Sabre Corporation and Akbar Travels have announced a new long-term, strategic partnership agreement to further expand Sabre’s footprint in the Indian subcontinent while driving operational efficiencies to increase productivity and profitability for Akbar.
Under the extended and expanded agreement, Sabre will continue to be Akbar’s preferred global distribution (GDS) partner in India, ensuring that the firm, which is the largest travel company in India in terms of IATA-approved branches, staff numbers and business turnover, can continue to access real-time, rich content from hundreds of thousands of airlines, hoteliers and other travel providers through Sabre’s intuitive Sabre Red 360 interface.
In addition to this latest renewal, Akbar and Sabre will also be working more closely together through the appointment of software company Benzy Infotech, a 100 per cent subsidiary of the Akbar Group, as Sabre’s partner for 15 states in India to promote and develop Sabre’s business in these markets and strengthen its presence across the Indian subcontinent.
This new announcement from Sabre and Akbar follows an earlier deal enhancement last year when Akbar selected Sabre’s Content Services for Lodging (CSL) APIs to enable its agents to more easily shop, compare and book more than a million lodging options for clients.
KV Abdul Nazar, Founder, Chairman and Managing Director, Akbar Group, said, “For many years, Akbar has utilized a broad portfolio of Sabre technology and solutions to leverage growth, streamline operations, expand our geographic reach and differentiate our own services within our markets. So, we’re not only delighted to continue to benefit from Sabre’s robust and scalable solutions but also proud to build on our successful, shared history by further extending Sabre’s world-class products and services in the Indian subcontinent through the new partnership agreement between our subsidiary Benzy and Sabre.”
Todd Arthur, Vice President, Agency Sales, Asia Pacific, Sabre Travel Solutions, said, “Our new agreement and renewal with Akbar is testament to their confidence in Sabre’s technological solutions. There’s no question about the extent to which the entire travel ecosystem has been impacted by the ongoing pandemic. However, what is also not in any doubt is the commitment of both Sabre and Akbar Travels to continue to invest in technological innovation for the future of our companies, our shared relationship and the recovery and growth of the travel industry as a whole in the Indian subcontinent and beyond.”
