Misr Travel Signs Multi-Year Galileo Contract with Travelport

Cairo, Egypt: 1 November, 2009:  Travelport, one of the world’s leading global distribution system (GDS) providers operating the Galileo and Worldspan platforms, today announced that is has signed a multi-year Galileo contract with Egypt’s largest travel and tour operator, Misr Travel.

With over 68 years of experience specialising in travel and tours to Egypt, the state-owned tour company is recognized as one of the country’s most respected and reliable travel agencies and a key player in Egypt’s thriving travel industry.

A major win for Travelport in Egypt, the distribution agreement is a testament to the steady inroads the GDS provider has made in the country since it set up a direct Galileo and Worldspan operation in Cairo at the beginning of this year.

The travel group is one of a growing number of travel agencies in Egypt benefiting from both Travelport’s world-class technology and extensive global network, along with its strong local market expertise and on-ground support.

“Travelport understands the needs of our business and has the right technical expertise and international network to complement our strategic goals,” said Dr. Nour Bakr, CEO of Misr Travel. “We are impressed with the training and support structure it has set up for travel agents in Egypt and believe in the value that the local team can provide.”

According to Egypt Country Manager Tarek Bassiouny, Travelport is proud of the solid reputation it has built amongst the local travel trade and is honoured to be working with a tour operator of such prestige. 

“We are delighted to have been selected as a long-term strategic partner of such a well-established tour company and believe that we are well positioned to meet Misr Travel’s unique travel technology needs,” said Bassiouny. “With Travelport’s best-of-breed solutions and comprehensive local support structure, we are confident that we can help Misr Travel optimise its efficiency and performance.”

Boasting an impressive roster of clients, Misr Travel has a network of 35 branches across Egypt, as well as overseas offices located in New York, Paris, London, Stockholm, Frankfurt, Moscow, Rome and Tokyo, all of which have extensive experience in planning and operating tours.

Galileo has firmly established itself as one of the most widely used travel booking platforms in Egypt. Now with both Galileo and Worldspan under its umbrella and a full-service operation in place, Travelport is well positioned to cater to the growing requirements of the country’s travel trade.

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About Travelport
Travelport is one of the world's largest travel conglomerates offering broad based business services to companies operating in the global travel industry. Travelport is comprised of the global distribution system (GDS) business that includes the Worldspan and Galileo brands; GTA, a leading global, multi-channel provider of hotel and ground services; IT Services and Software, which hosts mission critical applications and provides business and data analysis solutions for major airlines. With 2008 revenues of $2.5 billion, Travelport operates in 160 countries and has approximately 5,300 employees.

Travelport also owns approximately 48% of Orbitz Worldwide (NYSE: OWW), a leading global online travel company. Travelport is a private company owned by The Blackstone Group, One Equity Partners, Technology Crossover Ventures and Travelport management.

For more information, please visit www.travelport.com

For media enquiries or to set up an interview with Tarek Bassiouny please contact:
Alana Ngoh                  
PR Manager, Travelport GDS Middle East
Tel  +971 4 607 0548
Mob: + 971 5 810 0972
E-mail: alana.ngoh@travelport.com
 

© Press Release 2009