Amadeus travel agencies in Asia Pacific benefit from more choice in front to back office automation
KUALA LUMPUR: Amadeus travel agencies in Asia Pacific are set to enjoy an enhanced mid office offering following Amadeus’ partnership with Athena Innovations.
Under the agreement Amadeus will distribute Athena Bookings, Athena’s comprehensive travel management solution, to travel agents across Asia Pacific, starting with Malaysia and followed by other markets in the region.
Frederic Barou, vice president, distribution products and operations, Amadeus Asia Pacific, said, “The mid and back office is an important and often complex aspect of a travel agency’s business. We are excited to partner with such an innovative company to provide a valuable addition to the Amadeus suite of agency solutions and more choice to our customers.”
Agents, whether their focus is corporate ticketing, leisure travel, tour operators or wholesale, will benefit from full automation from front to back office, as well as superior reporting capabilities. Importantly, Athena’s partnership entails agile customisation and time to market.
Junus, Director, Athena Innovations, commented, “Athena solutions are the result of over 15 years of experience. We are proud to work with Amadeus, the leading provider of IT, solutions and content for the travel industry, to deliver an even more enriched customer offering and meet the demands of the modern travel industry.
Athena Bookings is already available to travel agencies in Malaysia and will be made available to other markets progressively in the coming months.
Albert Pozo, President, Amadeus Asia Pacific
Amadeus also announced the appointment of Albert Pozo as the new President of Amadeus Asia Pacific. Pozo, who takes office from August 3 this year, will direct Amadeus’ corporate strategy for Asia Pacific, focusing on distribution and new business areas such as rail, hotel, payments and venture investments.
Commenting on his appointment, Pozo said, “Asia Pacific is moving towards the centre of the global travel industry and the path to sustained growth for travel businesses is a collaborative, connected ecosystem that puts the traveller at the centre. I couldn’t be more excited to be part of this region, and my top priority is to meet and understand our customers in Asia Pacific. We have a diverse, highly experienced and truly outstanding team in the region, as well as strong business momentum that we need to keep going. I look forward to accelerating our growth here in Asia Pacific.”
Pozo has been with Amadeus since 1993, with extensive experience with in-market, regional and global roles. He served most recently as Vice President for Global Customer Group, leading commercial activity, strategy, and business development for Global Multinational Travel. He was instrumental in Amadeus’ acquisition of corporate travel technology provider i:FAO in 2015. Albert takes over from Angel Gallego, who is returning to Madrid.
Amadeus IT Group Senior Vice President, Distribution, Holger Taubmann said, “Asia Pacific has been a priority region for Amadeus for many years, and Albert’s appointment builds on our strong business momentum across the region. Albert is a dynamic leader, bringing to Asia Pacific a wealth of experience with global customers and from diverse geographies such as Europe, Middle East and Africa. I have every confidence that with his passion, drive and customer-focused approach he will play a critical role in further growing our position as a market leader.”
Amadeus has more than 2,200 people across 35 markets in Asia Pacific, including two regional offices in Bangkok and Singapore, and R&D centres in Bangalore and Sydney.
Under Albert’s leadership, Amadeus will continue to invest heavily to deliver the technology, solutions and thought leadership that helps its customers in the region provide a traveller-centric experience.