Amadeus and Traveltainment start pilot phase for the new package tour search
This fall Amadeus and Traveltainment present the first versions of the new joint package tour search. It was announced at ITB Berlin 2018 and is based on a uniform technology.
Bad Homburg, 17. September 2018– The graphic masks, new functions and procedures in Amadeus Tour Market and Traveltainment Bistro Portal enter the pilot phase with selected travel agencies as planned in the 4th quarter of 2018. As a first step the tour operators DER Touristik Deutschland and the Thomas Cook Group participate in the further development of Amadeus Tour Market.
The development of the new search follows the principles of agile programming – travel agencies are continuously integrated into the evaluation of interim results. At ITB Berlin 2018 Amadeus and Traveltainment started to win over a large number of travel agents for the cooperation. Since May they have regularly participated in concrete usability tests for both solutions. Usually this takes place via web conferences, partly also in the agencies. The tests simulate consultations, so that travel agents can directly give their feedback. The new package tour search will facilitate the search functions and enrich them with additional information. It will also align them, thus enabling travel agents to equally use Traveltainment Bistro Portal as a consulting and offer comparison system across providers and Amadeus Tour Market as an in-depth product for the booking of tour operator services.
Among the concrete suggestions that were discussed during these sessions are e.g. the optimization of search fields as well as the simplification of the tour operator selection in the new info tab. There was praise among other things for the new info area next to the hotel list, especially for the easy option to view and enlarge hotel pictures and maps.
“We are happy to accompany the development of the new package tour search, because the advantages make immediate sense”, says Kevin Keogh, Division Manager Marketing and Distribution at DER Touristik Deutschland. “Besides the process advantages we particularly appreciate the more detailed and better illustrated display of our and also all other tour operator products. Information and pictures help us to position our products successfully and accurately, and travel agencies find the right offers more easily.”
“The expansion of the consulting content and more extensive display options as well as the new optimized procedures for the package tour search support the travel agencies and allow the tour operator to optimally present his variety of products”, says Dirk Schachtsiek, Head of Tour Operator Distribution at Thomas Cook. “The modern, intuitive user interface based on internet processes facilitates the creation of offers which are optimally oriented towards the customer’s needs. All sites benefit from new search and filter functions which so far haven’t existed in the TOMA mask and which specify each search with a few clicks.”
“Already at ITB Berlin 2018 the positive response to the joint further development of the package tour search became apparent. We are especially impressed by the active cooperation of the travel agencies and their great interest in particular in the process details”, say Uta Martens, General Manager at Amadeus Germany, and Dr. Oliver Rengelshausen, General Manager at Traveltainment. “We very much look forward to the start of pilot operations. Because from the intermediate steps of our agile software development we know that we have already implemented a large amount of travel agent feedback directly from the counter into Amadeus Tour Market and Traveltainment Bistro Portal.”
Amadeus and Traveltainment present the new package tour search during Travel Expo in Cologne on September 18 and September 19, 2018 at the joint booth D7.
Bad Homburg, 17. September 2018– The graphic masks, new functions and procedures in Amadeus Tour Market and Traveltainment Bistro Portal enter the pilot phase with selected travel agencies as planned in the 4th quarter of 2018. As a first step the tour operators DER Touristik Deutschland and the Thomas Cook Group participate in the further development of Amadeus Tour Market.
The development of the new search follows the principles of agile programming – travel agencies are continuously integrated into the evaluation of interim results. At ITB Berlin 2018 Amadeus and Traveltainment started to win over a large number of travel agents for the cooperation. Since May they have regularly participated in concrete usability tests for both solutions. Usually this takes place via web conferences, partly also in the agencies. The tests simulate consultations, so that travel agents can directly give their feedback. The new package tour search will facilitate the search functions and enrich them with additional information. It will also align them, thus enabling travel agents to equally use Traveltainment Bistro Portal as a consulting and offer comparison system across providers and Amadeus Tour Market as an in-depth product for the booking of tour operator services.
Among the concrete suggestions that were discussed during these sessions are e.g. the optimization of search fields as well as the simplification of the tour operator selection in the new info tab. There was praise among other things for the new info area next to the hotel list, especially for the easy option to view and enlarge hotel pictures and maps.
“We are happy to accompany the development of the new package tour search, because the advantages make immediate sense”, says Kevin Keogh, Division Manager Marketing and Distribution at DER Touristik Deutschland. “Besides the process advantages we particularly appreciate the more detailed and better illustrated display of our and also all other tour operator products. Information and pictures help us to position our products successfully and accurately, and travel agencies find the right offers more easily.”
“The expansion of the consulting content and more extensive display options as well as the new optimized procedures for the package tour search support the travel agencies and allow the tour operator to optimally present his variety of products”, says Dirk Schachtsiek, Head of Tour Operator Distribution at Thomas Cook. “The modern, intuitive user interface based on internet processes facilitates the creation of offers which are optimally oriented towards the customer’s needs. All sites benefit from new search and filter functions which so far haven’t existed in the TOMA mask and which specify each search with a few clicks.”
“Already at ITB Berlin 2018 the positive response to the joint further development of the package tour search became apparent. We are especially impressed by the active cooperation of the travel agencies and their great interest in particular in the process details”, say Uta Martens, General Manager at Amadeus Germany, and Dr. Oliver Rengelshausen, General Manager at Traveltainment. “We very much look forward to the start of pilot operations. Because from the intermediate steps of our agile software development we know that we have already implemented a large amount of travel agent feedback directly from the counter into Amadeus Tour Market and Traveltainment Bistro Portal.”
Amadeus and Traveltainment present the new package tour search during Travel Expo in Cologne on September 18 and September 19, 2018 at the joint booth D7.
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