Sabre hosted a dedicated webinar for travel players in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) and the region to discuss the impact of the COVID_19 crisis on travel, its challenges and opportunities and how the industry is recovering from the crisis. Sabre Corporation (NASDAQ: SABR), is the leading software and technology provider that powers the global travel industry.
The virtual event, which brought together executives and decision makers from travel companies and travel associations, highlighted market performance over the past few months and the role of technology to power its recovery.
“As we enter a period of recovery from COVID-19, travel players need to look into new ways to operate in this new environment of uncertainty and continuous change,” said Abdul-Razzaq Iyer, vice president, Sabre Travel Network Middle East (STNME). “Equipping travel companies with the right solutions – such as artificial intelligence-based applications, that can automate processes, intelligent data analytics and virtual payments solutions – is essential in powering travel companies to navigate through the current challenges.”
The webinar also highlighted the significant role that travel agencies play in helping people regain the confidence to travel again, which is crucial for the industry’s recovery.
“Travel agencies play a vital role in rebuilding travellers’ trust and confidence,” Iyer added. . “Travellers have a new definition of personalization that involves new requirements and expectations for health and safety standards. They expect accurate and reliable information on travel restrictions and regulations during their planning phase. We are working closely with our customers to identify the best intelligent solutions and travel safety-related products to help them respond to travellers’ new demands and expectations.”
The webinar shed light on the Saudi market’s performance in the past few months and anticipated its recovery in the near future in line with the government’s and travel sector’s efforts to elevate the industry.
“Saudi travel has proved to be a resilient industry,” said Faisal Kayal, Country Manager KSA, STNME. “We have seen strong market recovery compared to many countries regionally and globally, due to effective planning for the return of domestic travel and our travel corridors with neighbouring countries. We are committed to supporting the Saudi travel industry through this transition and will continue to work closely with our partners and customers to provide the technology expertise and guidance they need to leverage this recovery.”
Sabre is conducting a series of webinars for its customers and partners in Kuwait, Bahrain and Oman within the coming weeks.
