Travelport extends reach with Tunisian vote of confidence

A vote of confidence in the Tunisian travel industry has been provided by Travelport extending its reach into the North African country.

A vote of confidence in the Tunisian travel industry has been provided by Travelport extending its reach into the North African country.

A new distributor deal has been struck in the country with appointment of SIR Tunisie SARL as Travelport’s new partner.

This means that that the Galileo GDS products and services have become available in the country.

The Tunisian launch is the latest development in the company’s expansion in Africa, where the GDS provider is now operating in 47 countries with more in the pipeline.

SIR Tunisie SARL will distribute the Galileo GDS platform to local travel agencies as well as comprehensive training and support services.

The launch of the Tunisian operation was marked with a special event held in Tunis attended by more than 200 industry guests including travel agents, airlines and government representatives.

Middle East and Africa president and managing director Rabih Saab said: “Africa – and especially North Africa – is a key strategic investment region for Travelport and this official launch of commercial operations in Tunisia serves as a testament to our commitment to this important part of the world.

“With its extensive local market knowledge and technical expertise, our appointed distributor is very well positioned to grow Travelport’s business in region and effectively serve our new travel agency customers here.”

SIR Tunisie SARL chief executive Nejib Ghozzi added: “Travelport will bring a new dimension to the travel and tourism industry in our country.

“As a new GDS provider in Tunisia, we will create a competitive advantage that will benefit the travel agents who are always looking for alternative GDS providers.”