Travelport went through a reboot last September when it listed on the New York Stock Exchange last year, expanding its role from being just a GDS to become a global commerce platform.
Martin Herbert, Travelport’s general manager for Asia, said it brought in airlines to sell products, started offering various hotel content and payment solutions to travel agents as part of its rebooting process.
Martin Herbert: Travelport sets sight on Asia for growth.
He said Travelport Rich Content and Branding has seen huge success with 120 airlines flying on this platform. The solution allows airlines and other travel content providers to leverage more sophisticated retailing techniques to drive sales of core products and increase sales of ancillaries across all available channels.
“Although we believe in our core business, we keep moving and growing,” said Herbert.
Travelport has also set its sight on Asia for growth. On what it takes to win in Asia, Herbert said taking the best of its global products and services and localising them for the market.
“We have also restructured our business to bring more resources to the region, growing the team in Asia,” said Herbert.
Agility and being to able to respond faster to customers, is also key to being a big player in the region, he added.
“We’re rebooting with a deliberate strategy that is skewed towards Asia.”
Herbert said in the past 12 months, the company has been successful in Asia especially in Hong Kong, Korea and Singapore where it is winning share from its competitors.
China is one country Travelport hopes will contribute to its future growth. Due to the country’s regulatory environment, the company is growing its business there through local partnerships and joint ventures. It has already three offices in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou.
On how it plans to keep ahead of similar players in the market, Herbert replied, “We now have a different vision of working with our agencies and are clearer about what it takes to meet their needs. We’re also investing in mobile technology with our recent acquisition of Mobile Travel Technologies (MTT)”.
MTT specialises in sophisticated mobile apps, mobile web and mobile technology for airlines, travel management companies, OTAs and hotels.
And where he sees Travelport three years down the road? “Going beyond our current double digit growth, taking share from our competitors, and expanding in China with a vengeance.”
