Kuoni Destination Management taps Pegasus Solutions for worldwide distribution management

Press release – 2 September 2008 – Kuoni-Pegasus Pegasus Solutions has signed an agreement to provide UltraDirect distribution services to Kuoni Destination Management, a division of the Kuoni Group and leader in the world travel market. Use of UltraDirect will place Kuoni Destination Management in a position to expand business with new distribution and improved…

Press release – 2 September 2008 – Kuoni–Pegasus

Pegasus Solutions has signed an agreement to provide UltraDirect distribution services to Kuoni Destination Management, a division of the Kuoni Group and leader in the world travel market.

Use of UltraDirect will place Kuoni Destination Management in a position to expand business with new distribution and improved content for its customers.

With more than 60 sales and destination management organizations, Kuoni Destination Management offers land arrangements to tour operators, travel agencies, airlines, meeting planners, incentive specialists, event agencies, congress organizers and cruise companies. In addition to groups, Kuoni Destination Management provides land arrangements for individual travelers, which are sold to tour operators, agents and brokers via its own online channel.

With this breadth of offering, Kuoni Destination Management requires sophisticated distribution management to capitalize on multiple potential revenue streams, according to Tore Wick, vice president of business development for Pegasus.

“UltraDirect will allow Kuoni Destination Management to enhance its online reservation platform KOBRA with a direct link to hotel central reservation systems, which will allow the company to offer last room availability using the published commissionable room rates,” said Wick. “This means the company can work with any of their hotels or agents to easily and efficiently source and offer what travelers are looking for, breaking through barriers of coordinating access and availability.”

UltraDirect will provide Kuoni Destination Management’s direct connections to hotel central reservation systems (CRS) through the Pegasus Switch, providing real-time access to CRS information. The technology also enables fast, immediate confirmation of booking and cancellation requests, and secure access to negotiated rates.

“Kuoni Destination Management has an enhanced position in markets outside Europe,” said Ivan Walter, head of global FIT at Kuoni Destination Management.

“With more than 2,000 employees and subsidiaries around the world, it’s important for us to keep our packages fresh by using consistent and current information. UltraDirect gives us the control, speed and security we need to do this right.”