THE Wrap is a round-up of news in the travel and technology industries, and an update on how businesses in these sectors are adapting and resetting as they prepare for post-pandemic travel.
Seera Group, Klook team up to drive digital transformation of Saudi tourism
Saudi Arabia-based travel services company Seera Group has formed a partnership with Hong Kong’s travel and leisure booking platform Klook to support the digital transformation and growth of Saudi Arabia’s tourism sector.
Through the partnership, sealed at the Arabian Travel Market 2021 in Dubai, Seera becomes the exclusive partner of Klook in Saudi Arabia. The two entities will create a one-stop digital platform with end-to-end content and inventory management solutions, which will support tourism and leisure activity providers in the Kingdom and provide various product offerings for travellers.
The collaboration will enable activity providers in the Kingdom to connect with global marketplaces and tour distributors, allowing them to build their business to support domestic tourism, as well as expand Saudi Arabia’s footprint on the global tourism map. The platform will also showcase tours and activities operated by Discover Saudi, Seera’s integrated destination management company.
“For our partners across the Saudi tourism ecosystem finding smart ways to connect with travellers enhances their ability to offer unique Arabian experiences to everyone eager to explore the destination,” commented Fahd Hamidaddin, CEO of Saudi Tourism Authority.
“This platform will empower our innovators, disruptors and new generation of tourism professionals to reach out to the world, tell their stories and build their businesses.”
Acting CEO of Seera Group Majed Alnefaie said the partnership with Klook “builds on the strong leadership commitment to deliver the goals of Saudi Vision 2030 to build the Kingdom’s tourism sector, diversify the economy and create long-term economic value.”
He added the collaboration would “address current gaps in the tourism supply chain, particularly in terms of online content for tours and activities, the limited technological strengths of suppliers and low awareness of local and global travellers on the Kingdom’s offering.”
Seera said it would add value to the partnership by leveraging its extensive knowledge of the Saudi market and localised content creation, including Arabic-first content. It will also offer guidance to promote the Kingdom among travellers worldwide.
Almosafer, Seera’s flagship consumer travel brand that offers online travel planning, will build a digitally-enabled activities and tour marketplace to serve its extensive Saudi customer base with a seamless booking solution across its omni-channel offering.
On its part, Klook will draw on its technological strengths to empower and digitise tourism operators in Saudi Arabia. With its new merchant Software as a Service (SaaS) solutions, tour activity providers in the Kingdom will have the necessary digital tools and knowledge to easily build, manage and scale their business.
Ethan Lin, CEO & co-founder of Klook, said Saudi travellers would have access to the company’s global network of over 100,000 travel and leisure offerings in more than 400 destinations.
The partnership will also see Saudi Arabia tapping into Klook’s audience in the Asia Pacific region as part of the Kingdom’s plans to increase inbound tourism in line with Vision 2030. With Klook’s presence in the fast growing Muslim travel markets of Malaysia and Indonesia, the company will be able to meet the demands of travellers for Hajj and Umrah as they explore the Kingdom beyond their pilgrimage.
Etihad Airways introduces ‘Verified to Fly’ initiative
With a growing number of countries opening their borders to vaccinated travellers in a move to revive an industry impacted by Covid, airlines are also playing their part by providing passengers with a seamless journey through airports.
Etihad Airways, the national carrier of the United Arab Emirates, is providing travellers with fast track check-in at the airport with its recently-launched ‘Verified to Fly’ travel document initiative.
With this service, which started on May 12, the airline’s passengers flying from Abu Dhabi (excluding China) are able to validate their Covid-19 travel documents and meet all essential requirements before their flight. On arrival at the airport they then proceed to the ‘Verified to Fly’ desk for a quick check-in.
The initiative will soon be available for Etihad’s flights departing Amman, Beirut, Dhaka and Manila. Developments are in progress to introduce the service to other destinations.
Travellers can sign up for this service by visiting Manage my Booking where they receive information on how to submit their documents, which are checked by the ‘Verified to Fly’ team. If their documents meet government requirements they receive a ‘success’ email. If requirements are missing or not met they are asked to resubmit or check their documents. Passengers can also check their ‘Verified to Fly’ status at any time by visiting the same platform.
“As Etihad continuously looks for innovative solutions to simplify the travel experience, ‘Verified to Fly’ removes any guess work from the equation and makes check-in faster. Guests have total peace of mind knowing that when they arrive at the airport, they have already met all Covid travel requirements,” said Mohammad Al Bulooki, chief operating officer of Etihad Aviation Group.
Seoul inks deal with Tencent Cloud to court Chinese tourists
The Tourism and Sports Bureau of Seoul Metropolitan Government has joined forces with Tencent Cloud to prepare for Seoul’s post-pandemic inbound tourism recovery and build a smart tourism ecosystem.
Under the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) both parties plan to create a Seoul travel app for Chinese tourists, as well as a smart tourism solution through Tencent Cloud’s artificial intelligence (AI) technologies in Weixin Mini Program.
Announcing the partnership in a statement, Tencent said the Tourism and Sports Bureau would promote the digitalisation of its tourism services via Tencent Cloud “to strengthen the competitiveness of Seoul tourism and enhance its service quality.”
It added the bureau aims to increase Chinese arrivals to South Korea post Covid through customised tourism information on the Korean capital and services for Chinese tourists using Tencent Cloud’s cloud computing and AI technology.
The one-stop Seoul city travel app for Chinese tourists links the city’s online and offline public and private tourism services. With customised travel products and services the app provides information including hotel reservations, car rentals, tourist maps and GPS, online shopping, tourist ticket purchases, visa issuance and tax refunds.
Travellers can also find restaurants and attractions in Seoul by using the real-time AI recommendation function. By scanning the Weixin QR code after purchasing an online ticket they don’t have to wait when entering tourist attractions.
In addition, Tencent Cloud will also build a Mini Program leveraging Weixin’s 1.2 billion monthly active users and digital marketing service capabilities to connect local merchants and Chinese tourists in Seoul. It Through it travellers can also use hotel favourites, weather information, tourist attraction search and travel guides, discount coupon downloads, travel directions and travel tax refund services.
The two parties will also promote mid- to long-term exchanges and cooperation measures for the early recovery of Seoul tourism. Apart from helping foster Seoul tourism startups Tencent Cloud will participate in marketing activities such as creating better tourism infrastructure, tourism advertisement and influencer activity support.
The MoU marks Tencent Cloud’s second Korean tourism revitalisation project. Last month it cooperated with Incheon Tourism Organisation for smart tourism solutions to boost tourism.
GlobalTix expands product offerings in partnership with Merlin Entertainments
Singapore-based online electronic ticketing platform for the travel industry GlobalTix has joined hands with global attraction operator Merlin Entertainments to broaden the range of tours and attractions on offer.
With the deal the Merlin Group is directly integrated to the GlobalTix marketplace. The integration, which is already live, is available to over 2,000 resellers of tours and attractions resellers on the GlobalTix marketplace. They have access to the Merlin Group’s full range of products that includes 130 attractions worldwide, ranging from indoor attractions such as SEA Life and Madame Tussauds to theme parks like LEGOLAND.
“Making Merlin’s 130 attractions available on the GlobalTix marketplace will allow us immediate access to a vast network of resellers. Our guests can now have a seamless experience from the time they make their booking to visiting the attraction,” remarked Shannon Bailey, regional trade sales director of Merlin Entertainments.
Chan Chee Chong, CEO of GlobalTix, said the company is “honoured” to be part of the Merlin Group’s journey in expanding its distribution touchpoints into Asia and making its products available in the region, especially in South-east Asia.
• Featured image credit (Edge of the World, a natural towering plateau and popular tourist destination near Riyadh, Saudi Arabia): AFZALKHAN M/ Getty Images
