Amadeus Introduces New Technologies for Travel and Tourism in Turkey Post-Pandemic

ANTALYA - Amadeus, a leading provider of technology and solutions for the travel and tourism industries in Turkey, has launched a new technology designed to facilitate the tasks of travelers in the post-pandemic era.

With the outbreak of the pandemic, the travel and tourism industry underwent rapid transformations. As nearly all countries shut their borders, travel was heavily restricted. As the effects of the coronavirus began to wane, the travel and tourism industry entered a phase of swift growth. Insights on the transformative phase of the industry and its anticipated future developments were shared by Francesca Maria Benati, the Senior Vice President of Travel Sales for the UK, Ireland, Scandinavia, and Central, East, and Southeast Europe and the General Manager for Italy at Amadeus. Eric Willems, the General Manager for Turkey and Bulgaria and Sales Director for Northern, Eastern, Central, and Southern European Partner Markets, also provided his perspective.

Eric Willems highlighted Amadeus's global presence, stating, "Amadeus, a global IT company, operates with over 16,000 employees in 190 countries. Established in 1987, Amadeus has been serving Turkey since 1994. We have over 50 technology facilities worldwide, from Bengaluru to Boston and Nice to Istanbul. Our R&D investments have reached 8.3 billion Euros since 2004."

Discussing developments during the pandemic, Willems mentioned, "The dedication and creativity displayed by our sector to evolve and adapt during this challenging pandemic phase was truly commendable. Traveler's evolving demands were met, identity verification and health certificate solutions were developed, biometric technologies were implemented, and new travel experiences were created. All these played a pivotal role in reviving global travel once restrictions were lifted. Throughout 2021, we witnessed the industry's resilience and the vital role travel plays in our lives. Despite the ongoing uncertainties, travel volumes kept recovering, showing growth every quarter. Although we are still below 2019 figures, the sustainable uptrend in travel volume gives us hope."

Willems further mentioned Amadeus Turkey's continued investments in travel distribution technology, airline IT technology, and airport IT technology. "Amadeus is the market leader in travel technology in Turkey, and we are committed to investing in technologies that will enhance travel experiences," said Willems.

Francesca Maria Benati spoke about Amadeus's efforts during the pandemic, "We treated our clients like partners, seeking opportunities to demonstrate our commitment. One such initiative was providing free training on tools like Amadeus Ticket Changer. In the early days of the outbreak, this automation-based tool was vital for passengers to reissue their tickets and flights, as manual processing became impractical. Transaction volumes surged overnight, almost 17 times the norm, implying millions of ticket recalculations and modifications. We immediately trained our staff on this and other tools to cater to clients' needs. We also allocated free training to our accommodation team, who had to work during the lockdowns. Another service we offered was market data reports, typically a subscription-based service for travel agencies, but we provided it for free during the pandemic, giving clients valuable insights."

The measures taken by Amadeus indicate the company's proactive approach in adapting to the new normal and ensuring its clients and partners are well-equipped to navigate the post-pandemic travel landscape.