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  • News: Travelport Smartpoint App™ launches for Worldspan Go!™ Desktop

    Travelport, a number one provider of critical transaction processing solutions and knowledge to companies operating within the global travel industry, today announces the supply of Travelport Smartpoint App, a strong software upgrade for the Worldspan Go! Desktop. Smartpoint App reduces training needs and improves agents’ productivity and customer support. The applying infuses the cryptic environment with a mixture of native and point-and-click navigation, plus graphical user interfaces to speed up the reservation process, reduce call handling time and improve the agent user experience.

    By combining efficiency of command entries with clarity of graphical overviews and click on-through links searching and booker is easier and fast.  Built in time saving features automate day-to-day processes helping agents to work smarter not harder.

    Smartpoint App brings a fresh new look and feel for the Worldspan Go! Desktop building on how agents work today; time-saving features include;

    *  Interactive Calendar: Agents can search and shop flights, hotels and car rentals directly from the calendar -simply select dates and click on to buy.
    Queues: They’re easy and interactive. With queue count options, there’s little need to envision frequently used queues. Agents are alerted when queues are updated.

    *  Smart Panel: An intuitive point-and-click way to booking hotels and car rentals slashes time linked to complex system entries. Flight details are pre-populated to maintain time and accuracy, and graphical maps and photographs are designed to aid identify the simplest hotel and car rental options.

    *  Multiple Tabs: Several searches might be conducted mutually, while retaining all information. Agents may be able to manage multiple tasks and serve customers with
    greater efficiency.

  • Le Royal Meridien Resort & Spa Dubai to host World Travel Awards

    Le Royal Meridien Resort & Spa Dubai will host for the arena Travel Awards Middle East Gala Ceremony this evening.

    The event opens the area Travel Awards 2013 Grand Tour, heralding the beginning of a look for the highest travel, tourism and hospitality organisations all over the world.

    World Travel Awards Middle East Gala Ceremony would be held in Dubai for the sixth year in succession, affirming the emirate’s impressive growing importance in travel, not only within the region but in the course of the world.

    WTA president Graham Cooke believes the choice of hosts is an essential component of the success of the world’s most influential travel awards programme.

    He explained: “I am delighted that we return to Dubai for what promises to be an exhilarating and competitive Middle East Gala Ceremony.

    “The emirate continues to respire innovation and direction into the travel industry landscape, and our host exemplifies this.”

    Le Royal Meridien Resort & Spa remains a market leader despite fierce competition in Dubai.

    Set in acres of lush, landscaped gardens with a personal beach, Le Royal Meridien is a tri-building property designed for both leisure and business travellers.

    The resort provides 500 plush rooms and suites as well as 13 restaurants and bars.

    Inspired by the rituals of ancient Rome, Caracalla Spa offers a spread of beauty treatments with Hammam pools, a sauna, steam room, Jacuzzi and 3 temperature-controlled pools.

    “We are extremely proud to host this year’s prestigious WTA Middle East Gala Ceremony at Le Royal Méridien Beach Resort, among the region’s premier resorts,” commented Pam Wilby, complex general manager of Grosvenor House Dubai and Le Royal Méridien Beach Resort.

    “Having won numerous accolades on the World Travel Awards for the past six years ourselves, we have the consideration and privilege to welcome among the leading players within the industry for what’s certain to be one of many biggest nights of the year within the social calendar of Dubai.”

    WTA Middle East Gala Ceremony 2013 will attract greater than 600 of an important decision-makers inside the region’s travel and tourism sector, in addition to a bunch of international media.

    There is additional info here.

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  • New hotel search engine launches

    A ultra-modern search engine only for travellers launches this month with a promise to overtake long haul for good.

    LagiSatu.com is a comprehensive meta search engine for hotels that’s designed to assist business and leisure travellers to locate the right hotel deals available online with only a single click.

    It compares prices on greater than 250,000 hotels in over 180 countries world wide, with more hotels and destinations being added daily. Partners include many of the biggest names in global travel: LateRooms.com, Agoda, eBookers, Expedia, Hotelclub and lots of more.

    LagiSatu.com was developed by a Malaysian – Austrian team, headed by Faeez Fadhlillah and Juergen Gallistl.

    Speaking on the launch of the quest engine, Faeez Fadhlillah said, “LagiSatu.com removes the effort of sifting through endless hotel websites and attempting to find the most effective rooms for the bottom prices, offering travellers around the globe a fashion wherein to streamline their results and find their perfect destination for less.

    “We envisage our new search engine as a saving grace when you are seeking for the lowest priced hotel deals. It completely removes the trouble of comparing multiple websites manually and give inbound and outbound travellers with the proper hotel rates at a single click.”

    Headquarted in Malaysia, LagiSatu is the 1st meta engine desirous about travel to be based within the South East Asian nation. Its launch comes at a thriving time for the rustic, where online travel is anticipated to blow up within the next yr.

    The engine works by querying the databases of selected hotel providers after which compiling a listing of accessible hotels for respective places and dates. It offers the user the choice to ascertain how their results should appear for the final in convenience. Sorting by price allows those on the cheap to ascertain the truly cheapest rates, sorting by distance ensures that those making onward travel arrangements could be near to transport links, and sorting by user ratings will guarantee the hotels ranked the very best shall be displayed first, offering ultimate flexibility for all those in search of accommodation. There’s even a distinct method to include hotels approved by HalalStars, allowing Muslim travellers to judge the religious amenities which every hotel provides.

    LagiSatu users planning a visit may additionally look into their destination before they register using the engine’s suggested reading. It provides details akin to how much of a saving is being made, the gap from the hotel to the closest city centre, and a listing of local amenities and attractions. References and user ratings imported from TripAdvisor and HolidayCheck.

    LagiSatu.com is currently available in Malay, English, Indonesian and Chinese, and available languages will soon include Thai and Filipino, signalling the beginning of a complete new chapter for South East Asia’s travel industry. The success and expansion within this sector was unprecedented in recent times, with growth of the net travel market expected to be around 40% in Malaysia alone. The innovative new hotel search hopes to tap into the growing market with its flexible and pioneering site.

    To start planning your next trip, visit http://www.lagisatu.com

  • News: Spring is the correct time to drive for fun in La

    With its famous highways and assorted tucked away neighborhoods, L. a. is the definition of a commuter city. Unfortunately, all too often driving in L.A. isn’t quite a lot of fun. The summer time often sees L.A. highways jammed with tourists and vacationers, while winter rain can quickly turn a fifteen-minute commute right into a 45-minute slog. Yet, for a pair months within the spring, driving in L.A. may be a joy, and California Rent-A-Car is the corporate for car rentals that Los Angeles’s discerning residents prefer.

    As seasoned drivers, many L.A. natives are wary of rental cars they see at the road, assuming they’re driven by out-of-towners unaccustomed to the city’s fast pace. Yet, California Rent-A-Car has earned the admiration of even the foremost hardened La driver with over two decades of first-rate service and fleet of reliable, well-handling vehicles. This spring, tourists trying to experience L.A. with the auto rental L. a. natives trust can hardly do better than California Rent-A-Car.

    While L.A. is legendary for its sandy beaches stretching from Malibu to Redondo Beach, the crowded streets of L.A.‘s famous beachside communities often limit the opportunities to experience one or two of those treasures in an afternoon. However, the spring months offer the wonderfully warm and sunny La weather without the overbearing heat and crowds of the summer. Late March and April are the ideal months to hire a convertible from California Rent-A-Car. Offering a various array of models, from sleek Mini Cooper convertibles to brawny Ford Mustang convertibles, California Rent-A-Car is the power for long-term car rental L. a. chooses first for beachside fun.

    Of course, the urban kind of downtown La seems like it’s one million miles from the city’s beachside communities, and California Rent-A-Car has various cars that might look right at home to at any of the city’s most refined restaurants and hotels. Their Audi A6 or Lexus IS250 illustrate the power of California Rent-A-Car to give the fitting vehicle for purchasers trying to accentuate class, style, or both.

    Part of what makes California Rent-A-Car so trusted in L. a. is the company’s obvious understanding of the city’s diversity, evidenced by their collection of vehicles for any occasion. From SUVs just like the Ford Expedition to the company’s impressive fleet of green hybrid vehicles just like the Toyota Prius V and the Lexus C200 Hybrid, California Rent-A-Car has the very best vehicle for trekking the rugged mountainous terrain of the Santa Monica Mountains or just picking up groceries for the family in Brentwood.

  • ATM highlights next decade of opportunity for region

    UAE, Oman, Qatar and Saudi Arabia leading the race for tourist revenue growth with positive outlook for industry as governments use tourism as major anchor for economic diversification

    Arabian Travel Market (ATM) 2013 opens in Dubai tomorrow, Monday 6th May, because it prepares to celebrate its 20th edition and welcome over 2,500 exhibitors from 87 countries with exhibition floor space sold out at over 22,000 square metres.

    Speaking sooner than this year’s showcase, Mark Walsh, Portfolio Director, Reed Travel Exhibitions, highlighted the sector Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) Economic Impact 2013 outlook, which supports positive forecast for industry development and function within the region this year.

    “The regional tourism map is now incredibly diverse with travel and tourism directly contributing US$76.6 billion to GDP in 2013, that is forecast to rise by 4.2% this year alone as ongoing investment into the field and infrastructure development in key markets supports the twin long-term goals of driving visitor numbers and moving towards sustainable economic diversification,” said Walsh.

    He also emphasised the expansion of a large number of regional destinations, particularly the UAE, Oman, Qatar and Saudi Arabia.

    “The UAE has long been a job model for regional tourism development, and recently released figures from the WTTC show that tourism within the Emirates is growing significantly faster than the arena GDP growth average, contributing an excellent 14% to the UAE economy in 2012, – when compared with the worldwide trend of 9% – and expected to rise by 3.2% in 2013,” he said.

    Industry investment, which hit US$22.5 billion last year is usually set to extend in 2013, by an estimated 12%, because the country fully embraces the social and economic benefits of tourism, maximising at the ongoing expansion of its airline route networks, and a healthy economic outlook.

    The UAE’s nearest neighbour, the Sultanate of Oman can also be pursuing plans for tourism growth spurred by the government’s US$39 million investment into development of Dhofar province, with the purpose of creating its annual Khareef (monsoon) festival an in-demand fixture at the global tourism calendar.

    This is supported by forecasted hotel room capacity growth at a CAGR of five.3% between now and 2016, with a purpose to see Oman swell its current base of five,331 rooms by an extra 2,000 before the top of this year.

    One of the fastest growing markets within the Gulf, Qatar is likewise moving ahead with its US$65 billion investment plan that specializes in the state’s hosting of the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Over 85,000 new hotel rooms will bolster current inventory levels as Qatar looks to welcome as many as 3.7 million visitors every year by the point the tournament kicks off.

    “Saudi Arabia is an exceedingly interesting market in the intervening time, and there’s a strong push towards development of domestic tourism with 22.5 million residents searching for new experiences apart from the favoured summer destination of Jeddah, in addition to undertaking their Hajj and Umrah commitments,” said Walsh.

    Hajj and Umrah travel generated US$16.5 billion for the dominion in 2012 and business tourism demand is additionally
    growing, particularly for Riyadh, the capital city and seat of presidency. Tourist arrivals are forecast to grow at CAGR of four% by 2022, driven by strong growth across all sectors.

    “Tourism is currently the country’s second largest industry and this has huge significance for the economy as US$80 billion worth of investment into key infrastructure projects including airport expansion, railways and roads involves fruition within the next 10 years,” remarks Walsh.

    Held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice chairman and Prime Minister of the UAE, Ruler of Dubai, ATM 2013 is being held on the Dubai International Exhibition and Conference Centre from 6-9 May.

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