Nairobi: On Thursday 27th May 2021, the Kenya Association of Travel Agents (KATA) CEO, Agnes Mucuha led a delegation of Kenya’s travel and tourism industry representatives to a meeting with High Commissioner of Tanzania to Kenya Dr. John Simbachawene at the Tanzania High Commission in Nairobi to discuss strategies for mutual collaboration and partnership with Tanzania in promoting outbound tourism to Tanzania.

This strategic meeting comes at a time when KATA has shifted its focus to promotion of outbound tourism to EAC countries in bid to help its members expand their horizon of business as well as well as improving bilateral ties with the countries to get more tourists to Kenya and simultaneously send tourists from Kenya to those destinations.

This KATA led initiative is part of the association’s strategic role within the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) to promote outbound travel and tourism operations within the East African Community (EAC) member states with an intent to develop a model or cross-border tourism.

In March 2018, African leaders signed three separate agreements: the African Continental Free Trade Agreement; the Kigali Declaration; and the Protocol on Free Movement of Persons. The three agreements work with the aim of reducing bureaucracy, harmonising regulations and avoiding protectionism in several sectors including aviation, travel, tourism and hospitality.

The association invited stakeholders from Kenya Association of Tour Operators, East African Tourism Platform, the Global Tourism Resilience and Crisis Management Centre – East Africa and other stakeholders in the hospitality and tourism sector to discuss how to strengthen the trade-in travel and tourism services between the two countries.

The meeting brought to the fore issues that need to be tackled such as the current trade barriers between Kenya and Tanzania that affects travel and tourism industry, handover of tourists at boarder points, increased costs of safaris, work permit challenges for tour drivers, extra fees for vehicle crossing to Tanzania, and limitations of access points into Tanzania. The trade barriers in travel and tourism are predicated upon the 1985 agreement that was signed by both states with a view of creating a platform for the flow of tourists between the two states. The agreement was driven by a market protectionism mind-set that is no longer viable today, and there was failure to adopt the EAC common market protocol that promotes mutual collaboration and cooperation.

Kenya and Tanzania are some of the fastest growing economies in Sub-Saharan Africa with 5.8 percent and 7.2 percent growth rates respectively recorded in 2016. Both countries are richly endowed with natural resources and connected to the sea which makes their position strategic as the gateway to the EAC and Central Africa region.

As President Suluhu of Tanzania noted during her state visit, Kenya is a key partner for Tanzania and is the largest source of African Foreign Direct Investment into Tanzania. However, instead of the two states focusing on cooperation to boost trade and regional growth, they continue to compete on historical rivalry that has seen strong barriers imposed against doing business across the borders despite the countries being signatories to the EAC Common Market Protocol (CMP).

A classic example is when Tanzania banned Kenyan airlines from its space in September 2020, in retaliation to Kenya’s decision to put in place strict travel measures for its citizens over Covid-19 concerns. This move caused a significant disturbance to regional air services that lasted over two months, hampering regional tourism, intra-EAC trade and bilateral trade between Kenya and Tanzania; with the travel and trade sectors advocating for a coordinated approach to the resumption of air services in bid to restore steady business and economic rebound.

This “sibling mistrust” was termed as “both unfortunate and disruptive to travel and trade between the two East African Community (EAC) nations” by the Daily Nation in an article published in September 2020. The paper said that “for EAC to sustain effectiveness, there should be trust and political rapport among participating nations, in addition to having diplomatic processes that sort out routine differences when they arise.”

The KATA led initiative to foster increased outbound tourism to Tanzania is a positive step towards curing the perceived and lingering mistrusts between the two countries.

In the wake of the current global Covid-19 pandemic, there have been calls for African countries to focus on intra-African travel to ensure a quicker post-COVID recovery even as international tourism is experiencing a staggered upturn of the tourism sector.

African tourism ministers, in the recently concluded Global Travel and Tourism Resilience Council (GTTRC) virtual summit, noted that the global pandemic and its effect on tourism was key learning point for the continent.

Speaking during the event, Kenya’s Cabinet secretary for Tourism and Wildlife, Najib Balala said, “I’ve discussed with the African Union Commission on investing in security, air connectivity and seamless accessibility. We need to ensure that Africans can easily travel to their neighboring countries with the correct visas.”

Balala’s sentiments amplifies KATA’s initiative in promoting intra-African travel starting with the EAC. In a first of such bilateral travel promotion, KATA signed a partnership with the Rwanda Development Board (RDB), Rwanda Chamber of Tourism (RCT), the East African Tourism Platform (EATP) and RwandAir (WB) that will see promotion of free flow of business and leisure travel between Rwanda and Kenya. The association is currently planning familiarization trips for its members with talks going on with its Rwanda partners.

KATA is also working on a similar initiative with Ethiopian Holidays, a division of Ethiopian Airlines to facilitate and enhance the promotion of tourism opportunities for Kenya’s travel agents in Ethiopia which will later be followed by FAM trips to Addis Ababa and other attractions within Ethiopia.

In a nutshell

The travel and tourism industry has emerged as one of the largest and fastest growing economic sectors globally. The growth in the Kenyan travel and tourism industry has, in the past, been driven by a combination of rising income levels and changing lifestyles, development of diverse tourism offerings, and policy and regulatory support by the government authorities.

With more than 177 million inhabitants and GDP growth estimated at 5.9 percent, the EAC offers enormous potential for future growth in outbound travel. Whether it is for a business event or just for leisure, East Africans are increasingly travelling regionally for holiday/ leisure, business and MICE tourism.

Over the past year, this growth has severely been stunted by the Covid-19 pandemic across all segments of tourism. The sluggish economy has had an adverse impact on the Kenyan outbound tourism market despite Kenya being one of the fastest-growing outbound travel markets in East Africa.

KATA will continue focusing concerted efforts in the promotion of regional travel as a means to aid the recovery of the travel industry in the post pandemic period and in the spirit of AfCFTA.

Several years ago, a former FBI director Robert Mueller once said that there are two types of companies: “Those that have been hacked and those that will be.”

His statement still holds true today in Kenya, even as Kenyan companies experience an increase in cyber-attacks from sophisticated hackers.

In the last 3 months of 2020 for instance, Communication Authority of Kenya (CA) reported that cyber-attacks on Kenyan organisations rose by nearly 50 percent compared to a similar period the previous year. This was necessitated by the fact that many organisations were switching to and adopting remote working systems as well as ecommerce platforms amid Covid-19 lockdown measures.

CA data shows that more than 56 million cyber threats were detected nationwide in comparison to 37.1 million in 2019 in the period under review. “A majority of the threats were malware attacks, web application attacks, Distributed Denial of Service (DDos) threats among others,” said CA in a statement.

The rise in cyber threats have seen businesses lose billions of shillings and sensitive information to hackers. Travel companies, including travel agencies, are not immune. In fact, some experts warn that travel agencies are more vulnerable than other businesses.

In 2020, Independent reported that a data breach on Expedia and Booking.com could have potentially exposed data for millions of customers who made reservations using these platforms since 2013, after a software company was found to have improperly stored sensitive data.

In 2017, ZDNet reported that hackers used a flaw in the web server running the website of Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA), the UK’s largest holiday and travel association, to access the data of as many as 43,000 people. Around 1,000 of the accessed files may include personal identity information fronting a risk of potential identity theft and fraud.

You will not imagine how absurdly easy it is for attackers to target the travel and hospitality industry. Many cybersecurity experts say the amount of personal client information that the travel industry collects make it a particularly alluring target for hackers. In fact, the 2018 Global Payments Insight Survey by ACI Worldwide and Ovum, they found that the travel and hospitality sector had been the most heavily affected, with 29% of respondents having experienced a breach.

Why are travel agents such a prime target?

Other than just the amount of information collected, part of the problem for the travel industry is the high uptake of new technologies without proper installation or maintenance by security experts, enabling breaches to go undetected. The lax investment in information security and end-user training among travel agencies have made them a target of interest.

According to an article published in Travel Market Report, in June 2016, JTB Corp, one of Japan’s largest travel agencies, announced that data from more than 7.9 million customers was compromised when an employee opened an infected e-mail attachment. The hacked information included customer names, addresses, e-mail addresses and about 4,300 valid passport numbers.

Experts have termed the JTB attack a form of “spear-phishing,” using an e-mail that appears to come from a trusted party.

These prominent breaches were evidence that the travel industry is highly susceptible to cyber security breaches, and agents are especially vulnerable because they cannot afford technology solutions to detect things like credit card fraud.

Because agencies are generally short-staffed and have less money to spend on sophisticated, software-based technology tools, their ability to detect data breaches becomes severely impacted.

What should you do when you have been attacked?

It’s smart to develop strong cyber safety habits to help prepare for a cyberattack or data breach. It’s also important to secure your personal information and networks.

1. Secure systems and ensure business continuity

Following a breach, the first key step will be to secure the IT systems in order to contain the breach and ensure it is not on going. It is also necessary to consider how and when the breach was detected, and whether any other systems have been compromised. Ensure to have in place suitable measures to ensure that any network or other intrusions are detected immediately.

• Notify the Airlines to suspend the ticket coupons

Attackers may target your booking system, and often will issue tickets using your system driving you into major losses and standoff with the airlines. It is important to suspend all ticket issuance immediately and notify all airlines in your database to invalidate all impacted tickets.

• Report the incident to the GDS company

Always reach out to your GDS and immediately inform them that you have been breached. This is important because the GDS systems are highly sophisticated and reinforced with strong cyber security measures, and they can assist in investigating the breach.

Report the incident to the national Computer Incident Response Team (CIRT)

Cybercrime is one of the most prolific forms of international crime, with damages set to cost the global economy USD10.5 trillion annually by 2025, according to Cybersecurity Ventures. Thus, CIRT takes such incidences with a lot of seriousness. Reporting will help CIRT take regular pulse checks on cybercrime in Kenya and to publish annual threat landscape assessments that underpin operational activities.

• Report the matter to the police and obtain an occurrence book (O/B) reference

Cybercrimes are offences punishable by law and the police will help in tracking down the cybercriminals.

• Conduct an information security audit through a registered Information Security company and obtain an official report

A cyber security audit is designed to be a comprehensive review and analysis of your business’s IT infrastructure. It identifies threats and vulnerabilities, exposing weaknesses and high-risk practices. It is vital to manage the risk of cyber threats, preventing revenue loss and reputational damage. 

• Address legal and regulatory requirements

Cyber-attacks and data breaches come with legal implications. You might face legal suits from disgruntled customers or stakeholders whose information might have been compromised. It is important to reflect on what your legal options are and ensure compliance.

If you have watched the 2011 Hollywood movie Contagion, then you can attest that it is almost believable that the current Coronavirus pandemic has borrowed from its playbook. The virus has not only caused more than a million deaths, but has also created abrupt changes in people’s daily lives and adversely affected the global economy while causing widespread panic.

India is currently the global center of a devastating new wave of the pandemic which has pushed the country’s health system to near collapse. Since the start of the pandemic, India has seen over 18.3 million cases and nearly 205,000 deaths as of April 29, ranking as world’s second highest case numbers, after the United States.

CNN reports that “the outbreak has pushed the country’s healthcare system to near breaking point. With no space left in hospitals, patients are being left to die at home, in ambulances and outside clinics. Even those who are given a bed remain in danger, with hospitals running out of oxygen and asking patients’ families to bring their own.”

India is Kenya’s and Africa’s key source market for travel and tourism. Africa has been watching in disbelief as India’s infection rates soared coupled with a rapidly rising death toll and the discovery of a new virus variant – leaving behind a stench of death and intermittent border closures.

Kenya’s travel industry insiders are bracing for a substantial slump in business following the government’s move to suspend all passenger flights between Kenya and India in a bid to contain the importation and spread of India’s variant to the country.

Kenya has joined a number of other countries that have restricted travel to and from India including Bangladesh, the UK, Oman, France, Hong Kong, Singapore, Canada and now USA which has already announced now guidelines for travel to India.

As a key source market, Kenya was banking on India to boost its international tourism numbers during the year. Official statistics from the Ministry of Tourism and Wildlife indicate that Kenya registered a total of 122,649 arrivals from India through the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport and was the second-largest source of imports to Kenya at KSh178.8 billion.

In 2020, statistics for the period between January to October show that the total number of tourist arrivals into Kenya from India was 25,251, almost a 90% decline which is attributed to the Covid-19 travel restrictions imposed by both Kenya and India.

A large number of patients from Kenya also travel to India every year for specialised medical treatment, due to its affordable and easily accessible healthcare, making the country’s medical tourism a key attraction.

As travel began to pick up in 2021, Kenya saw the Indian market as key to the revival of travel and tourism going forward. But this is never to be as India’s soaring number of cases have not only resulted to a total travel ban, but also chocked out its healthcare system, with hospitals facing acute shortage of oxygen, medicine and vaccines supply.

Impact on EAC’s Travel and Tourism

A recently released study by the East African Business Council (EABC) painted a grim picture of the Covid situation in the travel and tourism industry with the sector experiencing a loss of 2.1 million jobs in the 6 member states of the East African Community (EAC). The report said that there were massive reductions international arrivals, jobs, hotel occupancy rates among others.

EABC’s study that reported a loss of USD4.8 billion in the travel, tourism and hospitality industry caused by the impacts of the Covid-19 outbreak, comes at the backdrop of the world celebrating International Labour Day on 1st May. The loss is attributed to the impact of Covid-19 outbreak, mostly in key tourist source markets of Europe, North America, and Southeast Asia.

The study that was conducted by EABC with the support of the African Economic Research Consortium and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation aimed at assessing the impact of Covid-19 on the travel, tourism and hospitality industry and establish policy options to protect the sector players from Covid-19 disruptions and future pandemics.

A key point brought out by the study was that, businesses in the travel and tourism industry turned to borrowing as the only means to fund their running expenditures such as rent and utilities due to reduced operational capital. This is because the industry players in the EAC region lack a macro-economic policy that would help the industry mitigate the impact and business disruption caused by the pandemic.

Not out of the woods, yet.

A survey conducted by Skål International Düsseldorf and IU University of Applied Sciences Düsseldorf, that was carried out among Skål International members worldwide evaluating their professional view of the future of Travel and Tourism (TT) under the threat of the coronavirus, found out that 82% of the participants called their actual business situation bad or very bad. With 75% rating their business development in the past 2 months as stalled or declined.

Participants cited main reasons for bad business to be closed borders. The survey found out that despite there being some recovery from December 2020, stalling requests have persisted since January 2021 with clients waiting for a more stable situation before booking.

This is the exact situation facing travel agents in Kenya with the biggest hinderance being border closures. The travel agents experienced business shocks following UK’s decision to add Kenya to its red list and later issued a level 4 travel advisory against travel to Kenya. Kenya retaliated by imposing travel restriction for travellers originating from or transiting through the UK.

The US also moved to ban travel to Kenya following fears of the South African Covid-19 variant in Kenya spreading to the US. The latest in travel ban spree has been that between Kenya and India; all having catastrophic effects on travel agency businesses in Kenya.

The Skål International survey notes that the real game changer for the recovery of travel will be global immunisation by vaccination. Kenya started her vaccination exercise beginning of March 2021 with priority given to essential workers and risk groups.

The Ministry of Tourism and Wildlife also launched a nationwide Covid-19 vaccination drive for frontline personnel in the Travel, Tourism and Hospitality sector which is currently in its first phase of roll out.

“Our industry, like many others who depend on mobility, is in a survival fight. Things might become better, if the pandemic situation is under control faster by speedy global vaccination execution. But might become worse, if vaccination is delayed in many countries or the virus is causing new problems,” read the Skål report in part.

This recommendation comes when countries like Kenya and India and the rest of Sub-Saharan Africa are facing severe vaccine shortages. In 16% of the participating countries in the Skål International survey, vaccination has not even started yet.

Here is what to note. The situation in India is not unique to India, it can happen to any country. Africa has been a ticking bomb for a scenario like that in India. Already India’s “double mutant” variant has been reported in Uganda. The sooner African countries ramp up immunization by vaccination, the sooner its industries will recover, especially the travel industry.

Now that the travel industry in Kenya has been given some reprieve following President Kenyatta’s directive to lift the ban on travel and lockdown of the “five counties” in Kenya, and the unsuspension of local flights, it is paramount that the general public, led by sector players, to observer the Covid-19 travel protocols set in place for the purposes of safeguarding the economy against another lockdown.

The Kenya Association of Travel Agents in partnerships with Ethiopian Airlines Nairobi Area Office and the Embassy of Ethiopia in Kenya, on 22^nd April 2021 hosted a webinar to promote Ethiopian Tourism Opportunities to the Kenyan market.

In the forum, the stakeholders explored areas of potential collaborations between businesses and institutions working in the travel and tourism sector.

Speaking during the event, H.E Tsion Teklu, State Minister for Economic Diplomacy and Diaspora Affairs in Ethiopia urged the two countries to come up with innovative approach to addressing policy issues facing the tourism industry in both countries.

“We have a lot to offer! Our proximity should make us work closely. The prosperity of Kenya is the prosperity of Ethiopia and Vice versa,” said H.E Tsion Teklu.

In 1988, the World Tourism Organisation (WTO) gave leeway to individual countries to design their tourism development policy by taking into account their historical, cultural, social and economic conditions.

WTO pointed out that, third world countries should focus on the problems involved in the choice of policy as this will help them optimize the return from their tourism resources; natural and cultural.

H.E Jean Kamau, Ambassador of Kenya to Ethiopia urged Kenya’s travel agents and tour operators to take advantage of the vast tourism opportunities that Ethiopia holds. She urged stakeholders to relook Visa policies that will facilitate free flow on people between Kenya and Ethiopia.

During the past few decades, tourism has emerged as one of the world’s major industries, exceeding the importance of many manufacturing industries and other services in terms of sales, employment and foreign earnings.

Travel and tourism role within Sub-Saharan countries is very significant. In Kenya, for example, the tourism industry has rapidly become the number one foreign exchange earner, a status of central importance to the country’s economic health.

However, the results are far from uniform in the rest of Sub-Sahara. There is considerable disparity when considering tourist receipts as a percentage of GDP when a range of Sub-Saharan African countries are considered, such as Ethiopia.

Speaking at the forum, the Chairman for Kenya Association of Travel Agents, Mohammed Wanyoike pointed out that the amount of outbound travel to Ethiopia from Kenya has not been proportionate, insisting that this has to change.

A number of less developed countries that are endowed with abundant tourist attractions have failed to capitalise on their resources in order to improve their export earnings capabilities. Lack of strategic objectives has been a major drawback in some countries.

Others suffer from negative perceptions of their destinations mainly due to unstable political situations, lack of security or poor facilities.

Mr. Wanyoike told the Ethiopian counterparts that with appropriate strategies, “destination Ethiopia can be extensively promoted as a preferred destination for major outbound tourist markets from East Africa,” adding that, “with all that Ethiopia has to offer, a greater focus on travel and tourism will play a part in unlocking its potential and ensuring that benefits ultimately accrue to young people across Ethiopia and beyond.”

He also implored travel agents in Kenya to focus on curating packages that will attract their clients to destination Ethiopia as the market offers immense potential for business development for Kenyan travel agents.

While urging Kenya’s travel agents and tour operators to sell destination Ethiopia, H.E Meles Alem, Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Ethiopia to Kenya said that Ethiopia is open and safe for travel.

His statement came in the backdrop of Ethiopia being awarded the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) Safe Travels Stamp – the world’s first-ever global safety and hygiene stamp.

Ethiopia’s Ministry of Culture and Tourism last year implemented a raft of measures to ensure safety for residents, travellers, workers and businesses in the tourism value chain, as the country reopened its borders to international visitors.

Ethiopian Holidays, a division of Ethiopian Airlines has also been curating holiday packages that will help promote leisure travel into Ethiopia especially for residents within East Africa and the larger African continent.

Mrs. Tigist Terefe, the Kenya Country Manager for Ethiopian Airlines said that the airline remains a formidable partner in the promotion and accessibility of Destination Ethiopia and its attraction sites. She sited Ethiopian Airlines domestic air connectivity as the best in Africa as most parts of the country are service by the Airline.

Mrs. Terefe also cited that the newly expanded Addis Ababa airport will be a big boost to the travel experience of those transiting through Addis Ababa.

Hahn Air is pleased to introduce its latest partner carriers that are available on the HR-169 document for ticketing in Kenya. African carrier Precision Air from Tanzania is now also available under the H1 code. In addition, Taiwanese Starlux Airlines and Bolivian airline Amaszonas were integrated into Hahn Air’s leading partner network. Read on for more details.

Welcome Precision Air (PW)

Established in 1993, Precision Air (PW) is a Tanzanian carrier offering scheduled flights from its main hub Dar es Salaam to Arusha, Bukoba, Dodoma, Kahama, Kilimanjaro, Mbeya, Mtwara, Mwanza, Zanzibar and Nairobi. Their fleet consists of nine ATR aircraft with up to 70 seats. Flights of this dual partner are available under the H1 code and PW code in Amadeus, Galileo, Sirena, Worldspan und Sabre.

Welcome Starlux Airlines (JX)

Taiwanese carrier Starlux Airlines (JX) was founded in 2020. From its base airport in Taipei, it flies to eight attractive destinations in Japan and South East Asia: Bangkok, Cebu, Da Nang, Kuala Lumpur, Macau, Osaka, Penang and Tokyo. This new partner is available for ticketing on the insolvency-safe HR-169 ticket in the following GDSs: Abacus, Amadeus, Galileo, Infini, Sabre and Travelsky

Welcome Amaszonas (Z8)

Línea Aérea Amaszonas (Z8), also known as Amaszonas, is a Bolivian airline based at El Alto Airport in La Paz. Amaszonas serves 17 destinations in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay, Peru and Uruguay. The dual partner’s flights are available under the X1 code in Sabre, Galileo and Worldspan GDSs and under their own code Z8 in Amadeus und Sirena.

Questions? Meet your personal Hahn Air representative

If you have any questions about the Hahn Air solutions and services, take the opportunity to schedule your personal session with your Hahn Air representative, Candy Kasonkomona. She will answer all your questions about HR-169, H1-Air, X1-Air, Securtix^® and more. Simply send your suggestions for a date and time to c.kasonkomona@hahnair.com  and advise how you would like to meet. Candy is available for sessions via Zoom, Skype, Google Meet, Teams or phone.

For more information please visit www.hahnair.com

RwandAir will become the first African airline to trial IATA Travel Pass to enable safe and seamless international travel. The airline will begin a three-week trial in April for customers travelling between Kigali and Nairobi in Kenya.

Developed as an initiative to restore traveller and government confidence towards the reopening of state borders, the IATA Travel Pass is an application that enables the ease of verification of a passenger’s compliance with COVID 19 testing and vaccine travel requirements through a secure digital platform.

The platform is designed to be incorporated into airlines’ own apps, so travellers can easily understand what they need before they fly.

While lauding the move, Yvonne Manzi Makolo, the Chief Executive for RwandAir, said that they are proud to be the first African airline to trial the IATA Travel Pass, an initiative that could reinforce the health and safety measures and protocols with the objective of restoring traveller confidence to fly once more.

“We are incredibly proud to be part of IATA’s Industry Advisory Panel, to ensure we guide the technology development in a way that covers the unique requirements of our passenger profile,” she said, adding that, IATA’s innovative solution simplifies and digitally transmits the information required by countries and governments around the world into our airline systems, in a secure and efficient manner.

“Travel Pass will make it easy for our customers to resume flying – and just as easy for RwandAir, and airlines around the world, to accept them,” she reiterated

Alexandre de Juniac, IATA Director General and CEO, said: “RwandAir is showing its industry leadership in Africa by becoming the first airline on the continent to trial IATA Travel Pass. RwandAir has long used IATA products as the most reliable source of information on entry requirements. This trial will build on that history of working in partnership and takes us a step further in the context of COVID-19. IATA Travel Pass will give governments the confidence to re-open their borders knowing that arriving passengers are in full compliance with any testing or vaccination requirements.”

The trial app has a range of features, including a registry of testing centres and labs at the departure and/or arrival location which can conduct COVID-19 tests in accordance with the type of test required for the journey.

RwandAir customers participating in the trial will create a ‘digital passport’ which verifies that their pre-travel COVID-19 test or vaccination meets the requirements of the destination they are travelling to.

They will also be able to safely and securely share their test and vaccination certificates with participating authorities and airlines around the world to ensure smooth and seamless travel.

The global travel retail platform, Travelport, on 24^th February 2021 launched a bold and distinct new visual identity, which has been created as part of the company’s first ever end-to-end rebrand.

Anyone who has considered making a trip and experienced having to put that trip on hold (or making a cancellation) can now see the possibility of rescheduling their plans. While the past year has been tough for the industry, hopes for return of travel have witnessed an upsurge in 2021. Which is why Travelport is ramping up a new brand that reflects its vision for the future and a symbol of its commitment to reinventing the future of travel.

This also saw Travelport launch their “Change is for the Brave” campaign, through which they promise to double down on their efforts to offer better travel experiences in the post pandemic world. While it’s understandable that people are wondering when travel will be possible again, Travelport is pointing out that the time is actually, upon us already!

However, in the light of certain changes to the travel experience, it is also understandable why experts have suggested that better travel experience is something that can be extremely helpful when navigating post-COVID-19 travel. There are bright spots on the horizon. We see a clear increase in bookings as growing consumer confidence releases pent-up demand for travel six or more months out.

“As we embark on our bold new journey, we are committed to improving the connection between buyers and sellers who share our passion for delivering exceptional travel experiences,” read a statement from Greg Webb, CEO for Travelport.

From advanced technology check-in options and suggested travel options to vaccine information, Travelport is considered to be at the forefront of modern post-COVID travel experience. 

“We have been investing in a ground-up rebuilding of our technology. In the coming months, we will introduce our next-generation platform designed to enable more content, better retailing and the best value in the marketplace, which we believe will have an immediate, positive impact on your business,” he added.

For those who have experienced the restrictions of a lockdown environment, any efforts towards changing how we travel in the future in a safe, reliable and convenient way, is a welcome news as travel begins its new resurgence. Travelport’s services will focus on the new-normal travel realities by leveraging technology to better travel experiences for the industry.

“We believe change is for the brave; and it is bravery – the courage to try new things, embrace creative solutions, and challenge convention – that will enable Travelport and its partners to overcome recent events, accelerate industry recovery, and build a better tomorrow,” said Webb.

We also said that they will not be satisfied by simply recovering from the last year instead, Travelport is building for a future in which together with its customers, they can exceed the expectations travellers had before they were interrupted.

The global restrictions imposed since March this year due to Covid-19 has brought international travel to a screeching halt. It has caused a 22% fall in international tourist arrivals during the first quarter of 2020 and could further decline by 60-80% over the whole year.

Travel will be back — inevitably. But the way we travel will undergo a dramatic transformation.

Although technology may have already changed how travelers plan, book, and embark on their journeys drastically over the past decade, at this juncture, data science and artificial intelligence (AI) is expected to play a major role in helping the industry resuming back to the new normal. Before the pandemic, AI and other forms of machine learning were just beginning to infiltrate the travel sector. Their biggest advantage is the ability to personalize experiences and streamline services based on customer data.

Singapore, for example, is hoping that AI — through local start-ups — can help the city-state’s tourism sector bring back visitors safely, as ongoing border restrictions and lower consumer appetite for international flights have changed travel as an industry.

So what could traveling look like in the wake of the pandemic?

Naturally, companies would explore solutions that allow travelers to maintain social distancing norms as much as possible.

Industry experts believe data science and AI technology will be a key tool in the revival of travel, with electronic passports and IDs, boarding passes, medical screening, and robot cleaners being deployed widely to limit physical contact between people and surfaces.

Source: https://www.hospitalitynet.org/news/4101254.html

Today we talk to Candy Kasonkomona, Hahn Air’s Regional Vice President Agency Distribution for Southern, Eastern & Central West Africa. She shares with us the company’s innovative H1-Air and X1-Air products which provide travel agents around the world with greater choices of carriers to offer to their clients.

1. Please tell us more about the advantages of H1-Air and X1-Air

Travel agents can find additional carriers in their GDSs that would not be available without Hahn Air. More than 60 airlines are brought to all major GDSs under the H1 code. And almost 20 additional partners can be found in Amadeus, Sabre and Travelport under the X1 code. They can be issued on the reliable Hahn Air HR-169 tickets and all standard GDS processes apply. Of course, the free insolvency-protection Securtix is included, too.

• What kind of carriers do you offer under the H1 and X1 designators?

H1-Air and X1-Air support airlines of any size and business model. The portfolio includes small domestic airlines flying to safari destinations in Africa such as Safarilink, international low-cost airlines servicing major airports such as SpiceJet from India, domestic airlines such as Sky Express from Greece and regional network airlines flying international routes such as Air Tanzania.

Today, under the H1 and X1 designators travel agencies worldwide can find over 80 additional carriers in their GDSs.

• How can travel agents book H1-Air and X1-Air partners?

To book flights of our H1-Air and X1-Air partners, travel agents just have to follow the standard ticketing process of their GDS and can issue these airlines on Hahn Air’s insolvency-safe HR-169 tickets. It’s really easy – and best of all: it’s free. For further assistance, follow the steps in our learning video.

• What are more benefits of H1-Air and X1-Air?

Thanks to our large network of partners, travel agents can sell countless combinations of carriers, including those under the designators H1 and X1, on the HR-169 ticket.

Moreover, Hahn Air is the first ticketing provider to offer the complimentary insolvency protection Securtix^® that applies to each HR-169 ticket on which services of Hahn Air’s partners were issued. Securtix^® guarantees passengers a refund if a service is cancelled due to insolvency of the operating partner. Financial help is even available for stranded passengers and there is a special compensation for travel agents for handling a stranded passenger case.

Should travel agents have any ticketing enquiries they can depend on our Service Desk 24/7. The multilingual team can be reached at service@hahnair.com.

A video clip on Kenya’s national carrier, Kenya Airways (KQ) has been doing the rounds. Ominously titled, ‘Fall of The Pride’, it has created a frisson of excitement in some and visceral fear in others. Tapping into the anger that is already palpable on account of a tanking economy, the creator of the clip has masterfully channeled it towards KQ as though the airline was a metonym for the entire country and all that is wrong with it.

Unfortunately, stoking emotions clouds the reasoning of many and precludes cogent discussion over the future of the airline. For instance, it cements systemic biases against industry outsiders in top management positions making them look like they do not belong. Yet evidence clearly shows that industry pundits do not always make the best managers. Titus Naikuni, in his early years at KQ, steered it to profitability. He was an outsider. On the other hand, Sebastian Mikosz, with vast experience in the aviation industry, sunk KQ into a deeper hole before his untimely and expensive departure. The Polish aviation consultants, so called “the turn-around experts” were not a good idea.

Then again, it is difficult to convince despondent Kenyans that, contrary to public sentiment, KQ procured its aircraft sans kickbacks to the politically correct people. No one wants to peruse the data in the public domain that reveals the special purpose vehicles (SPVs) used to purchase most of the airline fleet are in fact, owned by international financial institutions. It is easier to believe that these SPVs are run by shadowy politicians with the sole purpose of defrauding the airline. Nothing could be further from the truth!

It is standard practice in the aviation and maritime industries for fleet operators to take syndicated loans for large-scale purchases of equipment. Lenders then incorporate SPVs to reduce their risks as they would rather have an independent legal personality as a borrower, free from any financial distress that may be experienced by an airline company. The borrower (SPV) then enters into a finance lease with the airline until the loan is repaid thereafter which the title to the vessel is handed over to the airline.

Successive airlines like Turkish Airlines have used this option to increase their fleet. Through an SPV called Balthazar, owned by PNB Paribas, they recently bought five Airbus 321 NEO aircraft. KQ, in the 90s, purchased four Boeing 737-300 aircraft with the support of the Export Import Bank of America. The SPV then was Simba Finance Limited. The titles to these aircraft were transferred to KQ after the repayment of the loan. It follows therefore that there is nothing sinister about the acquisition of planes through SPVs like Samburu, Tsavo and Amboseli Limited. Ownership can be traced to international lenders of repute like JP Morgan, City Bank, Standard Chartered, Ned Bank, among others.

KQ has performed rather badly over the past few years due to errors of omission, commission and outright bad luck. Under the ambitious Project Mawingu, it expanded too fast and acquired a huge fleet without capacity. It also failed to anticipate aggression from Middle Eastern carriers. These rolled out a more superior product, taking a significant chunk of the African market that the airline had been reliant on. Among the factors beyond the control of KQ were the Douala crash, the Ebola outbreak in West Africa, the fire that burnt Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, the airline’s hub, and the Westgate massacre.

At the moment, the airline is faced with an existential crisis and must make one of two decisions. One, is to nationalise the airline. This would entail the government buying back shares from others, giving it full control. It would then continue to subsidise the airline as its own asset with bigger objectives than profitability and dividends. The long view would be to use KQ as a strategic national asset, spurring exports like horticultural produce, driving up visitor numbers and facilitating the country as a conference destination. RwandaAir and Qatar Airlines have adopted this model.

The other decision is to wind up the airline. But while this would resolve the intractable demands of powerful unions and unyielding lessors, it would still cost the government Sh76 billion in repayment of debt secured by sovereign guarantees. Restarting afresh would present challenges of creating new routes, traffic, licences and co-bilateral service agreements. One hopes that a sense of proportionality will prevail, and the right decision made. KQ may be down for now but it is certainly not out.

-Khafafa is a public policy analyst Source: https://www.standardmedia.co.ke/commentary/article/2001389111/kenya-airways-is-down-but-definitely-not-out