The first quarter of this year has been a momentous one, both for EmQuest and for our customers. We were delighted, in January this year, to embark on a 10-year marketing distribution agreement with Sabre Holdings®. Their state-of-the-art technology and investment in advanced software will bring continuity, innovation,stability and enhanced benefits to the travel community in the region.

This was backed up with Emirates signing a full content deal with Sabre®. The agreement signing by HH Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al-Maktoum, Chairman and Chief Executive, Emirates Airline and Group and Sam Gilliland, CEO of Sabre Holdings was followed by an opportunity for our customers to meet the senior management team from Sabre and a presentation ceremony where agents received an individual copy of their contract from HH Sheikh Ahmed.

The past four months have been quite challenging as we migrated bookings from one GDS to another; changed software and hardware platforms for agents; conducted training for over 4,000 individuals; introduced more than 40 additional people for on-site support and ironed out teething issues. All this would not have been possible without the commitment, patience and loyalty of our customers and we are grateful for their support. Although there was much to do, we never doubted that the eventual outcome would be a successful one – our dedicated team of support staff has been working with these clients for over 18 years and understands their needs and concerns, putting them in an excellent position to be able to give them all the support and assistance they need.

We are also pleased to have welcomed many new customers including Kanoo Travel, Al Shamil Travel, Arabian Travel Agency and Majan Travel into the EmQuest ‘family’.

As we enter the final phase of this transition it is our pleasure to share with you our confident outlook on what we believe will be a bright future ahead. We intend not to downsize, but to strengthen our call centres and field support teams; not to hold back on technology but to invest and release products; not to cut back operations but rather to expand into new markets, including South and East Africa.

By constantly reviewing our offering and responding to customer feedback, EmQuest remains strongly focussed on providing the very best support and service to every single customer. Creating efficiency, working smarter to streamline time-consuming processes and providing access to global content mean our customers can in turn provide a superior service to their customers, resulting in higher levels of repeat business and better revenue opportunities.

Together with our partners and customers, we have made significant achievements and look forward to continuing to work with each and every one of our loyal supporters in order to maximise on the huge potential in our region.

Naz Nizari
Senior Vice President of EmQuest