The first rewards scheme of its kind to benefit UAE participants

Dubai, United Arab Emirates, 14 May, 2014 - Travelport, the leading distribution services and e-commerce provider for the global travel industry, has joined forces with Expedia® Affiliate Network (EAN) - the private label arm of the world's largest online travel company, the Expedia group - and Majid Al Futtaim Finance - a leading provider of credit card and prepaid solutions in the region - to launch the UAE's largest online travel rewards scheme, Najm Voyager Rewards.

The program is designed to meet the distinct travel and lifestyle needs of the UAE's affluent and well-travelled market segment.  Launched in conjunction with Majid Al Futtaim Finance's new Najm reward card, this will deliver the most comprehensive programme of its kind in the UAE.  It allows Najm Voyager Credit Card members to spend their loyalty points on booking flights, hotels and car rentals at exceptionally competitive prices and provides access to outstanding holiday package deals.

Najm Voyager Credit Card members will enjoy ultimate choice and flexibility with real-time redemption of travel rewards anytime, from anywhere. To access the benefits, participants log into a dedicated easy to use portal to make their bookings and redeem their loyalty points instantly. The travel services will be extended to the entire suite of Najm Credit Cardholders who will benefit from competitive pricing.

Created by Majid Al Futtaim Finance and delivered by leading creative technology agency, The Cohen International Group (TCIG), Najm Voyager Rewards was inspired by the continued growth of online travel in the UAE and across the Middle East.  The intuitive website acts as a one stop portal to facilitate all member redemptions using latest technology and a simple redemption process.  

As part of the agreement, Travelport will provide Majid Al Futtaim Finance with its online expertise and technology. This includes Travelport Universal API - the leading edge solution enabling travel agencies to streamline the booking process by re-aggregating fragmented content from various sources.  This delivers access to more than 360 airlines, International car companies and High Speed Rail providers worldwide.
Expedia Affiliate Network, in turn, will provide the tools and the technology to access more than 190,000 properties worldwide with rich content, reviews and ratings.

Alex Morriss, Head of Business Development for Expedia Affiliate Network commented: "The Najm Voyager Rewards Program aims to be a leader amongst reward programmes and Expedia Affiliate Network is thrilled to be a part of it."

"Najm is a trusted and well-established credit card brand, offering customers flexibility, choice and value-added rewards to suit one's lifestyle," said Rasool Hujair, CEO of Majid Al Futtaim Finance. "This, combined with Majid Al Futtaim Finance's leadership in providing turnkey credit card solutions, the new Najm Voyager Credit Card, in partnership with recognised names Travelport and the Expedia Affiliate Network, offers a unique proposition that meets the needs of the frequent traveller."   

"Travelport has over 20 years' experience supporting businesses such as Majid Al Futtaim Finance.  This fast changing and dynamic industry is a vital part of our business" said Rabih Saab, President and Managing Director, Africa, Middle East and South Asia, Travelport. "We look forward to working very closely with our partners to share our online expertise and industry-leading technology solutions to enable them to make the most of every opportunity now and in the future."

"The Cohen International Group has extensive knowledge in complex development and extensive industry knowledge.  We were tasked with creating a unique and user friendly portal which focusses in on User Experience and ease of redemption accompanied by the latest web trends to ensure a seamless user journey," said Hyder Cohen, CEO/Head of Creative, The Cohen International Group.  "We are privileged to be part of this exciting venture by Majid Al Futtaim Finance, Travelport and the Expedia Affiliate Network."

END

Image captions:
MAF1: Majid Al Futtaim, Travelport, Expedia and The Cohen International Group representatives;
MAF2: from left: Rabih Saab, President and MD, Africa, Middle East and South Asia at Travelport and Rasool Hujair, CEO of Majid Al Futtaim Finance.

About Travelport
Travelport is a leading distribution services and e-commerce provider for the global travel industry.  

With a presence in over 170 countries, approximately 3,500 employees and 2013 net revenue of $2.08 billion, Travelport is comprised of the global distribution system ("GDS") business, which includes the Galileo and Worldspan brands, its Airline IT Solutions business and a majority joint venture ownership in eNett. Headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, Travelport is a privately owned company.

About Majid al Futtaim
Majid Al Futtaim Finance LLC is a 100% owned subsidiary of Majid Al Futtaim Ventures. The objective of this venture is to fulfil our vision of becoming the consumer's credit card and prepaid card of choice. Majid Al Futtaim Finance LLC currently issues VISA credit cards as well as prepaid Visa cards in the UAE and has plans to expand across the Middle East & North Africa. www.maffinance.com

About Expedia Affiliate Network
Expedia Affiliate Network (EAN) is a division within the Expedia, Inc. group, the world's leading online travel business. EAN creates the tools and technology that help millions of travellers find the perfect hotels for their next trips. EAN works with over 7,500 partners in 33 countries to turn their web traffic into hotel bookings and happy customers. For more information on EAN visit www.ean.com. Expedia Affiliate Network and the Expedia Affiliate Network logo are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Expedia, Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries. Other trademarks mentioned herein may be the property of their respective owners. ©2014 Expedia, Inc.  All rights reserved.  CTS # 2029030-50

About The Cohen International Group
TCIG, Established in London since 1991. a leading Creative and Development Agency with over 400 experts operating out of 10 strategic footprints with over 500 clients worldwide.  Experts in Mobile, Web, Software Development & Creative requirements.  Digitalizing many Clients leapfrogging them into modern and latest technological advances and mobilizing the customer touch points to ensure maximum engagement. Regional powerhouse operates from its regional HQ in the Kingdom of Bahrain for more information visit www.cigcreativehub.com.

Travelport PR contact
Baiba Upmale I Tel +971 4 3614836 I Mob: +971 (0)566569535 I e: baiba.upmale@travelport.com  

© Press Release 2014