Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates: April 2, 2012:  Extending its footprint even further across the UAE, business services provider Travelport announces that it has signed multi-year global distribution system (GDS) deals with three major travel agencies in Abu Dhabi and Al Ain - Irena Travel, Skyline Travels and Al Jaraf Travel and Tourism.

The new contracts include an exclusive agreement with Al Jaraf Travel and Tourism that will see a full migration to Travelport's Galileo platform across its agency network in Abu Dhabi.  At the same time, Al Ain-based Skyline Travels has signed an exclusive agreement to establish Galileo as its exclusive GDS, while Irena Travel has inked a deal that will integrate the GDS for the first time into the agency's Abu Dhabi operations.

All are growing travel and tourism companies with multiple retail outlets and plans to support their growth efforts by leveraging the GDS provider's leading-edge offering, which includes a local office that provides Abu Dhabi and Al Ain travel agency customers with fully-equipped sales, training and helpdesk support. A comprehensive training programme has already been launched to bring each agency's employees up to speed on the latest Galileo products and functionalities.

Representatives from Travelport, Irena, Al Jaraf and Skyline all met recently to officially seal the agreements, paving the way for long-term partnerships.  Rabih Saab, Travelport's president and managing director for the Middle East and Africa was in attendance, along with Ghulam Balooshi, Travelport director for the Lower GCC; Amir Thayyil, general manager of Irena Travel; Mahmood Butt, general manager of Al Jaraf Travel and Tourism; and Hamsa K.M, general manager of Skyline Travels.

"Thanks to our exceptional technology and dedicated local resources, Travelport has been able to build great momentum in Abu Dhabi and Al Ain and ultimately gain the trust of such high-calibre travel agencies," said Ghulam Al Balooshi, Travelport's Director for the Lower Gulf Region. "We are proud to be affiliated with such reputable, fast-growing travel agencies and look forward to working closely with them supporting their dynamic businesses with the best GDS offering in the UAE."

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About Travelport
Travelport is a broad-based business services company and a leading provider of critical transaction processing solutions to companies operating in the global travel industry.

With a presence in over 170 countries, approximately 3,500 employees and 2011 net revenue of $2.0 billion, Travelport is comprised of the global distribution systems (GDS) business, which includes the Galileo and Worldspan brands and its Airline IT Solutions business.

Headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, Travelport is a privately owned company.

© Press Release 2012