MANAMA: The Middle East travel industry is feeling the pinch in the wake of a global slowdown, but will still post growth this year.
That is the view of Sabre Travel Network Middle East chief executive officer Daniel Naoumovitch.
He said that for the past three years, the industry in the region has been posting double-digit growth and that while there was a slowdown, the industry would continue to expand this year.
He was speaking as Sabre, top suppliers of travel distribution services with 40 per cent of the global market, launched a new product road show for travel professionals to discover how Sabre's range of solutions can meet business objectives.
The product road show kicked off in Bahrain yesterday with a comprehensive showing of Sabre solutions that boost agent productivity and efficiency, reduce costs and maximise traveller satisfaction ultimately leading to enhanced customer loyalty and increased revenue opportunities.
"A key part of any travel agency's expertise is being able to find and offer the best travel options at the best value for any traveller's journey - be it business or leisure travellers," he said.
"Now more than ever, travellers demand the best value for their travel spend so it's never been more important to have the right set of solutions to meet these customer needs and encourage customer loyalty.
"Our product road show gives agencies the opportunity to see all our solutions in action and how they can meet the demands of today's travellers."
The products being showcased during the road show include specific agency efficiency tools such as Agency eServices, Turbo Sabre, MyFares, Sabre Web Services, Sabre Virtually There and MySabre Scribe; as well as traveller satisfaction tools such as Flight Finder, NetCheck, Sabre.Res, Rate Assured, Traveler Security and Data Suite and Travel Protection.
"The Middle East has been and continues to be one of our most important growth areas globally, and for that reason we take investing into the region to drive growth of the industry as a whole very seriously," Mr Naoumovitch said.
"Therefore, providing a regular flow of new solutions and tools, and more focused customer support through both basic and advanced training to agents and airlines is at the top of our agendas," he added.
The road show will continue on to Oman, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Egypt, with presentations and product demonstrations being given by the experienced Sabre product team.
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