Business & Money | Thursday 26 October, 2017 6:34 am |

Alpha Destination Management, the leading destination management company in the Arabian Gulf, has signed an exclusive agreement with Expedia, the world’s largest online travel company, to operate the Expedia Local Expert® program in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. The agreement will be effective from October 1, 2017.

 

Making the announcement, Samir Hamadeh, General Manager for Alpha Destination Management, stated, “We are proud to partner with Expedia to launch Expedia Local Expert in Dubai and Abu Dhabi which are going to be the first destinations in the world outside North America to offer this hugely successful program. Expedia is an internationally trusted brand and Expedia Local Expert allows us to build the perfect activity itinerary for travelers with an insider’s perspective and local know-how following a face-to-face conversation with a local on arrival at a destination. This includes organizing of a wide range of activities such as ground services, tours and excursions, restaurant bookings, attraction tickets and promotion of retail outlets. During the first year we will be serving over 600,000 passengers generating more than AED 50 million worth of business with attraction tickets.”

 

Eric David, VP and General Manager, Expedia Local Expert at Expedia, said, “Expedia Local Expert is a one-stop resource providing local activities, tours and transportation in over 40 destinations. We are extremely excited to introduce it in Dubai and Abu Dhabi as we continue to expand our global footprint. We have been conducting business with Alpha Destination Management, the market leader in the tourism sector in the Gulf for the last eight years and believe they are the right partner to run this program in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. We feel that their attention to detail, robust portfolio and level of service is very much aligned with our standards of service that are necessary to provide our guests with the best possible experience. As part of the agreement, Alpha Destination Management will be staffing our pre-arrival calling program, providing hospitality hours and operating full service concierge desks. While there may be several companies providing transfer services to our guests, Alpha Destination Management will remain our sole and exclusive in destination operator.”