CASE STUDY
can search, select, and book their preferred
flights and hotels using the solution.
We are the only C&G solution that offers
bilingual (Arabic/English) services in the
market across channels including web,
mobile app, retail branches and via a 24/7
Call Centre. Our key proposition for C&G
clients is cost optimisation, transparency and
an enhanced business travel process.
What technology is the group
looking to invest in?
We pride ourselves being ‘a technology
company that happens to work in travel’.
Having said that, we are a digital-first
company – and this means, we look
at offering solutions to our customers
through a digital perspective – to add to
their convenience. In 2020, we will look
into investing in Artificial Intelligence and
Machine Learning as we believe these will
greatly enable predictive travel demands and
enable the industry to highly personalise the
travel experience including services such as
experienced smart chatbots.
We understand what our travellers need, so
we can provide them with more rewarding
travel experiences through our digital-first
mindset and tech initiatives. To give you the
example of the Elaa C&G solution, it offers
users customised dashboards and generates
instant reports where required.
It offers a vast inventory of more than 600
airlines, 500,000 hotels around the globe
and ground transportation. It comes with
pre-packaged special deals on all major
Middle East airlines and many worldwide
hotels with the ability to customise special
deals per client. It also enables organisations
to customise with a white label solution and
has the capability to enforce travel policies
across the journey. This means it serves as a
one-stop-shop.
How have you driven technical
innovation to serve the group’s
strategic vision?
Our strategic vision is to open up the
opportunity to travel by connecting cultures.
We aim to become the leading travel and
FOR THE FIRST TIME IN SAUDI
ARABIA, GOVERNMENT ENTITIES
CAN DO THEIR TRAVEL BOOKINGS
ELECTRONICALLY AND TRAVELLERS
CAN SEARCH, SELECT, AND BOOK
THEIR PREFERRED FLIGHTS AND
HOTELS USING THE SOLUTION.
How is technology impacting your
industry and how are you leveraging
it for business growth? tourism company with a balanced portfolio
of trusted brands that consistently exceeds
customer expectations.
Technology has changed the rules of the
game – and it is important now to leverage
next-generation technology to meet the
aspirations of the customers. After all, we are
talking about a young demographic in the
region – with over 200 million people below
the age of 30 years who are tech-savvy and
seek online/digital solutions for every need. Embracing the power of travel also takes
us on new journeys of discovery. We
enable travellers to learn, grow and be
inspired; sharing experiences with a global
community that is more connected than
ever. And in this, tech innovation is central
to everything we do, as highlighted by our
initiatives that we discussed earlier.
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INTELLIGENTCIO
How have you driven technical
innovation to serve customers’
specific business needs?
We are a customer-interfacing business.
Travel is about genuine experiences and
about people, and as mentioned, about
connecting cultures. This means, meeting
the specific needs of customers.
We exist for them – and naturally, every
technical innovation is aimed at delivering
more value for them – and making every
trip memorable.
How do you ensure your digital
infrastructure supports all the
group’s current needs?
As explained earlier, building a digital
infrastructure is key to our growth and
continued progress. We draw on the power
of data and innovative digital technologies
to ensure that they are aligned with our
organisational needs – such as enhancing
our businesses, serving more people in more
markets – and creating unbeatable value
across every touch-point.
For example, the launch of Discover Saudi,
our destination management company,
recently, offers us the opportunity to draw on
the power of digital connections to engage
with travellers around the world, and serve
as a window to Saudi Arabia and deliver
on the goals of Saudi Vision 2030 to boost
international inward and domestic tourism.
How have shifts within the
global travel industry influenced
the technology initiatives you
have pursued and how have
you responded?
We are first-movers in embracing
technology and we keep a close watch on
upcoming trends so that we are up-to-
speed in deploying them. Technology
is making quantum leaps with Artificial
Intelligence, Blockchain technology and
Machine Learning, and the opportunities
are limitless.
We will continue to invest in new and next-
generation technology, in tune with global
trends, as well as innovate solutions that
can serve as benchmarks for the travel and
tourism industry. n
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www.intelligentcio.com