In the news: Trip Assist app for APAC agencies, CWT’s new hotel division, ‘Game of Thrones’ impact on destinations, Batik Air’s first GDS partnership with Sabre
TRAVEL TECHNOLOGY: Trip Assist helps APAC agencies engage with ‘always-on’ travellers
Trip Assist, a new product from Travelport
Travel agents and TMCs in the Asia Pacific region are now able to better service their mobile-first clients thanks to Trip Assist, a branded mobile app.
The new product from Travelport, launched recently in the EMEA (Europe, the Middle East and Africa), was showcased at the annual Travelport LIVE event in Sydney this week.
Travel service providers using Trip Assist can engage with travellers at every stage of their journey through personal digital travel concierge service, smart itinerary management, day of travel assistance, push-notification reminders, real-time alerts and option to call an agent from within the app.
One key elements of Trip Assist is Travelport Engage, a flexible mobile messaging tool, which delivers personalised travel updates during and after every trip.
“The increasingly connected traveller expects support throughout their trip. Customer engagement via mobile is now critical for agencies of all sizes and we believe that the business travel industry and business travellers are not yet well-served,” said Fergal Kelly, CCO of Travelport Digital.
According to Travelport, the launch of this mobile app for agencies come at an opportune time as mobile bookings in APAC are growing at a faster rate than in any other region. In the past five years mobile travel sales have seen double digit growth in markets like South Korea (58.7%), Australia (52.2%) and China (49.9%). It is estimated that by 2020, 76% of the growth of online travel will come from mobile sales.
CORPORATE TRAVEL: Dedicated to hotels – RoomIt by CWT
Booking a hotel room made easier with RoomIt (Image credit: Manuel Faba Ortega/iStock)
Global travel management company, Carlson Wagonlit Travel (CWT), has launched a new business division, RoomIt by CWT, solely for hotel distribution.
RoomIt, described as an ‘intuitive hotel booking tool’, is “designed to satisfy the ever-changing customer needs with increased functionality and personalization capabilities while equipping companies with the tools to effectively monitor employees’ travel schedules,” CWT said in a statement.
Companies of any size can use the division to manage travel. Users will have access to features that include better research and booking tools to access great lodging options; travel management tools for tracking, reporting and payment; traveller loyalty programmes; CWTs loyalty boost programme.
“RoomIt by CWT simplifies the hotel booking process and puts the most relevant lodging options all in one place,” said Scott Brennan, president, hotels at Carlson Wagonlit Travel.
“CWT is committed to giving our clients a wide range of global options at the most competitive rates and our investment into RoomIt will enable better, more personalized service to our travellers.”
DESTINATIONS: Spain and Ireland rule in popularity among ‘Game of Thrones’ fans
Castle of Zafra in Spain, the ‘Tower of Joy’ in ‘Game of Thrones’ (Image credit: mtrommer/iStock)
Winter is here! It arrived on 16 July with the premier of the seventh season of ‘Game of Thrones’ (GOT), touted as the ‘most popular TV show of all time’, satisfying the pent-up hunger of the fans worldwide after a torturously hiatus of more than a year.
But winter is definitely not coming to destinations featured as locations in fictional Westeros, the Free Cities, the Wall and more.
TripAdvisor, through its analysis of annual search activity data for the filming locations since 2012, a year after the series began to air, revealed most have experienced significant increases in traveller interest, as much as 2,270% after appearing on the show.
“TV shows have such a great influence on fans when they think about where they want to travel, and hits like ‘Game of Thrones’ have driven significant interest in filming locations across Europe,” said Janice Lee Fang, communications director for TripAdvisor, Asia Pacific.
The travel search company has picked two destinations that have seen a surge in visitors, courtesy of GOT:
• Spain: One of the most popular locations for TripAdvisor ‘Game of Thrones’ tours, has seen a massive lift in activity. Spanish landmarks like the Castle of Zafra (Castillo de Zafra), a 13th century fortress located in Guadalajara province, experienced 488% year-over-year increase in interest from international travellers after its appearance in Season 6. It featured as the ‘Tower of Joy’ where Ned Stark reunited with his dying sister, Lyanna Stark, who entrusted him with the protection of her newborn son who grew up as Jon Snow (one of the most anticipated segments in GOT) .
The bullfighting ring in Osuna, the Fighting Pits of Mereen in the show, has experienced a 215% increase in traveller interest.
Girona, the city that served as King ́s Landing, Braavos, Dorne and Oldtown, saw a traffic increase of 62% at the beginning of Season 6.
• Ireland: Country Antrim in Northern Ireland is another GOT tourism hotspot. It has been the backdrop for King’s Landing, the kingsroad, and Winterfell, among others. This region has piqued the interest of international travellers, increasing search traffic +229% since the end of 2012. Belfast and Dublin are equally popular too.
Other destinations that have gained in tourist arrivals as part GOT’s fictional world include Croatia, Iceland and Malta.
AIRLINES: Batik Air partners with Sabre to drive growth
Batik Air plans to fly to regional destinations (Image credit: Batik Air)
Batik Air, Indonesia-based subsidiary of the Lion Group, has signed its first ever global distribution system (GDS) partnership with Sabre.
The deal gives travel agents globally the means to sell tickets on the airline’s inventory via Sabre’s GDS platform for the first time.
“Through this partnership, we can help Batik Air strengthen their competitive advantage by bringing their offerings to a global audience with our extensive network of travel agents worldwide,” said Rakesh Narayanan, vice president of supplier commerce, Sabre Travel Network Asia Pacific.
Batik Air’s distribution is the latest addition to Sabre’s ongoing partnership with the Lion Group. Sabre currently provides its SabreSonic solution to five airlines within the group, and was appointed as Malindo Air’s and Thai Lion’s first GDS partner.
The airline flies to 33 domestic cities and plans to further their regional outreach to Australia, India, and Malaysia as part of their business growth strategy.
• Featured image credit: agencyogonici/iStock
