Business & Money | Tuesday 7 August, 2018 5:56 pm |

As corporate travel behavior continues to evolve in the Middle East, Amadeus has announced the launch of a new corporate self-booking tool to support business travellers in the Middle East and North Africa in managing busy schedules while reducing travel costs.

The engine was designed taking into account feedback from travel management companies and business travel trends in the region, recognizing that today’s business travelers require the latest technologies to keep them connected, productive and on the move. 

Corporate travel and expense (T&E) programs represent the second largest line of expenditure after payroll for many businesses worldwide. Amadeus Online Corporate Traveller will help corporations and travel management companies to be as nimble as the customers they serve by providing the best experience to jet-setting executives.

The self-service tool uses automated processes to integrate all phases of travel management, thereby uniting the business traveller, travel management companies, travel managers, and financial officers with one ultimate shared destination – business success. 

The Amadeus Online Corporate Traveller is being launched in partnership with BirdRes, a leading B2B application developer including automation tools, who is also a reseller of Amadeus products in India.

Antoine Medawar, Vice President, Amadeus MENA, said: “Corporate travellers in the region require quick and convenient tools that meet their business needs—and often demanding schedules. The Amadeus Online Corporate Traveller fulfils these requirements by connecting the traveller with every person involved in the booking process, from the finance team through to the travel management company. This will deliver a seamless experience to the end user while enabling all involved to benefit from more streamlined processes.”

For travel agencies and travel portals in particular, the Amadeus Online Corporate Traveller can be used to book flights, hotels, cars, and transfers while delivering local content to their corporate accounts. The engine also combines business and leisure-focused features into a single solution that is customizable as per the travel agency's branding guidelines. The booking engine supports real-time profile synchronization and customer profile management, allowing travel agencies to save time by avoiding duplication of profiles.

With a large expatriate population in the Middle East, many companies are also responsible for issuing annual family travel tickets, and that sometimes requires a lengthy internal approval process. The Amadeus Online Corporate Traveller supports reservations for employees and their dependents along with its profile creation capabilities.

Ankur Bhatia, Director, BirdRes, said: “One-stop solutions are in demand in the MENA region as travel management companies seek the most convenient way of meeting the varied needs of their customers. The Amadeus Online Corporate Traveller is built around business practices and is suited to the region’s latest travel policies, demonstrating a deep understanding of consumer preferences and needs.”