DESTINATION AND TOURISM, INDUSTRY OUTLOOK
Trip.com Group | October 17, 2022
Trip.com Group has officially joined the Global Sustainable Tourism Council's (GSTC) global network as a member. Trip.com Group is a leading global travel service provider comprising of Trip.com, Ctrip, Skyscanner, and Qunar. Across its platforms, Trip.com Group helps travellers around the world make informed and cost-effective bookings for travel products and services.Trip.com Group's mission to 'pursue the perfect trip for a better world' focuses the Group's efforts on improving the communities and lives of the people they serve, and drives their commitment to being a more responsible industry leader.
To fulfill this mission, earlier this year Trip.com Group announced its green tourism goals, covering three key areas: to launch over 10,000 low-carbon travel products; to promote sustainable travel and engage 100 million travellers in low-carbon practices; and aim to further reduce carbon emissions across its own operations.
In order to delve into consumer sentiment on sustainable travel and share findings with the industry, Trip.com Group conducted a survey that gathered responses from over 7,700 travellers from 11 markets. Trip.com Group's Sustainable Travel Consumer Report 2022 revealed that almost eight in 10 (78.7%) travellers recognise the importance of sustainable travel. The Report also found that the COVID-19 pandemic has been a major driver behind increased consumer awareness of their travels' impact on the planet, with 67.7% of travellers now open to paying more for sustainable options.
To meet increased demand for sustainable travel options, the Group's consumer brand Trip.com launched its CHOOOSE carbon offsetting option for travellers to offset their flights' Co2 emissions. This program allows customers to address their flight emissions by supporting a portfolio of trusted high-impact climate projects in line with the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
As a member of the GSTC, Trip.com Group will support the GSTC mission to promote sustainable tourism standards in the travel & tourism sector. Being a GSTC member allows Trip.com Group to participate in GSTC's global network, contributing to the important work of the GSTC in promoting the widespread adoption of universal sustainable tourism principles.
At Trip.com Group, we believe we can only solve big issues by working with our peers from across the industry. This is why we are very excited to become a member of the GSTC, joining their global community to collaborate on sustainable travel initiatives that contribute towards a more sustainable future," said Jane Sun, Chief Executive Officer of Trip.com Group.
"We at GSTC are delighted to welcome Trip.com Group and all its powerful brands as a member of our growing community of members. Their power in the marketplace can deliver much in the way of more sustainable forms of tourism being made available to more travelers throughout the world, and we look forward to partnering in those efforts,"
-Randy Durband, Chief Executive Officer of GSTC.
About Trip.com Group
Trip.com Group is a leading global travel service provider comprising of Trip.com, Ctrip, Skyscanner, and Qunar with the mission to pursue the perfect trip for a better world. Across its platforms, Trip.com Group helps travellers around the world make informed and cost-effective bookings for travel products and services. Trip.com Group technology enables partners to connect their offerings with users through the aggregation of comprehensive travel-related content and resources, and an advanced transaction platform consisting of apps, websites and 24/7 customer service centers. Founded in 1999 and listed on NASDAQ in 2003 and HKEX in 2021, Trip.com Group has become one of the best-known travel groups in the world, with the vision "to be the world's leading and most trusted family of online travel brands that aspires to deliver the perfect trip at the best price for every traveler".
About the GSTC
The Global Sustainable Tourism Council® (GSTC®) establishes and manages global sustainable standards, known as the GSTC Criteria. There are two sets: Destination Criteria for public policy-makers and destination managers, and Industry Criteria for hotels and tour operators. They are arranged in four pillars: (A) Sustainable management; (B) Socioeconomic impacts; (C) Cultural impacts; and (D) Environmental impacts (including consumption of resources, reducing pollution, and conserving biodiversity and landscapes). Since tourism destinations each have their own culture, environment, customs, and laws, the Criteria are designed to be adapted to local conditions and supplemented by additional criteria for the specific location and activity. The GSTC Criteria form the foundation for GSTC's assurance role for Certification Bodies that certify hotels/accommodations, tour operators, and destinations as having sustainable policies and practices in place. GSTC does not directly certify any products or services, but provides accreditation to those that do. The GSTC is an independent and neutral USA-registered 501(c)3 non-profit organization that represents a diverse and global membership, including national and provincial governments, leading travel companies, hotels, tour operators, NGOs, individuals and communities – all striving to achieve best practices in sustainable tourism.
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TRAVEL TECHNOLOGY, DESTINATION AND TOURISM
Amadeus | September 16, 2022
Uplift, the leading enterprise Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) solution serving the world's top travel brands is partnering with Amadeus for U.S. and Canadian customers.According to research with travelers, 68% would spend more on travel if BNPL options were available. Travel remains a big-ticket item for consumers and especially so when planning a family or long-haul trip. Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) options have emerged over recent years as a way to spread the cost of a purchase across several monthly payments, delivering additional flexibility for travelers. That's why Amadeus is partnering with travel specialist, Uplift, to bring BNPL services to its popular Amadeus Xchange Payment Platform (XPP), as part of a multi-provider BNPL ecosystem dedicated to travel.
XPP is used by hundreds of airlines and travel companies to power every aspect of their payments, from fraud prevention to payment acceptance. Now, airlines, travel agencies and hotels can easily add BNPL options to their sales channels via a single connection to Amadeus – making 'Uplift' BNPL options more easily available to travelers across the industry. Travelers can choose to pay for travel in a series of installments over six, nine or twelve months.
Already common to the retail sector, BNPL is particularly well suited to the travel industry due to the common requirement for upfront payments at the time of booking. Amadeus research with more than 5,000 travelers suggests 68% would spend more on travel if BNPL options were available, with 49% confirming they would be more likely to buy airline ancillary services.
Beatrice Bouju, Head of Partnerships, Payments, Amadeus said: The growth of BNPL across all sectors has been remarkable and the message from travelers is clear – they want the choice to pay for the trip in installments. Such payment options will help travel's recovery by facilitating pent-up demand for higher value holidays as travel restrictions are lifted.
She continued: Our vision for the Amadeus Xchange Payment Platform is a one-stop-shop for travel companies to access the latest in fintech innovation, so adding BNPL services from two travel specialists to the mix was an easy choice.
"Travelers increasingly prefer the option to pay for a trip in installments, over two thirds of Uplift users chose BNPL because it reduces financial stress to pay over time versus all at once. BNPL has become a standard payment method across travel. Now, travel providers that rely on the Amadeus Xchange Payment Platform can add Uplift's flexible payments quickly and simply, immediately benefiting from stronger customer loyalty and increased bookings."
-Tom Botts, Chief Commercial Officer, Uplift
Amadeus XPP helps travel companies access the latest fintech innovations to improve the payment experience for travelers.
About Amadeus
Travel powers progress. Amadeus powers travel. Amadeus' solutions connect travelers to the journeys they want through travel agents, search engines, tour operators, airlines, airports, hotels, cars and railways. We have developed our technology in partnership with the travel industry for over 30 years. We combine a deep understanding of how people travel with the ability to design and deliver the most complex, trusted, critical systems our customers need. We help connect over 1.6 billion people a year to local travel providers in over 190 countries. We are one company, with a global mindset and a local presence wherever our customers need us. Our purpose is to shape the future of travel. We are passionate in our pursuit of better technology that makes better journeys. Amadeus is an IBEX 35 company, listed on the Spanish Stock Exchange under AMS.MC. The company is also part of the EuroStoxx50 and has been recognized by the Dow Jones Sustainability Index for the last eight years. To find out more about Amadeus, visit www.amadeus.com.
About Uplift
Uplift is the leading Buy Now, Pay Later solution that empowers people to get more out of life, one thoughtful purchase at a time. Serving the world's top enterprise level travel brands, Uplift's complete range of flexible payment options drive higher conversion and loyalty for partners, while giving customers a simple, surprise-free way to pay over time with no late fees or prepayment penalties. Uplift is currently available throughout the United States and Canada. To learn more, visit Uplift.com.
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COMMERCIAL TRAVEL, AIRLINES AND AIRPORTS
Sabre Corporation | October 14, 2022
Sabre Corporation (NASDAQ: SABR), a leading software and technology provider powering the global travel industry, announced the renewal of its multi-year distribution agreement with United Airlines. The long-term agreement ensures that Sabre-connected travel agents will have access to United's content globally while enabling the airline to extend its reach in Sabre's valuable network of global travel buyers and intermediaries.
"We are happy to continue our relationship with Sabre and renew our distribution agreement to promote our growing portfolio of products and services through Sabre's travel marketplace,"
-Dave Bartels, vice president of revenue management & distribution at United Airlines.
Under the new agreement, United will continue distributing its content to the large network of travel agents and corporations worldwide connected to Sabre's global distribution system (GDS). United and Sabre will continue to collaborate to deliver NDC-enabled capabilities supporting the airline's modern retailing vision.
"We are delighted to continue our long-standing relationship with United Airlines. Together, we will collaborate on ways to leverage Sabre technology and solutions to help the airline achieve its vision for modern retailing, Our agreement underscores Sabre's commitment to meeting the unique needs of our airline customers while also meeting travel buyers' need for efficient end-to-end workflows, choice, and transparency."
-Roshan Mendis, chief commercial officer, Sabre Travel Solutions
Sabre continues to focus on developing new technology that supports retailing, distribution, and fulfillment solutions for travel suppliers, buyers and consumers to enjoy more relevant and comprehensive travel solutions.
About Sabre Corporation
Sabre Corporation is a leading software and technology company that powers the global travel industry, serving a wide range of travel companies including airlines, hoteliers, travel agencies and other suppliers. The company provides retailing, distribution and fulfillment solutions that help its customers operate more efficiently, drive revenue and offer personalized traveler experiences. Through its leading travel marketplace, Sabre connects travel suppliers with buyers from around the globe. Sabre's technology platform manages more than $260B worth of global travel spend annually. Headquartered in Southlake, Texas, USA, Sabre serves customers in more than 160 countries around the world. For more information visit www.sabre.com.
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