Travel News

The National Geospatial Features Catalogue, which will help create a strategic data guide to facilitate the exchange of geographic information at a national level between federal and local government entities on the one side and the private sector on the other, was made public by the Federal Geographic Information Centre (FGIC). In the performance agreements for federal government entities for 2022, which were signed in the presence of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President, Prime Minister of the UAE, and Ruler of Dubai, the National Geospatial Features Catalogue is one of the transformational projects. Performance agreements are unique initiatives that will advance the UAE’s competitiveness and usher it into the future. While transformational projects guarantee the application of the new government work methodology for the UAE Government, they are distinguished by their capacity to achieve significant impact across all sectors in a short amount of time. In order to facilitate the exchange and integration of geographic information at the national level and to provide unified codes for all geographical features in the UAE, the National Catalogue aims to provide the authorities with a unified national model for geographic information for all entities operating in the sector. A spatial database of geographic data pertaining to more than 260 geographical features is used to accomplish this. Through the integration of data for cutting-edge applications like artificial intelligence, virtual reality, and augmented reality, the Catalogue serves as a reference for the exchange of geospatial information about geospatial features and a manual for the technical specifications of this type of information. Reusing geospatial data will be possible thanks to the National Geospatial Features Catalogue, which will help the government save time and money. In collaboration with the relevant local and private stakeholders, this transformational project supports the Center’s strategic plan’s directives for standardising standards and specifications for the geospatial data sector in the UAE. Additionally, it will support the UAE’s regional and international initiatives to improve its competitiveness metrics and geospatial information readiness.Source– Travel daily

The Airport Carbon Accreditation (ACA) scheme has awarded Farnborough Airport Level 4+ certification, the highest level of carbon accreditation. Through its six levels of certification, ACA is the only global carbon management certification programme for airports that has received institutional endorsement. It independently evaluates and acknowledges airport efforts to control and lower its carbon emissions. As CEO Simon Geere explains, the achievement of Level 4+ status is part of a larger sustainability initiative at Farnborough Airport. “Advancing our carbon accreditation status from 3+ to 4+ is a further step in supporting our goal to be recognised as a global sustainability showcase for airports,” he says. The first business aviation airport to achieve Carbon Neutral 3+ status was Farnborough Airport in 2018. More recently, it committed to being Net Zero by 2030 or earlier, one of the most ambitious goals in the entire aviation industry, and was the first company in the world to trial Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) at the same price as its standard JET A1 fuel.Source– Travel daily

Flights are now being offered by Pegasus Airlines from Istanbul to Podgorica, the capital of Montenegro, one of the most well-liked vacation spots in Europe. As of July 19, 2023, flights between Istanbul and Podgorica have begun four times weekly. On Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays, flights from Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen Airport to Podgorica Airport leave at 11:10, 11:30, 11:45, and 11:50. On Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays, flights from Podgorica Airport to Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen Airport leave at 12:50, 13:10, 13:25, and 13:30, respectively. Pegasus entered the aviation industry in 1990 and adopted the low-cost business model before being acquired by ESAS Holding in 2005. Pegasus, Turkey’s top low-cost carrier, upholds the notion that everyone has the right to air travel and provides its clients with the chance to do so on reasonably priced, modern aircraft. In 2018, Pegasus adopted the tagline “Turkey’s Digital Airline” and began flying passengers to 128 destinations in 49 countries, 36 of which are outside of Turkey. Through Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen, Pegasus offers connecting flights from Turkey to Europe, North Africa, the Middle East, Russia, and Central Asia. With a focus on the guest experience, Pegasus offers cutting-edge innovations and digital technologies that make travelling easier. With the motto “Moving Towards a Sustainable Future,” Pegasus also makes significant efforts for a better, more equal, cleaner future. Visit the Pegasus Sustainability Centre for more details on the value Pegasus places on sustainability and Pegasus’ actions in this regard.Source- Travel daily

The Eurail Greek Islands Pass has been added to Rail Europe’s B2B inventory and is now accessible through its B2B website and API. “With the introduction of the Eurail Greek Islands Pass, we are proud to offer our B2B partners an unrivalled opportunity to improve their customers’ travel experiences. The Eurail Greek Islands Pass provides access to a wide range of experiences on Greece’s alluring islands, including the alluring glamour of Mykonos, the breathtaking scenery of Santorini, and the unspoiled serenity of Crete, three of Europe’s top travel destinations. According to Björn Bender, CEO & President of Rail Europe, “We are thrilled to foster further collaboration with our partners as we jointly promote this special pass and showcase the captivating islands it encompasses. The Eurail Greek Islands Pass enables travellers to tour the Greek islands using domestic ferry services for 4 days, including Superfast Ferries, Minoan Lines, Grimaldi Lines, and Blue Star Ferries. For travellers interested in visiting popular destinations like Athens, Thessaloniki, and Olympia, as well as the entire European continent, it’s a great addition to the Eurail Greece pass. The ideal way to experience Europe’s wonders by train is with a Eurail pass. These rail passes have been advertised and sold for decades by Rail Europe’s international business partners. The Eurail Global Pass, which is the most widely used pass, is regarded by many as the most convenient way to travel throughout Europe. It offers unlimited rail travel to 33 locations throughout Europe, providing visitors with a distinctive experience and a thorough understanding of the continent’s culture.Source– Travel biz

By offering more than 7.4 million seats on domestic and international routes in July and August, a 10% increase from the corresponding months in 2022, Saudi Arabian Airlines (SAUDIA) is continuing to carry out its operational plan for the summer of 2023. With a 4% increase, the airline will run more than 32,400 flights. In addition to ensuring smooth operations, effective reservations for both scheduled and seasonal destinations, and streamlined procedures at airports, these measures seek to meet high demand during peak seasons. SAUDIA is offering more than 4.2 million seats on international flights, a 16% increase. The airline is also adding over 14,800 flights, which represents a 15% increase. Over 3.2 million seats on domestic routes will be made available on 17,600 flights. The performance of the operational plan for the summer of 2023 is continuously assessed by a committed team from Saudia Aerospace Engineering Industries (SAEI). SAUDIA’s CEO, Captain Ibrahim Koshy, emphasised the company’s vast operational management expertise, particularly during busy times of the year. To accommodate guests’ needs while delivering top-notch services, the plan calls for increasing flight frequency, seat capacity, and the introduction of seasonal destinations. Additionally, he acknowledged the difficulties facing the aviation sector in managing the departure of Hajj pilgrims from Makkah. The airline set up all the necessary facilities and implemented detailed procedures to guarantee a successful summer travel season and Hajj pilgrimage. SAUDIA Group announced the addition of 25 new international locations earlier this year, bringing its network to over 100 locations. With this extension, Saudi Arabia will be more accessible to the outside world and travellers will have more options. As a member of the worldwide SkyTeam alliance, travellers have access to 1,000 destinations in 170 countries as well as more than 790 first- and business-class lounges. Source– Travel biz

The FLIGHT Centre Travel Group (FLT) increased its profit forecast for the 2023 fiscal year (FY23). Based on early trading data, FLT now anticipates reporting underlying earnings before interest, tax, depreciation, and amortisation (EBITDA) for the 12 months ending June 30, 2023, in the range of $295 million and $305 million. The new midpoint, $300,000,000, stands for: a 7% increase over the company’s previously anticipated range of underlying EBITDA between $270 million and $290 million; a $483 million profit on a $183 million loss in the preceding fiscal year 22Total transaction value (TTV) is anticipated to reach $22 billion in FY23, representing a nearly 115 percent increase over FY22’s TTV of $10.3 billion and the second-best full-year performance for the company, behind FY19’s (23.7 billion). In a market that has generally improved but has not yet fully recovered to pre-pandemic levels, FLT’s global corporate travel business has continued to outperform, delivering record TTV during FY23. The business’s corporate TTV is anticipated to increase by more than 20% from its previous TTV record of $8.9 billion (FY19) to $11 billion in FY23. This illustrates: gradual improvement in client activity after the removal of travel restrictions related to COVID; and the pandemic’s multibillion-dollar pipeline of new business won by the FCM and Corporate Traveller brands Following a robust and sustained recovery during the year’s second half (2H), global leisure TTV for FY23 is anticipated to be in the range of $10 billion. FLT managing director Graham Turner said, “Overall, we are pleased with our continued recovery as demand has generally rebounded solidly across both our leisure and corporate travel businesses. “In corporate, we have produced record TTV while making significant investments for the future by securing a lot of new accounts, growing our sales force, and introducing cutting-edge new platforms and products for our customers, which should produce stronger returns in the years to come. In the leisure industry, we are emerging from the pandemic as a more productive, efficient, and diverse company with a strong brand stable, enhanced capability, and efficient and productive models that are now beginning to achieve scale benefits. In order to strengthen our position in a highly appealing leisure market, we also made investments in our luxury travel collection during FY23 through the early 2H Scott Dunn acquisition and, more recently, the Luxperience events business. As evidenced by the consistent year-over-year growth in outbound travel in significant and significant markets like Australia, we anticipate that leisure travellers will continue to prioritise vacations and experiences over other areas of discretionary spending. “In corporate, we expect that the large volume of new business we continue to win both from competitors and accounts that were previously unmanaged – will offset the impact on TTV flowing from lower-than-normal client spend.” “Business travel continues to grow in a post-pandemic world,” said Bertrand Saillet, managing director of FCM Travel in Asia. Given that Asia was the last region to reopen, despite the challenging economic conditions there, our enterprise and large market customers are thriving. “Our internal data indicates that business travel has increased by over 200% year over year (01 January to 30 June 2022/2023) as a result of the high demand from corporations in our key Asian markets, such as Singapore, Hong Kong, and India. Along with a high customer retention rate of 99% on average across Asia, this includes strong account wins from industries like manufacturing, professional scientific & technical services, banking, finance, and insurance. Face-to-face meetings are the main driver of business travel. Singapore, the United Kingdom, and the United States are the top three international locations for business travellers from Asia.Travel is more often a necessity for businesses than a luxury expense. Meetings, events, and conferences are being attended again by businesspeople. The Meeting & Events division of FCM India has reportedly grown by more than 200%. The average number of days required for advance purchases has increased across Asia, with Japan and Hong Kong both seeing increases of 7 and 13 days, respectively.Travel has never been more important for landing contracts and for both recruiting and retaining staff, with unemployment remaining low and business competition on the rise. Source- Travel daily

On August 19, 2023, Hua Hin’s pristine beaches will play host to Kolour, Thailand’s first house and techno event, which is known for its expansive shows and festivals. The Standard, Hua Hin is hosting the largest open-air rhapsody in the area, which is anticipated to draw 2,000 revellers. To make the most of the event, guests can book an overnight stay at the resort, which includes a hangover breakfast. The free-spirited celebration of electronic music is bringing a world-class production to Hua Hin for the first time, with multiple DJs spinning various electronic music genres, including house, techno, and disco. This follows sold-out events in Phuket and Bangkok. Kolourians can relax on the balcony of their roomy Standard Suite or cool off in a private villa pool with a special stay package available at all suite and villa categories when they aren’t soaking up every last bit of sunshine poolside or mingling with like-minded music lovers.The bundle contains:Two people can stay for one night in a flat close to the action.Unlimited returns for two to unwind and reenergize to keep the celebration going.until 11:00 a.m., a restorative breakfast is served for two.One free parking space per room.From 1:00 pm to 11:00 pm on August 19, 2023, the event will take place.Source-Travel daily

In order to assist customers in finding their way around London Heathrow, British Airways is testing a new digital wayfinding tool. The new technology provides maps of both Terminal 5 and Terminal 3 at London Heathrow, making it easier for passengers passing through the airline’s hub in London to find their departure gate and other important locations like stores, lounges, and restaurants. Customers can now find their way around the airport with greater assurance, saving time and decreasing the likelihood that they will miss their flight. Customers can experience London Heathrow more easily thanks to the tool’s clear directions and information on the airport’s layout. Customers can click on points of interest, such as shops, on an interactive map to learn more about the location, hours of operation, and descriptions of the products being sold there. Additionally, the tool makes it simple to locate restrooms, seating areas, and information hubs.Customers who are connecting between flights can also enter the information for their inbound and connecting flights, which will then display an animated map and step-by-step directions on how to get from the arrival gate to the departure gate of their connecting flight. Customers travelling through London Heathrow can access the trial, which started in June, by scanning QR codes displayed on digital screens there or by visiting wayfinding.maps.ba.com. All passengers flying into London Heathrow and connecting from locations like New York JFK, Dubai, Mexico City, Atlanta, Dallas Fort Worth, and Houston have also received links to wayfinding as part of the trial.British Airways’ Chief Customer Officer, Calum Laming, stated: “We always want to make it as simple as possible for our customers to navigate the airport, so we’re really excited to be trialling a new wayfinding tool this summer. The user-friendly interactive map makes it simple for our customers to find their departure gates, find nearby eateries and shops for some last-minute duty-free shopping, and for those who qualify, our lounges. Of course, our outstanding colleagues will still be available to assist. British Airways is providing travellers with the following travel tips for trips over the summer, in addition to investing in new digital wayfinding technology to make it easier for customers to navigate London Heathrow:Customers should go to ba.com/app to download the British Airways App. Customers can quickly choose seats, order speciality meals, check their flight status, check in online for flights, and, if necessary, download their boarding pass using the app.

Who will serve on the judging panel for the first Travel Changemakers Awards in 2023 will be revealed by the Asia Travel Technology Industry Association (ATTIA) and Web in Travel (WiT). The winners of the Awards, which will be announced at WiT Singapore, 2-4 October 2023, are innovators who have used technology to improve post-pandemic recovery efforts. Those who receive awards must show that they have respected the environment, engaged meaningfully with local communities, or found undiscovered attractions for tourists to enjoy. They applaud the use of existing resources rather than the construction of new ones and the way in which they show how diversity and inclusion are essential for improving the situation. These future leaders of the industry make up the esteemed panel. CEO of SAVVY Collective Aya AsoRod Cuthbert is the founder of the company Jayride, the chairman of Veltra (Tokyo), and a board member of Tourism Tasmania. Loic Dujardin, Head of ESG at Traveloka, on ViatorSenior Vice President of Online Travel and Market Strategy at Amadeus, Fred BarouKelly Kolb, Travelport’s vice president of government affairsAirbnb’s Steven Liew is the region’s director of public policy.CEO of Pan Pacific Hotels Group Choe Peng SumCo-founder, group CEO, and managing director Aloke Bajpai, ixigoDirector of the AirAsia Foundation, Elaine TanAgoda’s Director of Global Government Affairs, Daniel GelferKenneth Lim, Singapore Tourism Board’s Assistant Chief Executive of the Marketing GroupChis Kerin, Managing Director, ATTIA says, “We are delighted by the support demonstrated by the travel tech industry for these awards, and are equally thrilled to have assembled such an esteemed judging panel. We are confident that the submissions will be held to the highest standards thanks to their combined expertise. “We are delighted with the calibre of judges that have embraced these awards in its first year,” says Yeoh Siew Hoon, Founder, WiT. “It is an honour to recognise those who turned ideas into action and initiated programmes to build back better during the pandemic. They will deservedly get their heyday with these awards, which will demonstrate exactly how the travel, tourism and hospitality industries have taken lessons learned over the pandemic to plan and create a better future for all travellers”.Source- Travel daily

Black Sheep Tourism (Black Sheep) is introducing TravelWorks in Australia, enabling travel businesses in this market to take advantage of the advantages of travel agency accounting and back-office systems. Trish Shepherd, who founded Black Sheep, is a veteran of the travel industry. PcVoyages, the parent company of TravelWorks, and Black Sheep collaborated to secure the deal. A tested solution created especially for travel agencies is called TravelWorks. TravelWorks offers the most recent cloud-based, online mid- and back-office accounting, booking, and marketing software for travel agencies and tour operators, and it has more than 6000 users worldwide. TravelWorks has been creating and delivering travel technology solutions for more than 30 years, and the company continues to make an annual investment of over $750,000 to make sure that their products are cutting-edge, dependable, and have the highest levels of data security. Comprehensive accounting, invoicing, reservation management, strategic and operations management, CRM and marketing platform, groups management, corporate travel management, real-time dashboard and reporting, and more are all part of their current technology suite.Ashley Shepherd“We founded Black Sheep to help travel businesses harness one of their most important assets, their valuable IP in client and business data,” said Trish Shepherd, founder of Black Sheep Tourism. We quickly realised that the market’s current technology simply wasn’t offering the detailed CRM systems or functionality needed to effectively capture or deliver meaningful customer or sales data or segmentation as we have been assisting business owners to streamline operations and drive new revenue. “Two years ago, I looked for a travel CRM that could create customised segmented databases for in-house covert marketing using clean customer profile data and searchable travel preferences. TravelWorks was what I discovered. a strong, adaptable, and user-friendly platform for tour operators and travel companies. “Integrating the appropriate solutions for this market has been our main focus for the past two years. Due to its long history of operation in numerous nations and platform design that takes into account regional needs, TravelWorks stands out from similar businesses. It easily manages multiple currencies and various business structures. “The market has already overwhelmingly responded positively. Travel agencies keep saying to me, “I wish you were around when Covid was around. The platform saves me time because it is so user-friendly and tracks an entire file history.” “We are incredibly proud to offer these collections of specialised products to our Australian colleagues in the travel and tourism industry. TravelWorks is the most comprehensive travel technology currently available, as well as the most consultant-friendly, reasonably priced ‘new’ player in our market with a successful track record. Additionally, we offer local tech support and customised training to all of our clients. We work with each business to develop the system that works for them and their consultants because we know that one size does not fit all. The system is fully customizable. Co-Founder and President of PC Voyages/TravelWorks Jean Corneau continued, “PcVoyages/TravelWorks is thrilled to have partnered with Trish and Black Sheep Tourism to serve Australia.” As in Canada, the United States, and Europe, I am confident that working together, we will succeed in the expanding Australian market.Source- Travel daily