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TECHNOLOGY | SPECIAL REPORT


LETÕS GO TECHNO...


ARABIAN TRAVEL MARKETÕS ALL-NEWTECHNOLOGY THEATRE WILL PROVIDE A FORUMTHAT ALLOWS EXPERTS IN THE FIELD TO HELP THE TRAVEL TRADE OVERCOME ITS FEARS AND EMBRACE OPPORTUNITIES ACROSS ALL PLATFORMS. HERE, TECHNOLOGY GURUS PROVIDE SOME ADVANCED INSIGHTS


I


tÕs not easy being a travel agent these days, particularly if you have refused to tackle technology challenges head on hoping that one day soon, the World Wide Web will spontaneously combust, leading the industry back to the non-automated Ôhalcyon daysÕ. This is what Faisal Memon, CEO of Dubai-based Illusions Online, which provides travel technology solutions to tour operators, DMCs and travel agents globally, calls the Òthe ostrich effectÓ. ÒMost of the regionÕs agencies think that if they bury their heads in the sand, everything will be okay,Ó he says. ÒThey then won- der, when they do pop their heads up, why the world has changed.Ó Agents are faced with a number of quandaries. Should they focus on better utilising the Global Distribution System (GDS), which now offers all-singing, all-dancing functionality, includ- ing non-air booking capabilities and mobile facilities for clients, or should they turn to auto- mating their own businesses to both improve efficiencies and tackle the business-to- consumer sector head on? There are so many questions to be answered, so itÕs fortunate that the stellar line-up of experts taking part in panel sessions at this yearÕs Arabian Travel Market, are all armed with simple solutions.


ÒThe Internet favours the specialist,Ó advises Richer. ÒThere is only room in the market for one or two large generalist travel agents, but lots of space for specialist travel agents.Ó


THE SOLUTIONS


Diego Lofeudo, Senior Director of Market Management Eastern Mediterranean, Africa, Middle East and Indian Ocean at Expedia Travel


Staged in the new Tech-


nology Theatre, these seminars are covering a wide range of practical topics, from how to harness the power of the web to enhance your business and keep pace with the demands of the tech-savvy consumer, to how to maximise the tools now offered by your GDS provider and take advantage of easy-to-use online training programmes.


FACE THE PROBLEMS The problems facing agents are very clear, according to several of the speakers taking part in the sessions. ÒTheir biggest worry is that there are so many online travel sites now available and accessible to their customers 24 hours a day, seven days a week, via PC, mobile phone or iPad,Ó confirms Memon,


Rabih Saab, President and Managing Director Middle East and Africa at Travelport


who will sit on the Arabian Travel Market panel entitled ÔRace against the webÕ (Tech Theatre May 3, 1pm to 2pm). ÒCustomers want to be able to search for a travel deal and book it there and then, so why would they wait to call or email a travel agent? Those days are gone.Ó Fellow panellist Diego


Lofeudo, Senior Director of Market Management Eastern Mediterranean, Africa, Middle East and Indian Ocean at Expedia Travel, agrees that itÕs the consumer driving the need for agents to embrace technology. ÒCustomers know how to use technology to search, transact and share pre- and post-travel experiences,Ó he says. ÒThis behaviour covers the entire purchasing cycle and not just the transactional where travel agents play their most relevant role.


Staged in the new Technology Theatre these seminars are covering a wide range of practical topics, from how to harness the power of the web to enhance your business and keep pace with the demands of the tech-savvy consumer, to how to maximise the tools now offered


Dan Stuart, Managing Director Middle East of online leisure deal provider LivingSocial


ÒToday, we have a more mature customer visiting the travel agencies and, in many cases, customers know more about the destination or the product than the travel agent, so it is not the technology itself that is the challenge, but knowing how and when to use the technology to better serve the customers.Ó Another panellist, Dan Stuart, the Managing Director Middle East of online leisure deal provider LivingSocial, says agents who rely solely on their bricks-and-mortar operations Òwithout the means to compete onlineÓ will struggle to survive. ÒAlthough it seems extremely basic, most agencies donÕt actually have online-booking platforms as yet. This would be a great first step,Ó he says. The reasons for this refusal to embrace technology are many, but primarily they include fear of change, an unwillingness to invest, plus a lack of understanding of the technology itself.


Paul Richer, Senior Partner at


Antoine Medawar, MENA Vice President for Amadeus


Faisal Memon, CEO of Dubai-based Illusions Online


Paul Richer, Senior Partner at Genesys


Genesys The Travel Technology Consultancy, is leading several technology sessions at this yearÕs Arabian Travel Market and says it is imperative that agencies that are Ólabour-intensiveÓ by nature and operate in a Òlow-margin industryÓ, look to Òimprove efficiency through the use of technologyÓ. ÒIt may not be good enough for you to just set up a website that provides online booking,Ó he warns. ÒIt may be that you should revisit your whole business strategy.Ó Both Richer and Memon advise agents to clarify their business focus leisure, corporate or niche before overhauling their technology to execute that strategy.


For agents that take the technology plunge, there are plenty of solutions available that will not only ensure, like the Online Travel Agencies (OTAs) they can offer rates in real time 24 hours a day and seven days a week, but enable them to communicate with their clients via a multitude of devices, from phones to tablets and through a variety of channels, including social media. Most agents already have access to the GDS and should be making the most of technology advances made in this arena, given that the tools are free and designed to make their working lives easier. Rabih Saab, President and Managing Director Middle East and Africa at Travelport, one of the three GDS heavyweights taking part in the ÔHow to fully utilise the GDSÕ session (May 3, 11.30am to 12.30pm) says one of the biggest headaches agents face is Òthe hassle of dealing with airfare changes in the period between booking and ticketingÓ. ÒIn a bid to stem this problem,


GDS providers have started filing fares in the system on an hourly basis to ensure agents have access to the most up-to-date fares and taxes,Ó he explains. Saab says agents now also have access to the lowest prices possible thanks to the Òincreasing sophistication of fare- caching technologyÓ resulting in solutions such as TravelportÕs e-Pricing shopping tool that provides Ògreater transaction efficiency and delivers far more extensive fare optionsÓ. He adds that most agents are still unaware of the Òinfinite capabilities of the GDSÓ and says they should Òcontinually leverage all of the information and training available so that they are up to speed on the latest shortcuts and toolsÓ. According to Antoine Medawar,


MENA Vice President for Amadeus, also taking part in the GDS seminar, global distributors now provide agents with a wide range of tools to help them compete with OTAs, including solutions offering real-time rates for hotel reservations and ancillary services. He says agentsÕ number one priority is Òselling more, selling faster and offering the best customer servicesÓ, additionally noting that GDS providers now offer mobile solutions too. TravelportÕs Saab agrees that it is essential for agencies to Òcater to tech-savvy travellers on the goÓ noting that Travelport Mobi enables the trade to offer its clients 24-hour access to GDS content via mobile phones and handheld devices. Richer adds: ÒIt would give an agent a real advantage if customers could book, check itineraries and carry out other travel-related tasks on their mobiles,Ó he says. ÒQuite simply, you need to be on every channel that your customers might wish to use. This may be the telephone, the web or mobile. These different channels all need to communicate with one set of core systems so that, whichever channel is used, the customer will get the same response.Ó


A BALANCING ACT ExpediaÕs Lofeudo says agents who embrace technology have a competitive edge because they can also provide the personal touch that some OTAs canÕt. ÒGetting the right com-


bination of both technology and face-to-face interaction is a rock-solid base to build a sustainable business,Ó he says. Agents also need to weave a social media element into their company strategy, adds LivingSocialÕs Stuart. He explains: ÒRegional clients, particularly Arab nationals, like the opportunity to speak to and have interaction with travel agents. If agencies have the ability to do this, while at the same time interacting online through social media, this gives them a unique opportunity.Ó


Visit the Technology Theatre


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