culture, family, romance, sport, responsible tourism, gambling and casinos, weekend escapes, and shopping. Against a general background where things are slowly returning to normal, desire to travel is no longer restricted, particularly in the Principality of Monaco where numerous extra health precautions have been adopted by all businesses and tourism operators in order to reassure visitors. The Principality is now planning a recovery and demonstrating its resilience by sending a message of invitation which marks both the end of a long wait and the beginning of hope.
News Desk
The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) is preparing to stage the ‘Amazing Thailand Grand Sale 2021’ from 15th July to 15th September 2021, to reiterate the image of Thailand as a shopping destination, while also helping all operators affected by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Yuthasak Supasorn, TAT Governor, chaired an online meeting between TAT and more than 300 representatives and figures from strategic partners – shopping malls, airlines, banks, credit card companies, online shopping platforms and other tourism-related operators – to prepare for an ever greater and more exciting edition of the annual Amazing Thailand Grand Sale event. “The Amazing Thailand Grand Sale 2021 will offer special deals, discounts, and privileges from over 10,000 establishments nationwide to Thai and foreign residents throughout the two-month period in the main tourism centres of Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Chon Buri, which includes Pattaya, Nakhon Ratchasima, Phuket, and Songkhla, which includes Hat Yai,” Yuthasak said. Products on offer at special prices will range from fashion, sports, communication technology, home decor, childcare, food and cuisine, hotel, spa, and various tourist industries. On top of special discounts, participating establishments will also offer gifts and many more privileges for Thai and foreign residents and create new enjoyable experiences in shopping both online and on-site.
Explore the beauty and serenity of Maldives once travel restrictions ease
News Desk
Despite of being a small country in Asia, Maldives is a dream destination for many as it has beaches of pure white sand, covered by palm trees and rich foliage. It is a perfect holiday spot for families, friends, businesses, celebrities, individuals and honeymooners. Amidst the global pandemic, the Maldives gained a momentum and is recognised as a safe haven for travellers because of its unique geographically isolated islands and the popular ‘one island one resort’ concept. Besides that, there are so many reasons to seek this sunny side of life- a divine opportunity for relaxation, secluded by a private island offering visitors the chance to escape the hustle and bustle of the daily modern industrial life or a chance to arrive in the present moment and connect with oneself and nature or just to experience thrill and adventure.
For lovers of marine life, it is undoubtedly a slice of heaven. For one thing, the country is made up of hundreds of islands which offer an enormous playground for divers to explore. There are channels connecting the ocean to the lagoons and the water coming from the ocean is full of planktons and nutrients which, in turn, attract an incredible amount of marine life including manta rays, whale sharks, sea turtles and so much more.
The under ocean experience in the country is truly unique with fully submerged underwater accommodation, dining and spa facilities positioned meters beneath the ocean surface. Instead of waking up to the sun, one can wake up to the colourful world of fishes and corals. recently had to announce the temporary suspension of tourist visas for those travelling from South Asia. The decision was taken to ensure the health, safety, and wellbeing of residents and visitors to the country. The ministry will review the situation and we are optimistic that there will be an ease in restrictions in the month of June. We are working hard to ensure that the destination remains a ‘safe haven’ for all travellers once it re-opens for our valued South Asian travellers.”
Visiting and photographing the amazingly picturesque and sinking coral atolls of the Maldives should definitely be in everyone’s travel bucket list.
COVID-19 SOPs: WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW BEFORE TRAVEL
Here you can find out what you should consider when on holiday abroad, which regulations apply and what travellers need to know. The Government of Maldives has announced temporary suspension of tourist visa for travellers arriving from South Asian Countries, including India. Commenting on the situation, Thoyyib Mohamed, MD, MMPRC said, “During this unprecedented time, we opened our border with stringent safety measures. However, keeping in mind the safety of our residents and travellers, the ministry However, for now Maldives urge its Indian travellers to stay home and stay safe and follow all government guidelines while Maldives wait for their return.
